Talk:Courier

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If the package is a briefcase of great important, the courier can use handcuffs to attach the briefcase to his hand.

Contents

[edit] Edits

Can someone check the edits by 87.194.32.114 ?

Check in what way? The information posted is genuine and accurate.

Okay, I thought "eCourier, which uses cutting edge GPS, mobile computing and automated fleet management is considered a next-generation courier company." sounded a little like an advert and not so NPOV.
If the info is accurate and backed up by other sources (like awards from the British Computer Society) then it's a reasonable conclusion to draw notwithstanding one's POV.

The info struck me as a bit POV as well. "...is considered a next-generation courier company," in particular. --Grant M 03:58, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] More advertising

I just removed this:

'One large and very efficient company in the UK is Fastway Couriers.'

Totally unsubstantiated and not NPOV. It is borderline advertising. See 'Wikipedia is not a soap-box'

Buffalo Bill 17:08, 10 October 2007 (UTC)

And this:
Of these companies, CitySprint (a nationwide courier company) has the largest Sameday Courier network in the UK.
See Wikipedia is not a directory. Also, such a claim would require substantiation. See verifiability. Buffalo Bill talk to me 14:00, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup mostly done

Worked with the first few paragraphs, summarizing and removing redundancies. I outright removed the following as I'm unsure how notable it is:

  • Professionalism
Industry surveys indicate that 99 percent of owner-operator drivers are professional drivers. These drivers are also vetted prior to being offered a position. Oftentimes this includes safety and TSA guideline knowledge, geography and even logistics questionnaires to ensure safe practices and compliance with TSA guidelines. Drivers must have a valid operator’s license in good standing with the state of issuance, and comprehensive insurance that is up-to-date. Also, most states require that couriers take training courses prior to becoming a commercial vehicle operator, which means only qualified, safe and committed professionals make the final cut to become contract couriers. The business model works as a self-policing mechanism, where only safe drivers become career employee drivers or contracted owner-operator drivers.
  • Safety
While our industry is not regulated, per se, by the normal standards of government-instituted regulations, we do meet increasingly rigorous training and safety demands. This can be seen in our 100 percent safety record - to date, there has not been a single incident that compromises our homeland security. The industry primarily accepts billed payments and does 99 percent of their business with shippers that are “known” to them, both of which drastically reduce the ability for an individual to use a courier service to deliver explosives or biochemical agents, since there is a traceable record set by the transaction. Our customers entrust us with the delivery of extremely fragile and sensitive items and as such, set the security level according to that particular package. A customer recently arranged for independent owner operators to undertake a week of specialized training to prepare for a delivery involving transgenic mice that have the potential to foster breakthroughs in cancer research, whereas a delivery of a simple letter does not demand the same level of commitment and background checks. The marketplace regulations, in addition to our high levels of professionalism, have served as a layered approach to security that has worked exceedingly well.
  • Technology
Most packages are monitored and tracked via advanced electronic communication devices. Couriers are in communication with dispatchers via two-way electronic devices, such as Nextel phones or Blackberries, to verify locations and status of operations. This communication further ensures that packages and security guidelines are accounted for, reducing the opportunity for tampering or a gap in the security of the supply chain.
  • Chain of custody
One of the features of the courier industry is that the delivery has a complete chain of custody, which prevents tampering or other malicious or dangerous activities. The employee drivers and contracted owner-operators obtain the package from the customer and typically retain sole control of that package throughout the delivery process, ensuring the package remains intact and unscathed until its arrival.
  • Known Shippers
Couriers also provide a rush or direct from shipper to consigned service that is conducted on a business-to-business transaction model. As such, nearly 99 percent of businesses requesting deliveries are repeat customers, and “known” to the courier company, have a long-standing relationship with the courier firm and use the same physical locations for their transactions. This further reduces risk and adds a layer of security in the courier delivery supply chain.

Feel free to supplement parts of this into the article as need be. - RoyBoy 800 05:54, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] External links?

How about remove all? -- Frap 20:41, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Collaboration

Exactly, on all counts. This also means I'm unsure myself what needs to be added/changed; as it took significant will power to bring myself just to cleanup a text dump; let alone consider actually making editorial decisions. The first thing we could do is try to add it to a relevant (collaboration, or task list) to get others involved who may have more background/interest in the topic than us. And I think you share my sense that this is a basic topic that an encyclopedia should be comprehensive on. - RoyBoy 800 22:41, 3 January 2007 (UTC)


Hiya, here by request to help out a bit.
I see what's meant about the article. Ideally the article should be an encyclopedic overview of the subject of couriers, structured and organized logically. Where it seems to be is:
  • It's a bit simplistically and patchy in approach
  • It covers mostly the US industry rather than guiding the user through aspects logically, where ideally it should provide a more global overview and logical approach before covering one country's individual experience and structure of the business
  • It covers specific aspects of the subject but doesn't have a cohesive overview within which they fit, so it's effectively picked odd features at random almost, within the topic.
Looks like a fun article to take a look at. If I try to throw together a slightly more thorough overview based on what's there, with "gaps" where I just don't know much about some aspect of couriering, would that help as a start? That can often be all that's needed to kickstart an article. Thoughts? FT2 (Talk | email) 22:52, 3 January 2007 (UTC)
Sounds perfect. - RoyBoy 800 23:54, 3 January 2007 (UTC)
There's going to be a lot of "gaps", and places where information'll need filling in by others who're more knowledgable on the subject. Are you okay hitting that job if I leave a gap to hold it? I can't really learn enough to do that, but I can help figure out what's needed as a starting point. Is anyone else actively editing or interested in the article?
I will try to look at it shortly. FT2 (Talk | email) 00:02, 4 January 2007 (UTC)
Understood, no one is editing it that I know of; and there is certainly no rush as this article has been on my back burner for months. But if I can more clearly identify the gaps; it would be easier to launch an assault and get others to help out; gaps are good. :"D - RoyBoy 800 00:50, 4 January 2007 (UTC)


Okay, Ive done a semi-okay-for-now intro, that helps establish the article's focus, and set up some sections for you to play with relating to core grounding material - the history of the business and types and classifications of courier. Here's roughly (as guidance) what I'd be looking for in each section:

  1. Couriers started as messengers, to kings and within the military, as well as trade. Overview the historical origins of couriers and the nature of their roles, moving on to how the focus developed, and what pressures and needs drove these changes, leading into the point where the modern concept of courier as a custom delivery service branched away from both Kings Messengers and public mail services. (Ensure it tries to capture how these concepts spread worldwide, if you're able, or else maybe tag it as geographically limited for now.)
  2. Then, how the modern concept of courier services evolved since that point, leading up to the huge infrastructure and stable range of couriers of today
  3. Next, try to think through the main niches in courier business - global carriers, different kinds of specialist couriers (food, large objects and machinery, high security and sensitivity, motorcycle and motorbike, whatever there is out there). Try to bullet point a list of up to 6 major niches in this sort of style: "Motorbike and motorcycle couriers - deliver within one limited area, high speed, typically used for small packets and urgent business and legal documents."
  4. You can leave courier in UK for now, unless you feel adventurous, the above matter more.

have a go at that, see how it gets on. FT2 (Talk | email) 02:28, 4 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Black market couriers?

This article fails to mention couriers transporting black market goods. 71.113.186.40 (talk) 22:55, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] UK Section

I've nearly entirely re-written the UK section, as it appeared to be written in a very 'American' style/or by someone who hadn't really had any involvement/knowledge with a UK courier, and it was very much talking about one or two things - and not giving a scope into the diverse courier industry in Britain. =] —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dvmedis (talk • contribs) 15:47, 2 March 2008 (UTC)

Nice edit, but for this section to be encyclopedic, it requires citations to show the sources for the information given. See WP:NOR and WP:V. Buffalo Bill talk to me 17:22, 2 March 2008 (UTC)