Subcontracting courier loads
Subcontracting courier loads in the UK
Subcontracting courier loads means covering overflow on a load exchange, or with another firm, when your own drivers cannot take the work. You still need a driver file: who is insured, whose driver it is, what you keep, and how you pay.
What a load exchange is
A load exchange is a board where an operator posts work they cannot cover and another courier accepts it. Courier Exchange is one example. Read the Courier Exchange review for that board. A comparison of UK boards belongs on courier job platforms in the UK, not on this page. This page is the file you keep when you use any of them.
Three ways to cover the work
| Arrangement | Who holds the licence record | Who invoices | Who the customer calls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your own driver | You. One file, viewed before they go out. | You self-bill them, or they invoice you, under the agreement you already have. | Your customer calls you. |
| A contracted subcontractor | You keep a copy of every person who drives your parcels. Their firm holds the employment file. | The firm invoices you, unless the contract says you pay the driver. | Your customer calls you. |
| An exchange load | You, if that person carries your customer's parcels. Read the exchange contract before you assume the board keeps the file. | Usually the exchange or the subcontractor invoices you. Confirm it on the job. | Your customer calls you. |
The file you keep
Before the round leaves, collect the same evidence you would for your own driver: identity, the right-to-work position you have checked against the Home Office employer guide and the contract, a licence you have viewed, and insurance that covers courier work. The subcontractor onboarding checklist separates the firm from the person. The delivery driver onboarding checklist is the person.
Pay follows whoever the contract names. If you self-bill a driver, HMRC's self-billing guidance applies, including a self-billing agreement. That workflow is self-billing for UK couriers. Zerity does not find loads, and it does not join an exchange for you.
Questions
If I post a job on an exchange, do I still keep a driver file?
If that person is carrying your parcels under your customer's contract, you need the same insurance and identity evidence you would keep for your own driver. Read the contract.
Is Courier Exchange the only option?
No. The platform guide compares the UK boards. This page is about the file you keep when you use one.
Does Zerity find loads?
No. Zerity keeps onboarding, documents and self-billed pay for the drivers you already run.