subject: What Can I Ship With A Bike Messenger? [print this page] There is a very large advantage to be gained by using a courier company that has a fleet with varied vehicles for you to utilize in the course of your shipping needs. If you only have one choice of vehicle, you can be often paying for something that costs more than you would need to purchase if shipping with a courier company that would allow you to use a smaller vehicle. You also might have the option of shipping something large with your existing company instead of having to find a separate airport courier service to make larger shipments. To make the best use of a courier with a large fleet like this, you need to know which packages require which kinds of transportation, such as which packages can you ship with a bike messenger.
There is a fairly strict restriction on what kinds of packages bicycle messengers can carry, and that is because it is simply impossible to allow some of the flexibility which is extended to other courier vehicles when it comes to a bicycle. One of the first considerations in the case of a bike delivery person is always going to be safety. If they attempt to carry packages which are too heavy or too large, it can be dangerous to the drivers, and that is unacceptable, both in terms of the law, and liability.
The usual limit that a courier company will quote to their customers is ten pounds. This means that you can usually ship anything which weighs less than ten pounds with a bike messenger. Take this limitation with a large grain of common sense though. Many people take this to mean that you can ship anything under that weight limit, but size has to be a consideration as well. Oversized items which don't fit handily in a bike messengers cargo carrier are simply too dangerous for them to carry, as they can be unaware of where the package extends to, and it can in fact cause accidents.
If you do have packages that fit within those size restrictions though, you should take advantage of a bike messenger. They can sometimes be the fastest shipping method possible when you're shipping within the downtown core of a city center. They can also be the most affordable, because there are no fuel costs like those associated with cars, and a fraction of the insurance costs.
