3 Top Lucrative Courier Jobs

With a little strategy—such as fine-tuning the kind of courier jobs you take on—you can earn more per delivery or pick-up trip. But just where do you find better paying work?

Here are three places to look for well-paying jobs.

The Medical Industry

Courier jobs within the medical industry are among the best-paying gigs out there, mainly because of the accompanying stringent requirements. Often, drivers get these jobs straight from hospitals or labs themselves or from an online exchange, and they can strike a long-term exclusive contract for the work. The jobs may entail picking up medical specimens from doctors, or delivering screening tests and other patient data to labs for testing. However, as mentioned above, there are usually strict qualifications and requirements that need to be put in place - not only to protect the delicate items being transported, but also to make sure that the drivers know what to do in case of an emergency that may put their cargo at a risk. Those who take on these jobs must provide a systematic means of monitoring the safety and integrity of the specimens, which means their vehicle must be equipped with certain temperature controls or other devices.

Legal Documents and Items

Picking up and delivering documents and other paraphernalia from legal offices or courts can form the basis of very lucrative courier jobs. You may have to pick up legal documents from lawyer’s offices for speedy or on-time delivery to courthouses and, sometimes, the items to be handled are delicate in nature, needing a special security set-up to ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands. Working for legal offices can be demanding, but these gigs more than make up for it by the sheer volume of available work. If you can meet the demand, and exceed the expectations of your regular customers, then you can gain a good, steady source of income.

Freelancer on a Courier Exchange System

A courier exchange is an online platform that enables different drivers and potential customers to network. The advantage of joining such a network is you get exposed to more courier jobs than you can handle! Potential customer demographic varies wildly on these sites, and they are often willing to pay a premium for the more unusual or difficult delivery requirements. What’s more, the better reputation you establish on the exchange, the more people will personally seek out your services and past satisfied customers will recommend you to their own network of business contacts.

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.