CAT | Courier News
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100.000 couriers available on the road – 24/7
Posted by CHAKKR Team in CHAKKR News, Courier News
We are proud to welcome our first premium couriers, who have reported a big leap on the number of orders they got through CHAKKR. Congrats!
Keep going, we are working hard to bring you more orders from many different sources. Stay tuned..
As per the recent studies released on behalf of German courier-packet-transport provider associations, over 63% of the „couriers“ quoted under-utilized capacity as one of their big concerns which, together with rising fuel prices, increases their costs.
There are over 37.000 couriers in Germany, which collectively run over 200.000 vans on the road.
With an „available“ capacity of 50% from each of them, this translates to 100.000 possible courier-transport options available, which can be used anytime by anyone.
CHAKKR is the ideal solution for customers to directly reach-out to this capacity!
Looking at the above numbers, there is no wonder why most CHAKKR customers are repeat users, because the offers which they get from our couriers save them over 60-70% in the shipment costs, especially for bulky goods like furniture, whitegoods etc.
Transporting goods through couriers on CHAKKR provides you with a wide rand of advantages as well, in comparison with big shipment networks.
- Your courier is your DIRECT (and probably the only) contact partner (no burocracy and “processes”)
- Your courier picks up the transport-item, loads it in his van, and brings it to you personally -> there are no “transitions”.
- Your courier is a real “person” -> not company XYZ. You can call him any time (yes, including weekends!), adjust plans if needed etc.
We are working on bringing in more utilities to customers and couriers (eg : CHAKKR Mobile App with courier/shipment tracking), as well as going wide by partnering with some online shops directly.
Stay tuned and watch this space for more updates…
Feedbacks, suggestions, critics => always welcome! – Email us at team@chakkr.com
A new global reefer logistics player was created by a pool of international operators including Arkas (Turkey), Gulf Badr (Egypt), Marmedsa (Spain), Medreefer (Italy), TPG (Slovenia), Seafast (UK).
The alliance also includes Wilson Sons (Brazil) and Modaltrade/Agunsa Logistica (Chile), and the participation of Norton Lilly (USA), Zen Continental (China), Durot Shipping (Belgium) amongst other solid and well known companies, established around the world in key production and consumption areas.
The new alliance, called “Easyfresh”, offers customers around the globe local presence and global coverage for perishable multimodal transportation. Its network guarantees worldwide logistics support for all temperature controlled traffics, from origin to final destination.
Easyfresh offices will provide required pre- or post-shipment logistic services from production site to point of final delivery. Given strength of the regional operations and its consolidation, the inland trucking and distribution networks (though strategic partnerships) can offer multimodal solutions: trucking, cross-docking, groupage and distribution services to receivers worldwide.
Source: GREENMED Journal
RFID is Radio-frequency identification. For the courier business it is highly recommendable.
RFID is a technology that uses communication via electromagnetic waves to exchange data between a terminal and a package or good. Identification and tracking are the main cause of using RFID. The identification and tracking system uses labels or tags.
There are three types of RFID tags:
- passive RFID tags, which have no power source and require an external electromagnetic field to initiate a signal transmission
- active RFID tags, which contain a battery and can transmit signals once an external source has been successfully identified
- battery assisted passive (BAP) RFID tags, which require an external source to wake up but have significant higher forward link capability providing greater range
Courier business, logistics and transportation are major areas of implementation for RFID technology. Courier companies around the world value RFID technology due to its impact on the business value and efficiency.
RFID gives you a lot of benefits and can help you to raise your business!
China’s largest e-commerce firm Alibaba Group plans to invest heavily in logistics with the aim of building 32 distribution centres in China within the next 2 years.
The plan, in its initial stage, has no detailed investment amount but does not exclude the possibility of setting up a separate company.
The firm want to expand its reach to 52 cities in two years from 20 cities. It runs its current network through external partners and distribution centres.
Jack Ma, the founder of the company in which Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) owns a 40 percent stake, believes that China’s logistics market is fragmented and does not offer optimal customer service.
Alibaba Group is the parent company of China’s top B2C firm Alibaba.com (1688.HK), China’s top e-commerce firm with a consumer focus, Taobao and the country’s leading e-payment, service Alipay.
Source: Reuters
The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has prescribed more rigorous processes for imports and exports through couriers. The new requirements follow new regulations to enable electronic filing and processing of Customs declarations by couriers and consequential changes made in the regulations for clearance of courier consignments by filing manual bills of entry/shipping bill.
The couriers have to now furnish a security of Rs 10 lakh for clearance through major international airports of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai and Rs 5 lakh at other airports. Their net worth or financial viability requirement has also been raised to a minimum Rs 25 lakh worth of assets.
After a transition period of six months, the couriers can file declarations before Customs, for clearance of imported or export goods, only through a person who has passed the examination referred to in Regulation 8 or Regulation 19 of the Customs House Agents Licensing Regulations, 2004, and who is duly authorised under Section 146 of the Customs Act, 1962.
The couriers have to verify the antecedents, identity and functioning of their clients in the address by using independent and authentic documents, data and information. This is to guard against offences such as fraud and duty evasion by bogus IEC holders etc. The ‘Know Your Customer’ guidelines applicable for Customs House Agents will equally apply for couriers.
The couriers cannot outsource or sub-let any of the processes in the door-to-door supply chain to any agency without prior permission of the Customs. For consignments of up to Rs 10,000 in value, the couriers have to obtain necessary authorisation from their clients at the time of delivery of the goods, or earlier. For higher value consignments, they have to get the authorisations at the time of import. For consignments beyond Rs 1 lakh, a normal bill of entry will have to be filed.
The couriers have to put in place verifiable and secure work processes on a global basis backed by an elaborate information technology infrastructure for knowledge and information management. They must have their own in-house mechanism to guard against the use of express supply chain by unscrupulous elements.
CBEC has also given some relaxations for couriers. Transhipment of cargo imported through couriers to another Customs station or transfer of cargo from one Customs area to another within the same Customs station will be allowed. In case of breakdown of computer systems or other unforeseen circumstances, they can file a manual bill of entry and seek quick clearance of consignments. The shipments of export-oriented units have been allowed as the necessary module has been developed under the automated electronic system but the data requirements have been enhanced.
For testing any goods imported by couriers, the Customs have been allowed to send samples to any government-approved laboratory and get the reports quickly. Till the Export Manifest Module is developed under the EDI, the existing procedure being followed in respect of courier regulations for manual mode will continue. The examination norms for export cargo through couriers will be the same as for export through other modes. Couriers already having authorisations from Customs can file electronic declarations without the need for fresh appointment or fresh intimation.
The essence of courier service is speed. The latest CBEC instructions strike a fair balance between need for expediency and safeguards to ensure compliance.
Source: TNC Rajagopalan
What exactly is a courier? The question is not as easy to answer as many believe.
There are a lot of different types of couriers:
- bicycle courier
- motorcycle courier
- car courier
These three types are mostly used for short range delivery. Over greater distance there are also used:
- trucks
- railways
- ships
- aircraft
Many companies often utilize on-board couriers. On-board couriers are individuals who can travel anywhere in the world, usually via commercial airlines.
On CHAKKR you can benefit from all kind of couriers! Just make your choice.
The Department of Post is in the process of drafting a new regulation for the postal sector.
This is a necessity since the present act regulating the sector – the Indian Post Office Act 1898 – is outdated.
In fact, the earlier attempt to make an amendment to the Act of 1898 received significant criticism from the courier companies, various ministries and industry associations.
Private companies opposed various provisions of the amendment including use of a weight and price multiple to define a reserved area for India Post in letter and express mail services segments, asking larger companies to contribute to USO funding, proposing a roll-back of the FDI from 100% to 49% and suggesting a regulator for this sector.
While many of these issues are likely to be better addressed in the new regulation the need and the role of the regulator is still a bone of contention.
Over the past few months, ICRIER has been conducting a survey on the express delivery services (EDS)/courier industry to understand the need of a regulator for the industry.
The core issues discussed in the survey include whether the highly competitive EDS/courier industry, with no entry or exit barriers and multiple operators (more than 2500 companies) actually need a regulator.
And, if at all there is a need for the regulator then who should be the regulator and what should be its role and responsibilities.
In India, there is no common view across different segments of the courier/express industry and their clients on regulatory issues. Large express/courier companies felt that EDS should be outside the scope of regulator.
Around 59 per cent of clients did not disagree with the suggestion that government should impose some form of registration/licensing requirement to put a check on fly-by-night service providers.
Smaller courier companies also felt that some form of registration from an independent organisation will provide them security and credibility. However, they differed as to who should be the registering organisation – should it be a central courier association, regional associations, or should they register with an independent regulator?
Most of those who support the proposal for registration argued that it should be one-time registration based on the payment of a nominal fee and should be valid for life-long.
If it is life-long registration then it is difficult to monitor service quality. For ensuring service quality, there should be some basic standards which all companies have to follow and a periodic monitoring mechanism should be in place to ensure that companies compile with that standard.
Such periodic monitoring also entails costs since the number of courier companies is much large.
Moreover, since the courier industry/sector constitute of a large number of small, family-based unorganised companies spread across India, it is difficult to monitor them unlike companies in sectors like telecommunications where there are only a few large corporates.
Overall, the survey found that the cost of registration and monitoring is likely to be higher for smaller companies than larger companies since smaller companies are more localised, they do not have large administrative departments, and/or a mechanised system of regular collection of data/information.
These companies are already operating with tight margins and may have to wind up their operations. Since they are more labour-intensive it can adversely impact employment.
Other arguments from supporters of regulator includes anti-competitive practices, address of consumer grievance, access to network, etc.
The anticompetitive practices can be addressed by the Competition Act. Consumer forums can address consumer grievances and in a sector like courier, consumers have a wide range of choice of service providers. If the service provider does not provide quality services, then customer can easily change service provider and there is no cost associated with such a change.
Tie-ups and strategic alliances are crucial among courier/EDS service providers but, unlike telecommunications, there is no scarce resource which acts as an entry barrier and which can be monopolised.
Thus, the argument for a regulator is weak in case of EDS/courier services.
In this context, it is worth mentioning that the Planning Commission in its draft Regulatory Reforms Bill has proposed a regulator for Post (and not for courier) when the postal sector is liberalised. This is necessary since basic postal services are treated as a “public good” – which has to be made accessible to all and reasonable prices.
In fact, the regulators in most countries have come up with privatisation of the postal sector to regulate any malpractices from the dominant incumbent national postal organisation.
In most countries, EDS is outside the regime of postal regulator. The regulator has to be independent since Department of Posts also has similar express services (Speed Post) like private operators and hence has a vested interest in this sector.
Lastly, while in India some officials seem to want a regulator for each sector, the regulatory experiences have been mixed. The requirement for setting up of an additional infrastructure which entails costs will also have to be justified.
Allocations of all scarce resources do not need a regulator. If competition fails then regulator is justified. So far none of the private courier/EDS companies have raised such concerns.
So, the question is whether there is really is a need to bring a highly competitive EDS/courier sector under the regime of the regulator?
(The views expressed are those of the writers-Arpita Mukherjee (Professor, ICRIER), Ramneet Goswami (Researcher, ICRIER) and Parthapratim Pal (Associate Professor, IIM (Calcutta))
Source: India Blooms News Service
A question that arises every not-too-experienced passengers: How much luggage can I bring? Airlines differ on baggage allowance is essentially two different concepts. Which applies to you, you learn about your airline ticket – “Piece Concept” or “20 kg baggage allowance.
Piece Concept
The piece concept applies to the vast majority of flights in the U.S. and Canada, rarely to South or Central America. This may means that every adult passenger maximum economy may take two pieces of luggage free of charge, with each bag not exceeding 32kg (70lb) and the sum of length, width and height does not exceed 158cm (62in). You may take two suitcases á 25 kg, but not three á 10kg or a bag á 50kg.
Weight-Concept (weight concept)
It depends on the total weight of the luggage. Refer to your ticket How much you can take. In most cases, these are 20kg for an adult in Economy Class. Passengers of the Business or First Class may be charged accordingly more, children or babies take less luggage.
Hand luggage
Economy Class passengers may take one passengers of the First and Business Class two pieces of hand baggage on board. Airlines dictate the size and weight of the luggage piece. The size is limited to 42 * 25 cm.
Overweight
The rates for overweight are very high and can quickly get to the actual ticket price. It can be 9 EUR but also 42 EUR per kg – just for example.
CHAKKR is the solution
Sometimes it is therefore advisable to send heavy items in advance. In this case you can simply set a request at CHAKKR. You even might find a travel guest on the same flight that can take some extra kg of luggage for you!
Beijing expatriates have been warned not to take risks by flying as on-board couriers to get free traveling opportunities and to collect frequent flyer miles.
Beijing airport customs have warned expats of the risks of taking parcels with unknown contents on board airplanes, and authorities warned Sunday that more than 50 grams of an illegal substance can qualify the carrier for a death sentence, regardless of the traveler’s knowledge of the package’s contents.
“If any illegal substance is found in a bag under your care, you will be charged”, a worker with the Beijing Capital Airport customs department told the “Global Times”.
Source: Global Times
Our lead: always care about what you are taking with you! Do never take unopend packages or goods that are not absolutely secure.
Actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“Watchmen”) could be gained for the main role in the thriller “The Courier”. In it, he will be a courier, who specializes in illegal deliveries. His latest job brings him into trouble, because the receiver did not appear and he now is pursued across the country by police and criminals.
Let us hope that it does not happen on CHAKKR. But as long as it is fictitious: enjoy the story.