Courier jobs: find self employed courier work on your own terms
Smart Taurus is a delivery marketplace where customers post courier jobs and verified independent couriers send quotes. You pick the jobs, you set the price, and payment is handled securely in the app.
How do I find courier work on Smart Taurus?
You find courier work by browsing jobs customers have already posted, rather than waiting for a controller to allocate you a run. Filter the job feed by your area or by a route you regularly drive, open the jobs that suit your vehicle, and send a quote with your price. The customer compares quotes and reviews from several couriers and books the one they prefer — so a strong profile matters as much as a sharp price.
Because every job is posted point-to-point, the platform is also a practical way to fill an empty return leg. If you are already running Manchester to London for a contract customer, checking backload jobs heading north can turn dead mileage into paid mileage.
What kinds of courier jobs get posted?
The mix leans towards items too big, too urgent or too awkward for the parcel networks:
- Same-day and urgent runs — documents, spare parts, medical and legal items (see same-day courier work)
- eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree purchase collections
- Furniture and single large items that need a van rather than a parcel label
- Small business deliveries and ad-hoc overflow when regular carriers are full
- Longer one-off runs that suit couriers building route-based work
How does it work for couriers?
- Download the app and verify. Register as a driver at app.smarttaurus.com/onboard-driver, complete the identity check and upload your documents — driving licence plus insurance paperwork such as goods in transit and hire and reward cover where applicable.
- Browse and quote. Search posted jobs near you or along routes you already cover, and send quotes only on the work you actually want, at prices you set.
- Deliver, get reviewed, get paid. Once booked, complete the job, collect a review, and receive payment through secure in-app Stripe payouts — no invoice chasing, no cash handling.
Do I need my own van to do courier jobs?
Most posted courier jobs suit a courier driver with their own van, because the typical load — a sofa, a marketplace purchase, a pallet-sized consignment — will not fit in a car. That said, smaller same-day document and parcel runs can suit car and even motorbike couriers. Your vehicle simply determines which jobs are worth quoting on; there is no minimum vehicle requirement to register. If you are weighing up van sizes, our page on van driver jobs breaks down what work suits SWB, LWB and Luton vans.
What insurance and checks does a self employed courier need?
In the UK, couriers carrying goods for payment typically need hire and reward insurance on the vehicle plus goods in transit (GIT) cover for the items themselves — standard social, domestic and pleasure policies generally exclude paid delivery work. Requirements differ by country, so confirm exactly what you need with your insurer or local authority before quoting. Our guide to goods in transit insurance covers the basics.
Is courier terminology different in other countries?
Yes — the work is similar but the language shifts. UK operators talk about multi-drop rounds, return loads and owner drivers; in the US the equivalent conversations mention load boards, backhauls and owner operators with cargo insurance; Australian couriers reference backloads, tonnage classes (1T and 2T vans) and operating under an ABN; Canadian couriers may be asked for a driver's abstract. Smart Taurus takes jobs across the UK, US, Canada and Australia, so use whichever terms your customers use. New to the trade? Start with how to become a self employed courier in the UK or browse the wider delivery work available on the platform.