Institute of Couriers, IOC: Key worker status delivering a growing number of items to doors across the UK

The Stakeholder to Govt for express logistics, IOC representing final mile to door, a body of fellows and members of the UK brands in delivery to door. A body delivering code of values, facilitating best practice, learning and education to fleet and sortation. The Institute hosts the National Courier Awards., Oct 22nd, the gala event will recognise the best of best delivery of parcels and mail to the door in the UK. Key worker status was awarded to express final mile operatives from mail, parcel and food delivery during COVID. Numbers to door accelerated in a shift from High street retail to home delivery and exceed 60 billion items a year.

Recently, the IOC delivered Final Mile in a Five Hundred year transport tradition for the City of London.

“An Iconic Courier motorcycle delivery to final mile at Guildhall Livery Cartmarking ceremony, courier brand taxed for trade. It’s not a final mile without a delivery!” IOC parcel to Lord Mayor with Puffin memory!

“To this day the identity of the Puffin walker remains a mystery.” Golden helmet for Alderman Alison Gowman

Iconic City of London courier motorcycle in the historic freight vehicle parade across Guildhall Yard, final mile with half a million items delivered across one hundred and thirty thousand City miles. Almost half a decade of history for half a millennium of transport ceremony, with five hundred guests celebrating transport in the Square Mile.

IOC chairman Carl Lomas rode the 1976 series one Honda CX500 courier bike dressed in the brands of the eighty’s same day delivery companies - Pony Express, Delta, Security Despatch, Mercury and GLH. Lomas was not alone; he was escorted by IOC hon fellow and City of London Alderman Alison Gowman CBE who wore a glittering golden open face motorcycle helmet for the City occasion.

A vehicle ambassador for our sector, the courier bike was recognised for delivery of freight by the Worshipful Livery of Carmen, Master Carman David Pugsley and the Lord Mayor Michael Minelli, the Lord Mayor, using gloves provided by Master glover, took a red-hot branding iron in hand and tax-marked the courier bike for the conduct of trade in the City of London.

Alderman Alison Gowman comments, “The City of London relies on good deliveries and so with the Lord Mayor's theme of ‘Connect to Prosper’ the courier industry is key. Tremendous to take part and celebrate the success of the final mile express sector on such an iconic motorcycle.”

It’s not a proper final mile without a delivery. The IOC had a package at Cartmarking for the Lord Mayor, delivering a silver-framed photograph, it delivered a memory of the IOC presentation of a Puffin bird to the Lord Mayor from last year’s November parade by the IOC clean air delivery float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

IOC CEO, Dr Tracey Worth explains, “The Lord Mayor's favourite bird is a Puffin, it adorns his coat of arms. In recognition of this, the IOC operator brand leaders all waved Puffin hand puppets to the Lord Mayor at Mansion House and added to that a life-size Puffin walker to deliver a very special hand puffin glove to the Lord Mayor in a perfect final mile special. To this day the identity of the life-size Puffin walker remains a mystery, the best-kept secret in final mile. Was it you?”

The transport livery of Carmen’s Cartmarking is believed to be the oldest vehicle taxation for trade in the world; five hundred years ago, oak carts moving goods from the Thames Wharfes to the city had to enter Guildhall Yard each year, they were brand marked with a year registration making them legal to work in the City. Today is ceremonial, an oak branding board is attached to trade vehicles to be branded by the Lord Mayor, he places a hot iron to mark a letter of the alphabet for the tax year. The brand mark is valid for one year to ply transport trade in the City of London.

Lomas explains the iconic courier motorcycle, “By modern motorbike standards, the bike is big, heavy and scary to ride! But iconic for our sector, a bit of living history, almost fifty years old. The water-cooled, shaft-driven V-twin had an enviable record for reliability. Today I am focused on the cobbled yard ahead. Sand on the cobbles of Guildhall Yard helps the horse freight entries but runs a little scary on two wheels!”

Contact the IOC at: mail@ioc.uk.com www.ioc.uk.com

Institute of Couriers is the govt stakeholder organisation; it is the voice for the Express delivery and courier sector and is working towards a chartership application with the Privy Council. Providing a focus of knowledge and communication to the sector. Hosting four heads of industry events each year, the National Courier Awards in October and the fellows gowning in Feb. Big agenda items include road safety, security theft and threat, education and clean air for final mile, last mile delivery.

Three hundred thousand words a year sent to fellows in a ‘week ahead.’ Sunday email briefing, supported by further urgent news shots regarding items such as major road closure, alerts including JSS, IR35 & Taylor answers on modern workforce status. There is a busy news web with knowledge bubble posts for current affairs in sector to code of conduct. At the front line, IOC have built a working vehicle gallery with images of over a thousand express delivery vans.

Research by the Institute includes, mapping the delivery to door sector, the triangle diagram of trunked and none trunked networks projecting 60 billion items delivered in 2024. Research on where express sector fits within supply?’ ‘Is the new e-retail explosion really a client chain?’ ‘Would consolidation solve final mile clean air & congestion?’ Latest research, an academic paper in review, ‘how do people value delivery speed in e-retail?’ A five year longitudinal study of consumer value of time in final mile.

What is a worker status in Express ‘Taylor,’ IoC was proud to see over fifty thousand final mile individuals represented to respond to the 2017 May deadline with a detailed explanation of how the sector engages its workforce. Courier is not Gig! An IOC values document, code of conduct and practice followed from that work, The IOC pledge, ‘Doing the right thing in express’ From that, a campaign of values for safety in delivery at the door.

Recent reports from the three national logistics trade shows, IWLEX, CV, Multimodal and the largest transport conference in Europe, Microlise can all be found on the IoC web. IoC works with DfT, DEFRA, DVSA and regions including TFWM, TfGM, Leeds and TfL with their LoCITY programme for alternative fuel final mile solutions. Lobbying for cargo cycle parking and owner driver scrappage schemes to low emission vehicles in clean air zones.

IOC facilitates the Trailblazer employer group for Express qualifications with DfE, IFA, mapping qualifications of delivery operative and sortation at level two, all the way to Express manager degree apprenticeship at level six. IOC have worked with operators to create gold standard delivery material in workbook formats for courses funded by levy. IOC are acting as the EQA expert advisors for those qualifications. IOC is aligned with DWP & JCP for next generation workforce recruitment including sector work academy programmes. Focused on equal opportunity for all, IOC CEO Dr Tracey Worth chairs the DfT, STAT Diversity and inclusion group. The focus charity for IOC is Transaid.