When a delivery has to arrive by a specific time, tell the courier about the deadline before booking. “Same day” is not enough detail if an installer is waiting, production depends on the goods or a venue closes its loading bay at a set hour.

At ACS Same Day, call 01234 385970 for a fixed delivery deadline. Have the collection and delivery postcodes, goods-ready time and load details to hand. These are the essentials for working out whether the journey is achievable and which vehicle it needs.

1. Give the deadline first

Start with the time the goods are needed, then explain what that time means. Does the vehicle need to reach the gate by 2pm, or must the load be off the vehicle before a crew starts work at 2pm? Those are different transport requirements.

Mention any booked delivery slot, production start or installer’s access window. If there is flexibility, tell us how much. A clear requirement is more useful than “ASAP” when the receiver has a specific cut-off.

2. Confirm when the goods can actually leave

The goods-ready time should include packing, labelling and any release checks. If manufacturing finishes at 9am but packing takes until 10am, use 10am as the earliest collection time.

Make sure the person releasing the shipment knows about the collection and can be contacted. A driver arriving at the right address cannot load goods that are still being prepared or waiting for approval.

3. Send the load details before choosing a van

Provide the number of items, their packed dimensions and the total gross weight, including pallets and packaging. Explain anything that affects handling: fragile equipment, long panels, non-stackable items or goods that must remain upright.

Our guide to choosing the right courier van size explains what to measure. The fleet guide helps you compare vehicles, but ask us to confirm suitability if the load is close to a limit.

Flag dangerous goods, temperature requirements and unusual handling needs at the start. These require a separate assessment and should not be booked as an ordinary van load.

4. Plan loading, access and unloading

For a factory, building site or venue, the postcode may lead to reception rather than the goods entrance. Give the correct access point and any instructions the driver needs.

• Are there height, width or weight restrictions?
• Does the driver need a booking reference, security clearance or an arrival slot?
• Is a forklift, loading bay or suitable assistance available at each address?
• Who will release the goods and who will receive them?
• What time does the receiving team finish unloading?

The sender and receiver are responsible for loading and unloading unless another arrangement has been agreed. Tell us about any tail-lift requirement before booking. Carrying equipment inside a building or setting it up is not automatically included in a courier delivery.

5. Allow for more than the driving time

A map estimate is a useful starting point, but the delivery also needs time for the vehicle to reach collection, loading, traffic, site entry and unloading. A route that looks possible on a map may leave no room for a queue at the gate.

Dedicated transport avoids routine network hub transfers and keeps your goods on the same vehicle. It still needs a realistic schedule. For a tight deadline, discuss the complete journey with our time-critical courier team before committing to a booking.

Can you book a timed delivery online?

The public calculator provides prices for standard dedicated van journeys. Online courier bookings require at least 90 minutes’ notice, but that is a booking rule, not a guarantee that every delivery deadline can be met.

Call before booking for a fixed arrival deadline, collection within 90 minutes or urgent out-of-hours collection. For larger loads or dangerous goods, use the HGV quote request or ADR quote request and make the deadline clear. These requests are priced manually; submitting one does not reserve a vehicle.

What to tell us when you call

You do not need a long brief. This is enough to start:

“We have [number of items], measuring [packed dimensions], with a total weight of [gross weight]. They will be ready at [time] at [collection postcode]. We need them at [delivery postcode] by [deadline]. Loading is by [method], and unloading is by [method].”

Add the site contacts, access instructions and the reason for the deadline. If the goods-ready time or receiving slot changes afterwards, let us know promptly so the transport plan can be reassessed.

Have a delivery deadline to meet? Call 01234 385970 to discuss the job, or read more about our time-critical courier service.

A dedicated courier carries your goods on a vehicle reserved for your shipment. A pallet network shares transport capacity between customers, usually moving freight through depots and a central hub. Both have their place. The right choice depends on when your goods need to arrive, how they can be handled and what happens if the delivery misses its window.

A pallet of stock ordered well ahead of time has different priorities from a replacement component needed to restart production. Before comparing prices, decide which parts of the job are flexible and which are not.

What is the difference?

With a dedicated courier van, your load stays on the same vehicle from collection to delivery. There are no routine pallet-network hub transfers or other customers’ freight sharing the van. The journey is arranged around your collection and delivery requirements.

A pallet network groups consignments together for distribution. Your goods may be handled at several points between collection and delivery. This can be an economical option for planned pallet deliveries, provided the packaging, dimensions, weight and available delivery service suit the job.

When should you choose a dedicated courier?

Dedicated transport is worth considering when time or handling matters more than finding the lowest transport price. Common examples include:

• Parts or ingredients needed to keep production moving.
• Print and signage being delivered to meet an installation team.
• Prototypes, fragile equipment or unusual items that benefit from fewer handling stages.
• Goods that have missed a scheduled network collection.
• Deliveries tied to a venue access slot or a site closing time.

Tell us about a fixed deadline before booking. A same-day service means collection and delivery on the same day; an arrival appointment is a separate requirement that needs to be agreed.

When does a pallet network make sense?

A network can work well for securely packed palletised goods sent on a planned schedule. For example, a routine stock replenishment may be suitable if the receiver can accept the delivery within the available service window.

Confirm the collection cut-off, transit time and receiving arrangements. Next-day delivery does not automatically mean delivery by a particular hour, and timed options can vary by postcode. Packaging must also be suitable for the handling involved.

Ask about any overhang, unusual dimensions or special handling before booking. A pallet that sits within a vehicle’s overall payload may still fall outside a network’s individual pallet limits.

Compare the complete job, not just the headline price

Use the same information for each quotation:

• Timing: when the goods will be ready and when the receiver needs them.
• Load: pallet count, packed dimensions and gross weight, including packaging.
• Handling: whether the goods are fragile, unusually shaped or cannot be stacked.
• Access: vehicle restrictions, loading equipment and unloading arrangements at both sites.
• Service: the collection and delivery windows included in the price, plus any agreed extras.

A lower rate is only useful if the service can do the job. Equally, a flexible, well-planned delivery may not need an exclusive vehicle. The aim is to pay for the service your shipment actually needs.

Can pallets travel in a courier van?

Yes. Palletised goods can travel on a dedicated van or HGV; they do not have to go through a pallet network. Our same-day pallet delivery service uses dedicated transport.

The right vehicle depends on dimensions, gross weight and loading access, not pallet count alone. Read our guide to choosing a courier van size, or compare the options in our fleet guide.

What if you need a tail lift?

Tell us whether a forklift or loading bay is available at each address. For ACS bookings, the tail-lift limit is 400kg per pallet or handling unit on suitable Luton vans and 1,000kg on suitable tail-lift-equipped HGVs. These limits are separate from total vehicle payload.

Vehicle availability, platform size and the ground conditions still need to suit the load. Call before booking a tail lift. These are ACS vehicle limits; a pallet network may have different requirements.

Need help choosing?

Send us the postcodes, load details, goods-ready time and delivery deadline. We can discuss which arrangement suits the movement.

Get a dedicated van quote for a standard load, or contact ACS to discuss other requirements. The public courier calculator quotes dedicated van transport, not pallet-network services.

For a fixed deadline, collection within 90 minutes or urgent out-of-hours collection, call 01234 385970 before booking. Standard online courier bookings require at least 90 minutes’ notice.