Popular Delivery Carriers:
Your Easy Guide

Who are they?

DHL, founded in 1969, is a subsidiary of the German logistics firm DHL Group. DHL Express is one of the market leaders for parcel services in Europe, and Germany’s main courier and parcel service. They currently deliver over 1.5 billion parcels every year through their various shipping services, including air, land, and sea freight.

Key Features

Their Reach

With such a large global presence DHL has an extensive international reach, providing services in over 220 countries and territories. With their worldwide presence and ownership of five different airline subsidiaries, they have the ability to reach farther than most other carriers. They are also one of the only logistics companies to deliver to sanctioned countries, such as North Korea, giving them an unique edge.

Their Environmental impact…

DHL are pioneers of low-carbon logistics across the globe. They currently support businesses to reduce their own environmental impact by offering a range of green logistics solutions and a carbon calculator, allowing businesses to make more informed environmentally friendly shipping decisions. As of 2007 they took measures to control their environmental effect by use of alternative fuel vehicles, with 36,000+ Electric delivery vehicles worldwide. This has enabled them to reduce their HGH emissions by 1.3 million tons as of 2023. They continue to make environmental improvements with a goal of hitting net-zero emissions by 2050. 

Who are they?

United Parcel Service Inc (known predominantly as UPS) is an American multinational shipping, receiving and supply chain management company founded in 1907. Originally known as the American Messenger Company specialising in telegraphs, UPS has expanded to become a Fortune 500 company and one of the world’s largest shipping couriers.  UPS delivers 5.5 billion packages every year.

Key Features

Their Range of Shipping options

UPS has an extensive range of shipping options, including same-day, next-day, and two-day delivery. This includes a range of options available for parcel drop-offs and pickups. They also are famed for their huge max. weight of 70kg for Standard and 20kg for Access Point, giving businesses more flexibility in sending large packages.

Their Customer Service

UPS prides itself on ongoing improvement of their customers’ overall satisfaction. They had the highest ACSI customer satisfaction rate in 2020 with an impressive score of 80 points. For readers who aren’t familiar, ACSI stands for American Customer Satisfaction Index, a reputable economic indicator that calculates how happy customers in the US have been with a particular company’s services. 

Their Tracking system

UPS provides a real-time tracking system that can be accessed by both businesses and their own customer base. 

Who are they?

Wholly owned by France’s La Poste, DPD is one of the largest couriers in the U.K. It is a member of the DPDgroup, the second largest international courier network in Europe. DPD was founded in the UK in 1970 as Courier Express, changing its name to Parceline in 1984 (when it was acquired by Mayne Nickless of Australia). La Poste bought the company in 2000, with over 260m parcels delivered per year.

Key Features

Reliability

DPD’s commitment to punctual and predictable deliveries, supported by an advanced real-time tracking system, has made them a market leader in reliability.  In 2024 they won back their number 1 position as top courier in the latest Money Saving Experts parcel delivery service poll, making it their ninth time at the top stop. They received a 55% ‘great’ rating, while its sister company DPD Local maintained its third place position from the 2023 poll.

Delivery Accuracy

DPD’s tracking system is the industry-first innovation designed to increase the number of successful first time deliveries to homes. Their award winning unique one-hour delivery service, Predict, provides advance notice of when the parcels will be delivered, with a one hour time slot on the day of delivery; offering in-flight options that allow customers the ability to reschedule their delivery should they be absent during the intended delivery period. It has enabled DPD to be known for its high delivery accuracy rates, meaning parcels get delivered on time and to the correct address. Their app enables businesses to share their delivery preferences with no character limit, so there is no restriction on important information and drivers are fully briefed before every delivery.

Their Environmental Impact

DPD is making the gradual switch over to an all-EV fleet, on top of investing significantly in sustainability with Vision 25, as part of its drive to become the UK’s leader in responsible and sustainable city centre delivery. The pledge, backed by an EV investment totalling £111m, aims to convert its entire fleet of 10,000 vehicles to electric by 2030. DPD have also created The Eco Fund which has donated over £200,000 to worthy sustainable projects since January 2020. The Eco Fund utilises the revenue from recycling specific waste streams to support business and charitable endeavours in the fight against climate change. These efforts have resulted in multiple awards over the years, including ‘Sustainable Business of the Year’ at the Business Champion Awards in London.

Who are they?

Established during the Royal Mail strikes of 1970’s, DX Group became the leading document exchange service and trusted provider for the majority of legal firms within the UK. DX has since successfully expanded its services to include freight and parcels, delivering over 92 million items each year. 

Key Features

Customer Trust

With DX’s 45 year history as a leading carrier for legal services, it is not surprising that they take the responsibility of sensitive documents and packages very seriously. This value has translated well into other sectors, such as health care. Their commitment to transporting biological samples in compliance with the industry’s highest regulations means they are now trusted to deliver 635,000 specimens each year.  Specialist services include temperature controlled packaging and overnight/early morning delivery of specimens nationwide.

Freight

DX has 109 depots across the UK and Ireland along with a fleet of over 900 vehicles. These resources give them the capacity to deliver services for varied freight, allowing them to handle pallets or more awkward shaped items and lengths up to 6m. Their DX 2-Man service also offers customers the security of a two-man (or woman!) team to ensure fragile and large items are transported safely, with light assembly and packaging removal also offered as part of this service.

Who are they?

Amazon Logistics is the delivery and fulfilment arm of Amazon, responsible for delivering packages to customers and managing the transportation of goods from warehouses and third-party sellers to customers. In 2023,The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon has delivered more than 4.8 billion packages in the U.S. This year, its internal projections predict that it will deliver around 5.9 billion parcels.

Key Features

Their Network

Amazon’s robust network and technology ensure fast and reliable deliveries, often exceeding customer expectations. They continually invest heavily in technology and innovation to improve logistics operations. This includes advancements in delivery technology, warehouse automation, and data analytics.

Their Scalability

Amazon Logistics’ hybrid model of using both its own fleet and delivery partner services allows them to quickly scale its delivery operations to meet peak demand periods. With access to Amazon’s sophisticated logistics technology, they can adjust capacity based on demand patterns. This capability ensures that they can scale operations up or down as needed.

Who are they?

Evri was originally founded in 1974 as Grattan Mail Order. Rebranding to Hermes Parcelnet Ltd in 2008, they then successfully rebranded in March 2022 to Evri. They are the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company delivering over 700 million parcels per year.

Key Features

Their Tracking System

Evri offers a comprehensive tracking service for UK packages. This includes courier pickups and drop-offs at any of Evri’s 8,500+ ParcelShops or 5,500+ lockers. The entire journey is trackable, from the point of drop off to when it reaches its destination.  

Their Domestic UK Pricing

Evri offers standard costs for parcels that are very competitive, particularly for smaller domestic packages (offering a flat rate for packages between 2 to 15kg in weight). Parcel rates (excluding ‘postable’ that fit through letterboxes) also include £20 free parcel cover as standard.