The history of couriers goes back hundreds of years now and it has changed dramatically over that period of time. The services have changed with a wider variety than ever and also how the goods are transported has developed over the years; going from being drawn by horse and cart to being flown internationally.

There are obviously some key points through out the years that have affected the courier industry. The main factor that started the big developments was just before the industrial revolution. Around the 1800’s the looms being used were a lot faster and the factories larger so the amount of textile goods being produced was also greater, so then came the need for transporting goods further a field. They had specialist delivery companies that would transport the goods from the factory to the required destination over the years they have done this in many different ways originally starting with horses and later on trains

As the years went on there were more specialist services developing such as express postal delivery, the main company in this sector being The Pony Express. The Pony Express was well known for their extremely fast delivery of mail and small packages. They mainly worked through out the West of America; they could deliver mail between the Pacific coast and the Atlantic coast with in 10 days which was a great reduction in the normal length of time. The riders had to follow set routes set out by the company in order to get the goods to their destination as quick as possible.

Modern day courier services are very different and some of the services now available include; 24 hour delivery, recorded delivery, special delivery and international deliveries. The main changes have happened because of air couriers because they have the ability to transport a large volume of goods across such great distances in a short period of time. There are however many different types of courier now including; motorcycle couriers, bicycle couriers, man and van couriers and then the larger companies may transport goods by lorry.

With all these changes it means there is a type of courier suitable for any kind of delivery no matter how big or small. What ever the goods you need transporting speak to a group of courier companies to find out which would be most suitable for your needs.