Courier Services have come a long way.
Courier Services have come a long way
In ancient times, homing pigeons and runners were used to convey even the simplest messages across long distances. Remember, there was literally no other way to get a message, let alone an item, from one place to another without carrying it yourself or having someone do it for you. The saying “don’t shoot the messenger” was likely coined during these days. In modern days, many marathons are actually based on original messenger routes. So next time you run a marathon, consider that what you’re doing may have once been someone’s full time job!
When man learned how to tame horses, one of their earliest duties was to ferry couriers from city to city, or even country to country, delivering packages and mail. Obviously the speed at which messages travelled increased dramatically, and this was when the world first started seeing commercialized courier services similar to those of modern times. Wells Fargo was the preeminent courier service during the gold rush, and there was rarely a settlement or camp without one of their offices. The Pony Express, established to move packages more quickly, was another example of a courier service from that time.
As opposed to ordinary mail services, courier services are almost always faster and more secure. Although they’re also typically more expensive, you really do get what you pay for. Many courier services are specialized, and if you have an unusual package or request, then the mail service simply cannot compete.
Courier services operate on all scales. There are services that exist only within one city and move packages or sensitive messages around that city via bicycle or motorcycle. On the other end of the spectrum, we have worldwide courier services such as UPS and FedEx who move packages using everything from human hands and feet to cargo jets, and everything in between including trucks, cars, trains, and boats. Most everyone has used these services, but they most likely didn’t consider that they evolved from the likes of message runners and carrier pigeons.
In case you need to know more about “Courier Services” you can find out more information on the subject by visiting the Forum Transport online information point at www.forumtransport.com.au.
