A day in the life of an on board courier

“No day is the same, and in the morning you never know what will happen throughout the day. In my job you always need a Plan B and C up your sleeve.”  Oliver Giesen, On Board Courier at Chapman Freeborn OBC GmbH, grants an exclusive insight behind the scenes of the transportation service company.

Logistics specialist, Oliver Giesen, has worked for the On Board Courier division of Chapman Freeborn since May 2012. Prior to this, he completed an apprenticeship as a forwarding merchant, worked for multiple freight forwarding agencies, and has also been an industrial clerk and dangerous goods officer.

As an On Board Courier broker at Chapman Freeborn OBC GmbH, Oliver is the person responsible for all couriers from around the world. He also works with customers and coordinates the projects from the order acceptance to the invoicing.

On of the best advantages of On Board Courier is that it’s a swift and secure transportation solution for time-critical shipments. The dedicated couriers accompany the shipments from pick up point to the front door of the recipient.

“There is no ‘typical’ working day as an OBC broker,” says Oliver, “No day resembles another and every project holds different challenges. One job could involve shipping automotive parts to Mexico, another might require a round-the-world trip. As an On Board Courier broker, you should be ready for anything and you should be able to cope with every situations, no matter how stressful they can be.”

All details concerning transportation are arranged by the On Board Courier team. After an incoming request, the employees organise the fastest flight connection, as well as a rental car to reach the destination if necessary. Furthermore, the OBC Brokers check the immigration requirements and customs regulations for export and import of transit countries. Within Europe a delivery will be carried out within 8 hours, and important global shipments will be delivered within 24 hours. Chapman Freeborn operates on a global network of couriers, who are positioned at all strategical hubs worldwide. Most of them have passports and visas for countries that are known to be difficult to access.

“The three main character qualities that an on board courier broker needs are flexibility, talent in organization, and capacity,” confirms Oliver. The employees are available 24/7 for any type of transportation task around the globe. The team at Chapman Freeborn OBC don’t run a call center, meaning that they place special value on personal contact with the clients and deal with all customer inquiries themselves.

Everything is transportable by the OBC team, under observance of customs regulations – from one envelope up to 30 boxes. Transportation of spare parts, prototypes, samples, medical devices, and documents such as contracts and banking papers, are frequently couriered.

Oliver Giesen’s responds to the question of his most unusual transport request: “One time I received a request for the transport of soccer shoes. An international soccer player forgot these at home and needed them urgently. Another time, I coordinated the transportation of 1.7 tons worth of screws and nuts from Frankfurt to Atlanta. I conducted this flight together with three other couriers.”

The On Board Courier brokers often fly alongside the packages and take care of transport projects personally. “If possible, I like to board the plane myself. I have already accomplished several tasks as a courier, and this is the best opportunity to gain experience. I don’t have a preferred destination, every job is exciting in its own kind of way. Whether it be down to special visa requirements, an unusual freight, challenges with the customs, or the different approaches of transportation projects.”

Oliver adds: “I particularly appreciate the variety in my job, it never gets boring. Within the team everybody can rely on one another. A good team spirit is extremely important for such a demanding profession, and it facilitates the smooth handling of deliveries.”

For your door-to-door time-critical shipments, contact our experts at Chapman Freeborn OBC. Click to submit your enquiry.