A delivery business may serve local retailers, ecommerce brands, pharmacies, legal firms or national networks. It can use bikes, cars, vans or heavy vehicles and operate domestically or across borders. Those choices determine operator licensing, insurance, driver and customs requirements.
An Irish LTD can sign delivery contracts, employ drivers, lease vehicles and carry commercial liability. Before forming a fleet, calculate route density and identify the precise carriage activity. Revenue per parcel means little without cost per stop and paid kilometre.
- Domestic threshold
- Over 3.5t can license
- International LCV
- Over 2.5t can license
- Key metric
- Cost per stop
- LTD formation
- From EUR240
Define the delivery operation precisely
Write down whose goods are carried, whether the customer pays for transport, origin and destination countries, vehicle maximum authorised mass, parcel types and delivery windows. Carrying your own sold goods differs from carrying another person's goods for hire or reward.
Exclude regulated or specialist consignments until the company has the required systems. Food, medicines, dangerous goods, cash, high-value items, waste and temperature-controlled products can create additional licensing, security, traceability and insurance conditions.
Check road transport operator licensing
RSA guidance says a road haulage operator licence is required for carrying goods for hire or reward in vehicles or combinations over 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised weight. The Department of Transport also applies operator licensing to international hire-or-reward operations using light commercial vehicles above 2.5 tonnes.
Licensing can require establishment, good repute, financial standing and professional competence, including a transport manager. The rules differ by domestic or international work and vehicle class. Confirm the current route with the Road Transport Operator Licensing Unit before ordering vehicles or advertising cross-border services.
| Question | Example answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Whose goods? | Customer's parcels | Can be hire or reward |
| Territory? | Ireland and EU | International rules and customs |
| Vehicle mass? | 3,200kg van | LCV international threshold can matter |
| Product? | Chilled food | Temperature and food controls |
| Drivers? | Employees and contractors | Payroll, status and insurance |
Form the operating company before contracting
The LTD should be named on customer agreements, operator licence applications, vehicle leases, insurance and driver contracts. It needs an Irish registered office, directors, secretary, shareholders, constitution and CRO identity details. Keep the entity consistent across every regulator and finance provider.
StartCompany.ie's Basic package offers straightforward Irish LTD formation from EUR240 with the CRO fee and core documents included. Operator licensing, transport management, vehicles, insurance, customs and tax registrations remain separate. The formation price is kept low so the business can allocate capital to those operating requirements.
Price routes, waiting and failed deliveries
Build cost per stop from driver time, employer cost, fuel or charging, lease, depreciation, tyres, servicing, tolls, insurance, software, depot, redelivery and claims. Include empty return mileage and loading queues. A route becomes more valuable as stops become denser and first-attempt success improves.
Customer contracts should state collection windows, service levels, prohibited goods, packaging, proof of delivery, waiting, address errors, redelivery, claims limits and payment terms. Do not accept unlimited liability for low-fee parcels without insurance and legal review.
Drivers, vehicles and safety
Verify licences, training and working arrangements for every driver. Assess employment status from the real facts, particularly where the company sets routes, branding, hours and prices. Register PAYE where required and manage working time, breaks and relevant tachograph rules for vehicles and operations in scope.
Maintain roadworthiness, load security, daily checks, defect reporting and service records. Commercial motor and goods-in-transit policies must match the entity, vehicles, drivers, territories and cargo. Personal motor cover is not a substitute for courier hire-or-reward use.
Tax, data and cross-border operations
Register Corporation Tax and applicable VAT and PAYE. Cross-border B2B services, imports and exports can require VAT, customs and evidence analysis. Obtain EORI and customs support where the company becomes responsible for declarations or moves goods across customs borders.
Names, addresses, phone numbers, signatures and location records are personal data. Limit driver access, protect handheld devices and define retention. Customer tracking links should not reveal other recipients or expose delivery photographs beyond the legitimate purpose.
Courier company launch checklist
Secure contracts only after the company understands the vehicle and service needed to perform them. Start with routes that can be measured before expanding the fleet.
- Define goods, customers, territories and maximum vehicle mass.
- Confirm operator-licensing and customs requirements.
- Form the LTD and align contracts, vehicles and insurance.
- Register taxes, payroll and any transport systems.
- Prepare driver checks, vehicle maintenance and load controls.
- Use written service levels, exclusions and claims terms.
- Secure proof-of-delivery and recipient data.
- Measure cost per stop, paid kilometre and failed delivery.
Keep more capital for vehicles and routes
Form the courier company from EUR240
StartCompany.ie provides transparent Irish LTD formation with CRO fees and the core documents included. Choose extra support only where identity, address or first-year compliance requires it.
Official sources used for this guide
- RSA: road transport operator licence
- Department of Transport: international LCV operator licensing
- HSA: vehicle and workplace risk assessment
Rules, fees and programmes can change. Check the current official guidance and obtain advice for the company's actual circumstances before acting.