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Due to serious safety issues, Australia Post has decided to phase out its traditional postie motorbikes, replacing them with electric delivery vehicles (eDVs) for 2025.
This decision was facilitated by the fact motorcyclists were nearly 29 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash. 
This change will not only protect the safety of drivers, due to the eDVs protective cocoon and slower speeds making the survival of the driver much greater, it will also expand opportunities for recruitment, according to Nick Drewe, co-founder of Australian-based e-commerce platform Wethrift.
Nick says, “It seems motorbike licences are traditionally more skewed to men, however with most Australian states allowing eDVs to be driven by people with motorbike and car licences, this will allow Australia post to recruit more widely.”
“Whilst many delivery drivers will be used to riding motorbikes, this change of culture will be beneficial, as drivers trialling the vehicles found they were less fatigued at the end of their shifts and felt much more visible to other drivers on the road.”
“A particular benefit of the eDV fleet is the opportunity for more women to join a male-dominated postal delivery workforce, allowing them to feel just as able to operate the role.”
Operating deliveries, particularly during the Christmas period, can put immense pressure on those distributing, as it is very important for items to arrive before the big day.
Therefore, Nick Drewe has shared six precautions you can take before sending an item to make sure it is delivered straight to your recipient’s front door.

  • Secure Packaging

Even if your parcels won’t be travelling on a cargo plane to be shipped internationally, they will still be processed by at least two depots and placed on conveyor belts. Therefore, ensuring that the packaging is secure is very important.
Whilst damage to your parcel on any route of delivery is very unlikely, it is always worth packaging your items with extra precaution.
Packaging items in bubble wrap within sturdy cardboard boxes tightly shut with packing tape is the most secure way to send something off.

  • Ensure correct delivery and returns address

Whilst it may seem like an obvious one, making sure you don’t make a typo when printing your delivery and returns addresses will save you a whole lot of hassle in the long run.
Make sure you clearly and correctly print the address on a visible area of the package, ensuring you have covered any previous address marks so the courier service won’t get confused.
For different countries abroad, the format of an address is often different. Therefore, it is always worth double-checking with your recipient or sender to make sure the address is correct and ready to be printed.

  •  Include all necessary documents

The good thing about shipping is you can provide customers with all the documents and labels you need free of charge. 
When sending parcels internationally or locally, ensuring all documents are included in the packaging is crucially important. Not only does it provide the customer with a guarantee for their items, but also helps with any lost deliveries.
Also make sure forms are filled in correctly, so they aren’t turned away when checked at the depot or customs.

  •  Get transit insurance

Transit cover will protect your items from loss or damage as standard. However, for items of sentimental value, it is worth taking out extra insurance.
Also known as a ‘Goods in Transit’ cover, it acts as a door-to-door insurance policy that protects the items from the point of collection to the point of delivery onto the doorstep of your recipient. 

  • Ask for an alternative ‘safe place’

For customers who may not be able to receive their parcel at the estimated time of delivery, it is always advisable for them to list a ‘safe place’ or a ‘trusted neighbour’ for their delivery.
On the customers tracking, allow them to add a safe place option before dispatch so you can redirect the parcel. For this, it is easiest to get in touch with the recipient directly to ask if this alternative delivery option is necessary.
To know the full whereabouts of your parcels, having a tracking service is extremely helpful. For example, Interparcel offers full tracking services for multiple couriers, being integrated with the top shopping cart platforms, to help streamline your parcel shipping.

  • DO NOT attempt to send prohibited items

And most importantly, do not attempt to send prohibited items. These are items such as weapons, knives, keys, chemical/solvents, E-cigarettes and dangerous goods.

If you do send something from this list, whether it be accidentally or on purpose, your parcel may be refused at customs and returned to you or even destroyed. 
Wethrift: https://www.wethrift.com/tag/australia 
SUB: eDVs to broaden recruitment opportunities