Lomas highlighted the Stairway map of jobs and qualifications in the road freight sector from warehouse to heavy LGV and Express and used a pineapple to set the scene and explain the logistics term.

With a passion for Express Lomas explained ‘What is this thing called logistics ?’ and ‘What is express and final mile ?’

Put a pineapple on your desk and help me take the message to every member of JCP.

A pineapple is moved around the world by road, rail, air and sea, on time and in a supermarket near you,

                It's travelled on almost every mode of transport

                It's done food paperwork and health & safety

                It's arrived on time and ready to eat

let’s go further and talk free delivery to your home.

We want people to be part of making this chain happen.

                We need practical candidates to clever managers in our sector

                Every day is different and it’s a career for life.

Nick Langdon boss of Royal mail Parcels, ‘Express is exploding.’

Lomas talked numbers, ‘Over a quarter of all retail value in 2017 was home delivered (source: IMRG) – the shift from high street shopping to home delivery is exploding.’

Boxing Day billion, A billion pounds spent online at the height of the 2017 sales.

Express is an exploding sector with exploding numbers of new jobs, this is not going away. We need JCP help with the next-generation workforce.

Express will be with us for years to come. Express is a career for years to come and candidates can grow through this career. 

The terms used

-A supply chain of goods are moved by logistics, a common term today for final mile, last mile, home delivery, is express.

-Express is that final mile of home delivery. Express has two streams of jobs that move, Sortation and delivery.

-Sortation is a common first step where individuals often join a national brand, (Royal mail – DPD – UK Mail – Whistl) they start work in a sortation shed, it could be a million sq feet or  a small local hub, they help receive and route parcels and letters, growing a knowledge of postcodes, bar code technology, sortation belts, totes and trollies. This is almost entirely PAYE in nature.

-Delivery is the next step, getting out on the road, you do not need a licence, delivery starts on a walking route, CitySprint runs busy cycle routes in high density locations like the city of London. Don’t forget the trolley routes operated by the Royal Mail. Cargo bikes for bigger routes, some of these cargo bikes are electric, then with a licence there a host of light vehicles on a car licence, some of these run on alternative fuels, electric, hybrid and hydrogen. You will find mixed platforms of jobs on the road, PAYE and self employed, some operators have mixed fleets of PAYE and self employed.’

Express makes a great step to jobs that move in large vehicles, a candidate can get experience in the sector and work towards heavy vehicle LGV licences if they wish to progress to the big trucks of route fleets.

The Stairway below is a map of jobs and qualifications in Transport, Warehouse and Express. This is only a graphic; go to the interactive stairway and the stairway comes alive, you can track over each step to reveal the qualifications and job titles. It's really cool and a great signpost to new next-generation candidates for Express.

Interactive Stairway of Jobs that Move

Carl Lomas MBE

Carl is the national chairman of the Institute of Couriers, he is an academic fellow in Logistics at the University of Derby and chairs various regional boards including the TfL LoCity van group & TfGM Urban delivery group. He speaks widely, from Microlise Conference 2017 at Coventry to LSA Heathrow Logistics summit last week.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Let's finish with exploding figures in Express and delivering it to your door free of charge.