The meanings are intricate and so are the types of shipping services, especially for someone who is not familiar with the notations and services in the logistics realm. In this article, we are going to give you more information on this topic in order to make it easier for you to understand.
Courier – the person or the company that performs the shipping service;
Cargo – items of bigger dimensions or heavyweight items that are transported by a shipping company, also called ‘freight’;
Shipping, logistics and courier services – People use these three notations interchangeably and they have the same meaning, but only to some extent.

Courier services
They are usually a bit pricier than the standard postal services. There are many types of courier services, depending on the speed of the delivery and the type of consignments.
Standard courier services involve the collection of small and medium-sized parcels and their transfer to the delivery point. There is an estimated time of delivery, which means that there is no exact date or time when the parcel will be delivered. This service is usually the least expensive one from the entire array of courier services.
Same-day courier services translate into the collection of a parcel on the exact same day the order was received. This is usually a faster service and if combined with express delivery, it becomes one of the most expensive options.
Overnight service – the package is delivered the next day of its collection. However, the service is not always available for some international routes located at a great distance from each other. Given its nature, the service price can be quite high.
International or national courier services – the prices vary depending on the distance between the point of collection and point of delivery.
Courier services for pallet delivery – the prices for this kind of delivery are affordable and both the pick-up and delivery time are strictly defined.

Means of transport
Courier companies usually transport goods by road. This means that they use trucks, vans, motorcycles and bicycles (mostly for local, last-mile and fast deliveries) to transport the parcels.
Courier Services are the standard services for the delivery of portable goods, shipments of smaller dimensions and lighter shipments, documents, and mail. The parcels transported through courier services can be easily handled and lifted by a person given their small dimensions and weight.

Logistics services
Sometimes is referred to as the general field of transportation services, which includes courier services too.
Logistics refer to the process of managing the flow of operations between the point of collection to the point of delivery. This includes all the mechanisms, warehouses, people and resources that are involved throughout the entire delivery process.
People refer to logistics services when talking about the transportation of heavy goods and bulk loads. Sometimes, the term is used to refer to cargo and freight transport.
Following this idea, the transport of bigger consignments and shipments that need special care come under the umbrella of logistics services. Compared to courier services, logistics services are considered to be a safer option when it comes to shipping valuable goods. This is because it can accommodate the transport of pallets and containers. Packages and items that are placed on a pallet are usually handled mechanically with forklifts.
The provider of the logistics services handles processes such as inventory, shipping, packaging, warehousing and security functions for shipments.

Means of transport
Logistics services transport goods by trains, trucks, ships or aeroplanes.
Ships – used for stacked pallets;
Aircraft – used for perishable goods as it is the fastest mean of transportation. It is also the mean of transportation for livestock, using specially designed stables;
Train – mostly used for mining products due to its large capacity. It is an easier way of making secure transport for this kind of products;
Trucks – used to transport heavy and big consignments such as the ones which fall into the freight/cargo category. Trucks are also used for livestock;
Most courier companies are also cargo companies, which means they have integrated services and they can accommodate both big and small shipments.
The definitions of logistics and courier services are not completely different. Usually, one service is explained by using the other term too. Even though it is hard to define the separation line, there are some things that distinguish them from each other.
If you have more questions about logistics and courier services or any other terms, don’t hesitate to contact us!