Same-day, next-day and international couriers since 2001
Rapid Despatch's Reading branch, on Robert Cort Industrial Estate since 2007, just off the A33 and minutes from M4 Junction 11. Part of an independent courier company trading since 2001, with four branches in Hampshire and Berkshire, covering Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey. Dedicated same-day vehicles, next-day, international, pallets, storage and fulfilment.
We aim to collect within the hour, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes, and never more than 90. That is a window rather than a guarantee: it depends on where the nearest vehicle is when you ring.
For urgent work we send a dedicated same-day vehicle. It collects from you and drives straight to the delivery address. The goods never enter a parcel hub or change vans on the way. We aim to collect within the hour around Reading, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes and never more than 90, though the honest answer depends on your postcode, the traffic, the site and the vehicle.
The branch also handles next-day and timed UK deliveries, international courier and freight, specialist movements, pallets, storage, pick and pack and fulfilment. So you can use one local team for an emergency this afternoon and a distribution requirement that runs all year.
| BRANCH | Staffed Reading branch, here since 2007 |
|---|---|
| ADDRESS | Unit 7, Robert Cort Industrial Estate, Britten Road, Reading, RG2 0AU |
| PHONE | Direct line: 0118 987 5979 |
| Email: reading@ | |
| SAME-DAY | Dedicated same-day vehicles for direct UK delivery |
| RESPONSE | Usually within the hour, sometimes 30 minutes, never planned beyond 90 |
| NEXT-DAY | Next-day options including timed morning delivery |
| INTERNATIONAL | International air, road and sea services |
| PALLET & FREIGHT | Pallet, freight and specialist movements |
| STORAGE | Around 7,000 sq ft of storage, pick and pack and fulfilment |
| COVER | Goods in transit insurance provided. £25,000 on a dedicated vehicle for account holders; £1,000 per tonne otherwise |
| OFFICE HOURS | Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 |
| HOURS | Same-day phone line, 24/7, 365 days a year |
Reading is compact but it isn't uniform.
Collecting from an industrial unit off the A33 is a completely different exercise from picking up documents in the town centre, equipment from a campus or stock from a business park. We plan the vehicle and the arrival around your actual address, not around "Reading".
We cover the centre and the areas around it: Caversham, Tilehurst, Whitley, Earley, Woodley, Theale, Winnersh and Wokingham, as well as onward collections across Bracknell, Aldermaston, Tadley, Crowthorne and Henley.
Once your goods are on a dedicated vehicle, the driver follows the direct plan. A Reading collection can reach London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Scotland or Wales the same day where the distance and timing allow.
The A33 is the main artery between south Reading, the town centre and Junction 11. It serves a lot of the town's employment and development land and it's how most vehicles reach us from the motorway. It also backs up at peak times, around events and whenever there's an incident. That's why we ask for your real deadline rather than working from an assumed journey time.
For a central Reading collection or delivery, tell us where goods can legally be loaded, whether there's a service entrance and whether the recipient has arranged access. If there's no legal loading point for a heavy or bulky item, the site may need a dispensation or a different handover point arranged in advance.
Routes out towards Earley, Woodley, Winnersh and the A329(M) carry commuter traffic and university activity, and local restrictions vary. Send the exact postcode and the deadline so the controller can position a driver sensibly. For campuses, hospitals and multi-building organisations, we need a department name and a direct contact. A building name on its own leads to a driver wandering corridors.
Collections west of the centre tend to route via the A4, the Oxford Road corridor or the M4 connections around Theale. Loading conditions swing wildly between residential streets, local centres and industrial sites. If you need a long-wheelbase van or something larger, tell us early so we can check access before the vehicle is despatched.
For goods that need to travel directly and arrive as soon as the road journey permits. A dedicated vehicle cuts the handling and gives us a clear view of the job from collection to delivery. Suits time-critical components, documents, IT equipment, samples, exhibition material, retail stock and larger goods.
See how same-day delivery works
For properly packaged consignments that can travel through an overnight network. Standard next working day plus timed options including 10.30am and noon where available. We check the cut-off, weight, dimensions and destination before booking, and price a dedicated alternative when the network isn't right.
View next-day courier options
Documents, parcels, pallets and freight by air, road and sea from Reading, along with imports and urgent on-board courier movements. Bookings need an accurate description of the contents, the value, the reason for export, dimensions, weight and full destination details.
Explore international services
Around 7,000 square feet on site, covering flexible storage, pick and pack, e-commerce fulfilment, returns, kitting, labelling, point-of-sale campaigns and onward distribution. Take a small amount and grow into it, combined with delivery from the same building.
Learn about storage and fulfilment
Small vans through Transit and Sprinter-type vehicles to Luton, tail-lift and larger commercial transport. For a pallet or a bulky item, send dimensions, weight, stackability, forklift availability and the access at both ends. A driver can't safely move a pallet across gravel.
Read about pallet and freight servicesReading has a heavy concentration of technology, digital, professional and financial firms, sitting alongside retail, education, healthcare, engineering and distribution across the Thames Valley. They don't all want the same courier.
An IT team needs a replacement component in the hands of a named person at a data centre. A law firm needs confidential documents handed over, not left at a desk.
The Reading number reaches a team that knows the local service area. If the collection changes, the driver gets stuck at security or the recipient needs an update, there's one number and one set of people.
An urgent van is sometimes the answer and sometimes not. Because Reading also arranges next-day, international, freight and fulfilment, we can compare the alternatives instead of pushing every enquiry into one product.
Reading has been a Rapid Despatch branch since 2007, and the company has been trading independently since 2001. That's a different proposition from a lead-generation website with a Reading landing page and no van within forty miles.
On same-day work we know where the dedicated vehicle is. On network services we chase the exception instead of pointing you at a carrier's contact form.
Goods in transit insurance is provided. On a dedicated vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes anywhere in the UK, account holders are covered to a maximum of £25,000. On other services, liability is limited to the value of the goods, the cost of repairing them, or £1,000 per tonne on gross weight, whichever is lowest. Goods held in storage are covered to £500 per tonne.
Cover applies in the UK and Europe and does not extend to consequential loss. Higher cover can usually be arranged before collection at an additional charge, so declare the value when you book rather than afterwards.
“Samsung UK have been using Rapid Despatch for many years and they have always arrived on location at the allotted time. We have often requested them to collect cheques from our customers and bank them on the same day. This service has really helped our business during those busy month ends. A very professional and efficient outfit. Keep up the good work.”
“Used Rapid Despatch Reading after an another logistics company failed to collect. Shannon was extremely helpful, quick to provide a quote and highly responsive to arrange the collecting, keeping me updated on progress. Would highly recommend to anyone needing same day services and have used them several time since.”
“Rapid despatch are always reliable and straightforward to deal with, you ring the guys up and they get it done, courteous drivers are also pleasant, no need to look elsewhere, I would have no hesitation in recommending them, based on our experience over the years.”
We already carry blood samples for hospitals in Reading, at ambient temperature and over short distances. It is routine work for this branch and it is the reason the chain-of-custody process matters: the driver is identified at collection, the consignment stays with one authorised driver, and the signature, time, location and recipient are recorded against a Unique Docket Number.
What we do not run is refrigerated or validated cold-chain vehicles. If a consignment has to hold a temperature range we will say so at quotation rather than accept it and hope. More on how we handle this kind of work is on our specialist services page.
We aim to collect within the hour, sometimes in as little as 30 minutes, and never more than 90. Around Reading a vehicle is often already close. The real answer depends on the postcode, traffic, access, vehicle and where our drivers are at that moment, so ring the branch and we'll give you the position as it stands.
No. We collect in Reading and deliver throughout the UK, plus international air, road and sea options. A same-day vehicle can collect here and drive directly to a destination anywhere on the mainland.
Yes. Give us the building, unit, entrance, loading bay and an on-site contact. Large campuses have several access points and a driver circling the perimeter helps nobody.
Yes, within the legal stopping and loading restrictions. Central Reading has red routes, loading controls and restricted areas, so tell us about the loading bay or service entrance before the driver arrives.
Yes, depending on the pallet dimensions, weight, vehicle availability and safe loading at both ends. Tell us whether there's a forklift or loading dock, and whether you need a tail lift.
Yes, around 7,000 square feet, covering flexible storage, pick and pack, distribution, returns and project work. Get in touch with your rough stock volume and order or campaign requirements.
The urgent same-day phone line runs 24/7. Email and online enquiries are handled during staffed periods, so ring the branch or the central number if you need someone now.
Every same-day job has a minimum charge. The first few miles cost more per mile than the rest, because getting a vehicle to you is the expensive part; after that the rate drops. Waiting time is charged by the hour once a free allowance has passed, and each extra collection or delivery point is a fixed amount. A short local job in a small van costs a fraction of a dedicated national run or a pallet movement with a tail lift. The price is fixed before you book. For how a quotation is built, read our guide to same-day courier pricing.
For an urgent local collection, ring the branch. For planned work, send the postcodes, item details, deadline and access information through the quotation form.
