Why Next-Day Drinks Delivery Is Cheaper with a 3PL (and Unsustainable In-House)
The Hidden Cost of In-House Next-Day Drinks Delivery:
- Fleet expenses (for 5 vans): £20,000 – £36,000 per year
- Driver wages: aprox. £28,000 per year
- Idle, non-delivery days: vans cost money, even when they sit unused
- Scalability Issues: spare vans and drivers will be needed during peaks, but not during the rest of the year
Result: next-day drinks delivery in-house = higher costs, lower profit.
The In-House Trap
One van breakdown? Multiple missed deliveries.
Quiet weeks? Vans & drivers costing you money while you’re not moving.
True next-day flexibility in-house? Spare vans & drivers doubling your costs.
How a 3PL Makes Next-Day Deliveries Affordable for Drinks Producers
- Shared fleets through consolidated deliveries: vans used across multiple clients means there’s no cost for idle vans at the expense of the drinks producer
- Optimised delivery routes & technology: smarter routing through intelligent technology means there are less wasted miles and lower cost-per-litre charges
- Scaling = saving: a 3PL bulk-purchasing fuel, insurance, maintainance = better savings for drinks producers using the outsourced service
In-house delivery = fixed costs you can’t escape.
3PL = flexible costs based on your drinks business’ changing needs.
The Bottom Line
With an outsourced drinks logistics partner, next-day delivery is:
- Cheaper (no idle assets)
- Scalable (adjust instantly)
- Reliable (specialist fleets & drivers)
Are you running your own fleet? Do your vans sit still on quiet days?
Partnering with a drinks 3PL may be your answer.
Tap’in 3PL are the UK Drinks Logistics partner, delivering next-day into London venues.
Contact our expert team using the form below to find out how we could make seamless next-day drinks delivery possible.