Learn how hand carry logistics work and when companies choose this solution for urgent international deliveries.
A Hand Carrier courier is a logistics professional who personally transports a shipment from origin to destination, maintaining direct physical custody throughout the entire journey.
Hand carrier services are commonly used for urgent, high-value, or time-critical shipments where traditional courier networks introduce unacceptable risk or delay.
In hand carry logistics, the courier:
Unlike standard shipping, there are no warehouses, hubs, or third-party handoffs involved.
The key difference lies in custody and control.
| Aspect | Hand Carrier | Express Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Shipment custody | Personal, end-to-end | Multiple handoffs |
| Speed | Immediate | Network-dependent |
| Risk | Low | Medium to high |
| Flexibility | High | Limited |
For shipments where failure is not an option, companies choose hand carrier solutions.
Hand carrier services are ideal when:
In these cases, speed and certainty outweigh shipping cost.
Hand carry logistics are commonly used in:
Each industry values hand carriers for different risk profiles, but all share the need for certainty.
Yes, hand carry shipping is legal when:
Professional hand carrier operations evaluate country restrictions, airline policies, and customs requirements before travel.
Hand carrier services are often part of broader On Board Courier (OBC) operations.
The terms are closely related and often overlap.
In practice, most OBC services are also hand carrier services.
Learn more about What is an On Board Courier (OBC)?
See also: OBC Services Explained
Understanding whether a hand carrier solution is the right option depends on urgency, risk, and route availability. Platforms like OnFlyGo help companies evaluate these factors before moving forward.