Janaka Chaminda is an international specialist at DHL Express in Dubai. Here he talks about what life is like as a courier who often has to sort and transport important business documents across the emirate.
4.30am
I wake up, make tea and arrange breakfast and lunch. Before I leave home, I do five minutes of meditation, which is good for a peaceful mind.
5.30am
I'm in Sharjah. I leave my place for the station in Al Quoz.
6.30am
I start, I have to sort all the documents and non-documents according to routes: Jumeirah; DIFC; internet City. We have 50 routes in Dubai.
7.30am
I start my work as a courier. I sign on my scanner, scan the shipments, load the shipments. I log into my vehicle before I depart my station. There's a tracking system. Each day they can monitor from the head office.
Morning
We have important documents and have to arrive before 9am, or 12 [noon]. We have two runs: A and B. A we have to arrive before 1pm, and B before 6pm. We have challenges of course, because sometimes we cannot get parking for my vehicle. We have to use common sense: we know which road is busy and have to avoid those ones. I know with parking, certain buildings will be free so I'll go there.
Lunch
If I get the chance I'll go to the station and have lunch with my friends. We have some busy days like Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday, [where] I'll eat in my vehicle [for a] maximum of 10 minutes. Time is very important for us.
2pm
I come to the station again and scan shipments, log in and go out with the delivery. There are regular deliveries [from businesses] where we have to go for collection between 4pm and 5pm. I have two or three regular customers, like RAK Bank, that I have to reach on time [to] collect shipments. Some contact me because they have my mobile number.
6.30pm
I have to finish my run before 6.30. Then in 20 minutes I have to drive to my station. I'll be here around 7pm and show my outbound [packages] and sort them according to destination: India and Nigeria are the first flight. Others are in a second flight.
7.30pm
I finish. After that, I'll double check my vehicle so that I didn't leave something in there.
8.30pm
I'll be home, because there's a lot of traffic. Always traffic. I will relax then check Facebook, and call my mum or friends. With my friends, sometimes I'll go out to a restaurant or cafeteria. I'm from Sri Lanka, and I have one friend who can cook very well.
10.30pm
Before I'm going to bed I have to do some praying and meditation. Normally I sleep around five hours.
