Hi
I am not a driver but I’m thinking of moving into business if it is appropriate.
I import every week for my customers 33 pallets one full truck of frozen goods .
The question is , if I jump on the truck will I minimize the costs and benefit my business.? I want my customer to pay less price for my products and be more competitive,
Thank you
If you go to the Owner drivers forum, there are lots of hints and tips on running your own truck,or trucks.
There are numerous costs, such as breakdowns, fines or court deposits to be paid abroad on the road side.
Insurance for you and the truck and the goods,known as goods in transit insurance for the load.
Costs for fuel,tyres,call out for tyre repair and replacement on the road side.
Parts for breakdowns,finding an Operating centre,MOT costs,buying the correct truck and trailer to be considered.
Depreciation on the vehicle, complying to tachograph driving hours and rest period regulations.
Towing costs for the crane to get the truck off the toll road abroad, you have no choice on who to choose for this, the police order the removal in the cost of thousands of euros.
Failing to deliver the load and finding an operator to deliver on time if you have a problem delivering it.
Immigrants in the load and trailer, which is £2000 per illegal immigrant and £2000 for the truck owner.
toby1234abc many thanks for taking the time to write this.
I will focus on the Owners drivers forum as you have suggested . The transportation costs accounts 40% and I hope I can do something about it . If you can make it 30% that would make a huge impact on the final price.
Thanks again
Vehicle maintenance costs.Or you can maintain it yourself with a deep pit hole in the workshop to inspect under the vehicle as required by Dvsa guidelines.
To get an Operating licence,an advert is placed in the local paper.
This is to let anyone living nearby time to object or stop you getting an O licence due to noise or other disturbances.
The bill for an engine blowing up or a clutch going can be crippling.
The Traffic Commisioners have the power to take away the O licence after a tribunal.
Driving licences can be taken away with the TC.
I’d go through the cost of truck ownership thoroughly before buying you own thinking it will be cheaper.
Firstly cost of the truck and fridge trailer.
Either as a capital outlay or a weekly leasing cost.
Insurance.
O licence,
Safety inspections for both truck and trailer and annual test.
Maintenance
Fuel
Tax.
Driver wages.
Now divide those cost by your 33 pallets each week.
if you are going to do some general haulage to subsidise your own work then you’ll need a full O’licence and a CPC holder.
I do know some companies that run trucks for their own work, my brother worked for a slaughter house that run their own trucks, the artic was only really needed for a few days each week, so it then went onto general haulage, to subsidise the cost of having. The reason they had it was not that it was cheaper, but because they felt it offered their customers a better service. I know other own account fleets that are justified for the same reason.
I work for a Motorsport team, we run our own trucks because transporter trailers are specialist bits of kit, and again we offer our customers a level of service, it isn’t cheap to have 3 trucks that altogether do less mileage than a truck on general haulage work, we also do a bit of work for other people, mostly moving their cars to a circuit, but we only do that because we have the specialist kit and insurance so we can charge a decent rate for the job.
Obviously I’m not going to put my self into trouble if there is not profit for buying and driving the truck. I assume the transportation companies make profit for delivering these pallets to me , so if I drive myself I will benefit the company’s profit and driver’s salary. Furthermore , yesterday I received my frozen goods with 0 Celsius not minus 18 at least. I need reassurance of the product delivery time and quality.
In the drivers’ hours tachograph rules document if I read it correctly the driver can work 180 hours a month (90 hours every two weeks) to be legal. 180 hours times 80km per hour equals 14.400 km every month at the most. Is this assumption correct?
Yesterday I drove from 3 in the morning till 9 in the evening a mercedes sprinter van , ■■■■ tachograph
More less you drive 4,5 hours you rest 45 minutes you drive 4,5 hours and you rest another 45 minutes. Every week you rest an unbroken 45 hours( two days). Where do you spend the two days if you are away from home ?
I really appreciate your help
… go for it mate, after reading that, you will be just fine! , and at 14400km a month you should make a few quid as well!!
Honest opinion - leave this area to a haulier. You are really gonna come unstuck if you think that every 9 hours a day of driving you will average 80 kph.
It’s all well and good if we tell you to go and get a CPC etc but it’s based on no experience so I just reckon you will end up costing yourself money if not a visit/appearance with certain authorities.
The fact that you think it’s safe to drive a van from 03.00 to 21.00 (ps that’s illegal - domestic driving hours legislation) and that you give the impression that given half a chance would do it in a truck or maybe expect an employee to do it frankly terrifies me.
I’m not an International truck driver but I drive a van. If I have too many orders I have to deliver it’s my business after all . I do research though about the case of buying a truck. If the law states 56 hours I’m smart enough to listen . All I know is the top speed a truck can reach and the number of hours a driver is permitted to drive in a daily basis . I know nothing about the real conditions . I don’t know if to pass the borders takes one minute or seven hours . I ask questions and hope for answers but not to be judged for my questions .
Fair enough and research is admirable. Hopefully the result will be it takes a bit of experience and a “working” knowledge to be profitable in haulage. Not always so but I’d say 99% of the time.
I’d say shop around for your transport but I reckon you will be into a loser doing it yourself.
At its most basic - how can you deal easily with UK customers if your over the other aide of the Netherlands - possible but you lose direct control especially if you are as rushed as yourself.
I’m not in UK and I have no British customers.
I import from all over Europe, and the plan if it is feasible:
I will buy a truck brand new or used one, then I will export from Greece local goods to the centre of Europe. I cannot drive from Greece to Calais France to pick up my pallets empty right? I want the export to pay the basic costs I don’t want profit from this , then I go and pick up my pallets from northern and Central Europe and bring them back to my storage , from there others will deliver the goods not me to customers. My usual destinations spots are roughly 5000 km go and return . If I drive 250 km a day then it takes 3 weeks to go and return so what’s the point of buying and driving the truck.