Car Transport - I have a headache

[hedgepiglet]

Hello forum and thank you in advance for hearing my sad tale. If it’s posted in the wrong thread I apologise and would ask a mod to move it as necessary.

We are a modest little car dealer in Devon in the Southwest. We have enjoyed a remarkable expansion in our trade over the last few months for which we are grateful.
For now we are selling about 3 cars per day, 7 days a week. We have been limited in buying exclusively from a large auction house in Bridgwater primarily as we amortise the cost of transporting cars to us in the biggest loads we can. However, just this month (October) we had an entire week’s stock undelivered by the auction house, in fact it got so bad we had ZERO cars until the 16th of the month. So it really, really has hurt the business. That and their prices have gone up dramatically (over 200%) in 3 months and I really am spending a lot of money on this problem and I would probably mind a little less if it then took maybe 2-3 days to get the delivery, but 16+ days is just crushing us.

I have no experience with trucking or other, other than what a layperson might know. I have been surprised, maybe even shocked to learn that most of these little IVECO type flatbeds are only capable of carrying a Suzuki Swift (there’s a little sarcasm in there) before they are over weight and the moment I try to fit more than 2 cars on anything, I go over this magical 3.5t limit and need to sell my firstborn and a kidney to the department of transport for permission to run my own truck.

You will sense my hysteria. It’s a little tongue in cheek but its actually somewhat true. After a long introduction I really, really need some help. If I could ask anyone to help me understand the following:

1. Is there any way I can simply be permitted to buy a small truck and transport them myself, without having to jump through the flaming hoops to get an operator’s permit? Please don’t misunderstand me if the only pathway is to do so, I shall do so. This is NOT an effort to circumvent any appropriate law, I do however think its ok to ask the questions. Even if the answer is no.
2. Can I buy a truck and have someone else ‘operate’ it for me? I put air quotes because as above, I don’t want to do anything that is not permitted. I need to be clear. But can I buy it and then someone else puts it on their ticket? Possible?
3. If I must get an operators ticket, what’s involved and what will it cost?
4. Given transporting my stock is a very clear weak link in my business, can anyone please suggest other ways to get cars to me? The journey is only about 90 miles. Though, if I can get an affordable solution I would source stock further afield.
5. If I must do all the papers and get an operators permit, am I then allowed to rent my own truck out for other car jobs and get something back for my costs? I will say it again, I am working my ■■■■ off to run a car company, the thought of having to start a transport company to simply solve a problem I have genuinely leaves me cold.
6. Can I drive it myself? Full UK B+E license but nothing bigger.
7. Here’s a big one: Can I just buy a trailer, a big 5-6 car hydraulic type and then pay a registered trucking company to simply hook up to it and do the car runs every few days, then leave my empty trailer on my yard? I understand this is a grey area but I am not buying or running trucks. I am buying a trailer and having a licensed truck collect it empty, on their permit, drive to the auction house and they load it, then the truck brings it back and drops it and I unload my stock. I can’t see how I would need a transport permit to own a trailer that never moves without a permit holder doing so?
   Annex to question 7, what is the going rate I might expect to pay for a truck to simply go through the motions, collect my empty trailer, hook it up and pull it to the auction house, wait while they load 4-5 cars and then drive the trailer back to me? I assume it would be a cost per mile, my guess (hope?) is it would be about £2 a mile, maybe a little more or perhaps a little less. If this were the case it would be a definite project and I would do it. I would buy just a trailer.

Thats it really. I have a huge problem with getting cars I buy to me. I am reluctant to start my own transport company to solve this problem, I would WAY rather pay a transport company to do this. But with the auction house putting up their rate for the 3rd time in 3 months, and then making me wait over half a month before I even get them (and we are a platinum rated buyer?!) I really need to find something better.

I am not easily offended. I have no doubt I will have already missed something because I admit on this topic I am an idiot. Don’t be shy to share your thoughts. Thank you all in advance.

EDIT to add: It just struck me a moment ago. I am also a fully qualified commercial aircraft pilot. In order to do the equivalent in aviation terms, I would simply need the necessary type rating on the aircraft (so the category on my driver’s license) and the necessary license, in this case a private license (PPL) would do! I could then load any plane I was permitted to fly and as long as I did not fly for reward, this would be perfectly ‘ok’ to the aviation transport authorities. What it appears I must do in the road transport equivalent, is start my own airline simply to be able to transport my own cars. Crazy! But absolutely true.

[iguana]

Brief answers, long wk I’ll have a look again later.

l) Is there any way I can simply be permitted to buy a small truck and transport them myself, without having to jump through the flaming hoops to get an operator’s permit? Please don’t misunderstand me if the only pathway is to do so, I shall do so. This is NOT an effort to circumvent any appropriate law, I do however think its ok to ask the questions. Even if the answer is no.

No not above a 3.5t, but you can run a 3.5t & trailer just with a tacho fitted for own commercial use however as you say weight capacity is the issue, you can get a really light 3. 5t with a reasonable capacity however, but to get one also with a decent train weight is the difficult bit, but it is possible & can run at 7t

2. Can I buy a truck and have someone else ‘operate’ it for me? I put air quotes because as above, I don’t want to do anything that is not permitted. I need to be clear. But can I buy it and then someone else puts it on their ticket? Possible?

Hmm people do, but it would be a bit daft, but it’s the operators risk really

3. If I must get an operators ticket, what’s involved and what will it cost?

Click o licencing on gov uk. It’s not too bad for a restricted o licence for 1 truck, ball park all in with the newspapers advert etc £1500 call it £2k worst case (you will need a yard or parking for the truck)

Driver will need licence obv! & a driver cpc, you’ll need correct insurance.

4. Given transporting my stock is a very clear weak link in my business, can anyone please suggest other ways to get cars to me? The journey is only about 90 miles. Though, if I can get an affordable solution I would source stock further afield.

Find a decent local operator.

Also drop me a pm, I’m too small to do myself I’m a 1 & 2 car guy & usually higher end & enclosed & prob too far away anyway but might have a mate can help.

5. If I must do all the papers and get an operators permit, am I then allowed to rent my own truck out for other car jobs and get something back for my costs? I will say it again, I am working my ■■■■ off to run a car company, the thought of having to start a transport company to simply solve a problem I have genuinely leaves me cold.

Not if you are running a restricted o licence no.
If you want to go for a standard o licence yes, but it’s more involved than a restricted & you need an internal or external transport manager or do the course your self.

6. Can I drive it myself? Full UK B+E license but nothing bigger.

No, not over a 3.5t & trailer but have you not got c1 on there?

7. Here’s a big one: Can I just buy a trailer, a big 5-6 car hydraulic type and then pay a registered trucking company to simply hook up to it and do the car runs every few days, then leave my empty trailer on my yard? I understand this is a grey area but I am not buying or running trucks. I am buying a trailer and having a licensed truck collect it empty, on their permit, drive to the auction house and they load it, then the truck brings it back and drops it and I unload my stock. I can’t see how I would need a transport permit to own a trailer that never moves without a permit holder doing so?

I’m not actually sure on that, I’ll leave it for others to answer, I think so, but yr trailer will still need it’s inspections & mots do how will you get that done & usually an operator has it on his licence.

Annex to question 7, what is the going rate I might expect to pay for a truck to simply go through the motions, collect my empty trailer, hook it up and pull it to the auction house, wait while they load 4-5 cars and then drive the trailer back to me? I assume it would be a cost per mile, my guess (hope?) is it would be about £2 a mile, maybe a little more or perhaps a little less. If this were the case it would be a definite project and I would do it. I would buy just a trailer.

Really depends, some might even do at circa a £1 a mile per car for a full load

EDIT to add: It just struck me a moment ago. I am also a fully qualified commercial aircraft pilot. In order to do the equivalent in aviation terms, I would simply need the necessary type rating on the aircraft (so the category on my driver’s license) and the necessary license, in this case a private license (PPL) would do! I could then load any plane I was permitted to fly and as long as I did not fly for reward, this would be perfectly ‘ok’ to the aviation transport authorities. What it appears I must do in the road transport equivalent, is start my own airline simply to be able to transport my own cars. Crazy! But absolutely true.

That’s incorrect, see restricted O licence

[acd1202]

HedgePiglet:
Hello forum and thank you in advance for hearing my sad tale. If it’s posted in the wrong thread I apologise and would ask a mod to move it as necessary.

We are a modest little car dealer in Devon in the Southwest. We have enjoyed a remarkable expansion in our trade over the last few months for which we are grateful.
For now we are selling about 3 cars per day, 7 days a week. We have been limited in buying exclusively from a large auction house in Bridgwater primarily as we amortise the cost of transporting cars to us in the biggest loads we can. However, just this month (October) we had an entire week’s stock undelivered by the auction house, in fact it got so bad we had ZERO cars until the 16th of the month. So it really, really has hurt the business. That and their prices have gone up dramatically (over 200%) in 3 months and I really am spending a lot of money on this problem and I would probably mind a little less if it then took maybe 2-3 days to get the delivery, but 16+ days is just crushing us.

I have no experience with trucking or other, other than what a layperson might know. I have been surprised, maybe even shocked to learn that most of these little IVECO type flatbeds are only capable of carrying a Suzuki Swift (there’s a little sarcasm in there) before they are over weight and the moment I try to fit more than 2 cars on anything, I go over this magical 3.5t limit and need to sell my firstborn and a kidney to the department of transport for permission to run my own truck.

You will sense my hysteria. It’s a little tongue in cheek but its actually somewhat true. After a long introduction I really, really need some help. If I could ask anyone to help me understand the following:

1. Is there any way I can simply be permitted to buy a small truck and transport them myself, without having to jump through the flaming hoops to get an operator’s permit? Please don’t misunderstand me if the only pathway is to do so, I shall do so. This is NOT an effort to circumvent any appropriate law, I do however think its ok to ask the questions. Even if the answer No

No

2. Can I buy a truck and have someone else ‘operate’ it for me? I put air quotes because as above, I don’t want to do anything that is not permitted. I need to be clear. But can I buy it and then someone else puts it on their ticket? Possible?

No.

3. If I must get an operators ticket, what’s involved and what will it cost?

If you only want to transport your own stock you need a restricted licence which is pretty straight forwards; if you want to transport other people’s vehicles known as Hire and Reward, you need a standard licence different matter all together. Firstly you need an Operator Certificate of Professional Competence which will take a couple of weeks full time and cost up to £2k then the actual licence well have a read of this. gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicle-operator

4. Given transporting my stock is a very clear weak link in my business, can anyone please suggest other ways to get cars to me? The journey is only about 90 miles. Though, if I can get an affordable solution I would source stock further afield.

Get a relationship going with a car transport business.

5. If I must do all the papers and get an operators permit, am I then allowed to rent my own truck out for other car jobs and get something back for my costs? I will say it again, I am working my ■■■■ off to run a car company, the thought of having to start a transport company to simply solve a problem I have genuinely leaves me cold.

6. Will answer this.

7. Can I drive it myself? Full UK B+E license but nothing bigger.

No, except for a 3.5 tonne, you must get both an appropriate lgv licence and a Driver Certificate of Professional competence; 5 days every 5 years.

7. Here’s a big one: Can I just buy a trailer, a big 5-6 car hydraulic type and then pay a registered trucking company to simply hook up to it and do the car runs every few days, then leave my empty trailer on my yard? I understand this is a grey area but I am not buying or running trucks. I am buying a trailer and having a licensed truck collect it empty, on their permit, drive to the auction house and they load it, then the truck brings it back and drops it and I unload my stock. I can’t see how I would need a transport permit to own a trailer that never moves without a permit holder doing so?

Not a grey area at all, absolutely fine. But you must have it maintained to the required standard or you’ll soon fall out with your haulier and secondly you need a haulier with or prepared to get the appropriate hydraulics to run a two deck car trailer. If you are happy with a 5/6 car trailer any unit will pull it, if you think about larger it’s different ball game since a standard haulage tractor won’t couple to them.

Annex to question 7, what is the going rate I might expect to pay for a truck to simply go through the motions, collect my empty trailer, hook it up and pull it to the auction house, wait while they load 4-5 cars and then drive the trailer back to me? I assume it would be a cost per mile, my guess (hope?) is it would be about £2 a mile, maybe a little more or perhaps a little less. If this were the case it would be a definite project and I would do it. I would buy just a trailer.

I’ll leave you to discuss that with whoever you find to do it, but you’re in the right area. Some will look at purely per mile, others will think in terms of a time rate plus a lower mileage rate.

Thats it really. I have a huge problem with getting cars I buy to me. I am reluctant to start my own transport company to solve this problem, I would WAY rather pay a transport company to do this. But with the auction house putting up their rate for the 3rd time in 3 months, and then making me wait over half a month before I even get them (and we are a platinum rated buyer?!) I really need to find something better.

I am not easily offended. I have no doubt I will have already missed something because I admit on this topic I am an idiot. Don’t be shy to share your thoughts. Thank you all in advance.

EDIT to add: It just struck me a moment ago. I am also a fully qualified commercial aircraft pilot. In order to do the equivalent in aviation terms, I would simply need the necessary type rating on the aircraft (so the category on my driver’s license) and the necessary license, in this case a private license (PPL) would do! I could then load any plane I was permitted to fly and as long as I did not fly for reward, this would be perfectly ‘ok’ to the aviation transport authorities. What it appears I must do in the road transport equivalent, is start my own airline simply to be able to transport my own cars. Crazy! But absolutely true.

[acorn]

iguana:
No not above a 3.5t, but you can run a 3.5t & trailer just with a tacho fitted for own commercial use however as you say weight capacity is the issue, you can get a really light 3. 5t with a reasonable capacity however, but to get one also with a decent train weight is the difficult bit, but it is possible & can run at 7t

What you seem to be saying is that he’d need a taco as the vehicle is over 3.5t but not an O licence even though its over 3.5t. And the idea of a 7t vehicle wold put in into the taco & O licence anyway. That doesn’t make sense and IMHO would be incorrect advise.

The OP has 2 choices, find another operator to fetch and deliver the cars, perhaps paying a similar rate to the auction house, but at least he gets too control the delivery times etc. Or, can set up with a restricted O licence - although a qualified TM is not required, as the licence holder, they’d still have the same responsibilities and undertakings only not have the knowledge to go with it.

[iguana]

No I’m not wrong, see page 1 overview own goods & 3.5t vehicle & trailer under 1020kg

gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicle-operator

[old_john]

You’ve obviously put a lot of thought into solving your problem.
I would say that having your own artic trailer, and engaging a third party to pull it is, on the face of it, the way to go.
This would only involve you in funding the purchase, (which may be considerable.) Specialist kit in good nick can be expensive, and at one trip per week, you’re not going to be sweating the asset. You would not need any sort of operators licence, as you would be the owner and not the user. The company (this is not confined to any one company) pulling the trailer would be responsible in law for its safe operation and good mechanical condition whilst on the road, and it/ they would want evidence that all the preventative maintenance inspections were being carried out, (usually at six weekly intervals), and that repairs were being carried out. Some hauliers will be able to do this in their own workshop, at your cost.
I would try to identify two or three reputable hauliers in your area and explain what you want. They will soon tell you if it is something they would do, and what the cost would be. £2 per mile for traction only would probably be thought quite good, but you want to get proper people so you’ll need to pay proper money.

[cav551]

I think you may well struggle with this operationally. We have a couple of members on the “prof” forum who are ex car transporter drivers who can give advice - Juddian immediately comes to mind.

If the auction house has been delivering up to now then their charges will have taken into account that they will have priority loading after the auction; everyone else will be entering the melee. This waiting and loading time will most certainly affect the price a local haulier will charge. If you are turning over 21 cars a week then several journeys are obviously involved and the capacity of the trailer you buy will come into play. As mentioned this is specialist equipment requiring detailed knowledge and experience to operate and maintain. It also requires the tractor unit to be equipped to power the hydraulics. Also pointed out is that finding a decent capacity trailer in good condition will not be easy. The old-fashioned tailers with a peak over the cab are few and far between apart from requiring a really experienced driver to operate safely. In addition the peak is vulnerable to damage when parked uncoupled and requires a low cab height tractor unit to pull it.

Taking all these issues into account I can see a lack of interest among local hauliers to take on this traction work. This may possibly be different closer to the auction house.

[punchy_dan]

iguana:
No I’m not wrong, see page 1 overview own goods & 3.5t vehicle & trailer under 1020kg

gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicle-operator

Iguana is quite correct in what he says ,a 3.5tonne gross vehicle pulling a trailer would only require a tacho to be used an operators licence would not be needed for business use if own goods ,it’s possible to achieve 7 tonne train weight .

[old_john]

Punchy Dan:

iguana:
No I’m not wrong, see page 1 overview own goods & 3.5t vehicle & trailer under 1020kg

gov.uk/being-a-goods-vehicle-operator

Iguana is quite correct in what he says ,a 3.5tonne gross vehicle pulling a trailer would only require a tacho to be used an operators licence would not be needed for business use if own goods ,it’s possible to achieve 7 tonne train weight .

That’s interesting. I had always thought that the trailer weight referred to the gross permitted weight.
That’s what i get for talking when i should be listening.
Still only going to be capable of moving two cars at a time though.

[tarmaceater]

Welcome aboard, you are definitely not an idiot for missing out anything or asking, the operating license requirements are complex and when it all goes wrong, except a brown envelope from the Traffic Commissioner, who will cordially invite you for a nice cup of tea and biscuits.
The TC has more power than most people think, and it’s best not to get on their wrong side, Google Beverly Bell and the guy who filmed her atrocious driving.
Out of interest, what is or was your type rating for CPL , were you long or short distance?
Can you hire people to drive the cars and hire a mini bus for the drivers?

[hedgepiglet]

Its so refreshing to join a forum where the tone is warm and supportive. Its a credit to your community and I want to acknowledge it and say thank you to everyone who has responded.

A few advances then on the first set of questions:
I spoke last night with a transport company manager who lives not far from me. While they do not and have never been involved in the car transport game, my option 7 seemed to resonate with them and while its premature to draw any conclusions this is certainly the angle I am exploring. So a few questions.
Interestingly they were fairly militant about the type of trailer they would be willing to pull. It would seem those with the extension over the cab are something of a nightmare and prone to all kinds of damage and they were clear they would not welcome this ‘type’ of trailer. He agreed to look around for suitable 5-6 car trailers on Monday and we would proceed from there.

I would of course like to continue my own education where this is concerned so can anyone please guide me SPECIFICALLY as to what type of trailer I am looking for? Is there a specific set of terms I need to look our for. I ask this as I would like to get an idea of what one costs really. If it’s £5k-10k then I can probably buy outright. If it’s more then I need to apply a little more logic and look at top up financing. I am going to lean on my aviation credentials again by way of example: If one of you were asking for advice on buying your own plane, I would encourage you to focus on a few specifics which use very clear definitions and terms. I am going to assume trucking is the same and I do not know the terms and acronyms so please be as explicit as you can? What kind of trailer am I looking for and where would I typically search for one?

The truck company chap was confident they had the necessary hydraulics in more than one of their trucks so for the moment this might be dealt with.
I have not given up on the limited operating permit, but it does seem expensive as I need to have £8,000 set aside as part of the application. We are a small dealer and these are big numbers just to set aside for a bit of kit I need to use maybe twice a week. So I need to think about this more carefully.

Then finally on the 3.5t trailer option which has been replied to a few times. I must confess I am a little confused by it. Does this mean I can use an Iveco-type beavertail which can then carry a normal car of about 1.4t (remaining under a total weight of 3.5t) AND then tow a trailer where the trailer weighs 700kg AND the load is up to 3.5t? So in an equation it looks like this; Towing truck (1.2t) + Car on truck (1.4t) + Trailer (0.7t) + Land Rover on Trailer (3.2t) = 6.5t. I specially used a bit of a silly Land Rover as an example because I am confused by what I can load on the trailer? Must the trailer + car on it add up to 3.5t total or can the trailer which is 700kg be excluded from the all up total? I note the trailers on the market are rated for up to 3.5t, which to me would suggest I can load them with a load/car of UP TO 3.5t and still be ok? If someone could please clarify this for me?

I shall no doubt think of more but as before thank you for all your help so far.

[hedgepiglet]

Thank you!

I must confess I do feel like a bit of an idiot, this stuff is more complex from the outside than those who are accustomed to it might think. Nothing is making much sense! And you are exactly right, I must emphasise that I will not be willing to compromise on the rules, but I equally feel it’s ok to ask the questions. Which is what I hope I am doing. Even if it causes a few eyeballs to roll.

I was (am) actually ATPL(H) rated. So an airline helicopter pilot. As you progress you need to keep advancing as with most things in life and the offshore/oil platform work is sort of the pinnacle of the helicopter game. Personally I enjoyed the primary care stuff, so firefighting and ambulance work but the pay isn’t as good. I found myself flying a desk more often than an aircraft the last few years (you earn a bit more later sharing your experience to assist other operators) writing ops procedures and safety manuals and this is how I found myself here.

Your last question is where another challenge lies. The business has a myopic focus on old, high mileage cars with small mark-ups and an emphasis on volume. This means almost all cars are outside of the ‘normal’ driven delivery thresholds, where the cars need to be under about 10 years old and less than about 80,000 miles on the clock. For us these are rare as most are older and longer. And interestingly, using a community bidding site to invite tenders for jobs, at the moment driven costs are WAY more expensive than trucked. And for us, spending £200 per car to get it here when they are a little over an hour away is just not tenable.

Tarmaceater:
Welcome aboard, you are definitely not an idiot for missing out anything or asking, the operating license requirements are complex and when it all goes wrong, except a brown envelope from the Traffic Commissioner, who will cordially invite you for a nice cup of tea and biscuits.
The TC has more power than most people think, and it’s best not to get on their wrong side, Google Beverly Bell and the guy who filmed her atrocious driving.
Out of interest, what is or was your type rating for CPL , were you long or short distance?
Can you hire people to drive the cars and hire a mini bus for the drivers?

[tarmaceater]

It is interesting that you mentioned the second hand car market, where I live, second hand cars seem very expensive, all the dealers in the area hold their ground and achieve a good price for smaller cars.
They tend to be similar in price when looking around, obviously good condition models get a premium price and with low mileage cars as well .
One dealer gets slated on online reviews, but has been trading for 30 years,two daughters go to private schools, and admits he sells end of life stock from car auctions.But he shifts all the cars so must be doing something right.
It was interesting to read about your flying career, some airline pilots are now driving for supermarket firms in lorries and vans, it is not the best time to pay for and hold on to a valid or frozen ATPL .

[wheel_nut]

For starters I appreciate your problem, being 90 miles from Bridgewater kind of limits you from using the big transporter companies as they will generally consolidate a full load before venturing that far into Devon and Cornwall.

I would be tempted to find a trusted owner driver and buy yourself a cheap 7 or 9 artic car carrier if there is such a thing, you pay for the trailer and repairs and let him put it on his fleet using your premises as the operating centre.

Or you could put a trailer behind this. and go the o licence route with a “mature apprentice car salesman” behind the wheel.

[cav551]

If you are buying the low value elderly cars from auction is there not a possibility of buying from the nearby franchise dealers those same cars which have been traded in but which they normally send to auction?

[hedgepiglet]

We were used to doing 1-2 cars about every day or two. We made a pretty big shift in how we service warrantees and the change has seen the business explode. So it’s nice problem to have, but I don’t want to downplay how badly its hitting us. I had no cars, not a single car in stock for 16 days this month, so it was a mad catch up to make bank and pay staff. Its unnecessary pressure and makes the whole experience unpleasant and the market is flooded with an unsavoury perception. We are working to change that and so far it’s paying dividends.

I keep my CPL current using rich friends with helicopters!
I do the odd standby to keep my hand in and I will hope to keep flying until I am no longer able to. I really do love it.

Tarmaceater:
It is interesting that you mentioned the second hand car market, where I live, second hand cars seem very expensive, all the dealers in the area hold their ground and achieve a good price for smaller cars.
They tend to be similar in price when looking around, obviously good condition models get a premium price and with low mileage cars as well .
One dealer gets slated on online reviews, but has been trading for 30 years,two daughters go to private schools, and admits he sells end of life stock from car auctions.But he shifts all the cars so must be doing something right.
It was interesting to read about your flying career, some airline pilots are now driving for supermarket firms in lorries and vans, it is not the best time to pay for and hold on to a valid or frozen ATPL .

[hedgepiglet]

Hearing you say that does make me feel a little better thank you. I don’t want to sound like I have an answer for everything but this problem has plagued us from day one. The big guys don’t want to hear you for 4 cars. The auction house won’t transport unless you have at least 3 and even then its expensive. It really is. So to try to keep costs down we just buy from one place, making the front end harder because the cars are not as good as they might be given the limited choice, which has an effect on margins and obviously servicing warranty claims, which we do without question. Another reason we are enjoying some success.

The pic you showed would be great. With a trailer of some kind, like the 3.5t ones I see online. I assume though I would need the full limited ticket though right? And an upgrade to my license. Though I would consider employing a driver for this purpose if it looks like the money makes sense.

Wheel Nut:
For starters I appreciate your problem, being 90 miles from Bridgewater kind of limits you from using the big transporter companies as they will generally consolidate a full load before venturing that far into Devon and Cornwall.

I would be tempted to find a trusted owner driver and buy yourself a cheap 7 or 9 artic car carrier if there is such a thing, you pay for the trailer and repairs and let him put it on his fleet using your premises as the operating centre.

Or you could put a trailer behind this. and go the o licence route with a “mature apprentice car salesman” behind the wheel.

0

[hedgepiglet]

A sensible question I shall try to answer it with the knowledge I have:
Most of the big showrooms have an existing agreement with the big auction houses. So they won’t break out and let me access their stock. The smaller local dealers have been here a long time, and while in my heart I know we are good guys too it takes months, maybe even years to build up a relationship with other traders. I have begun popping in now and then with a tray of donuts and a few silly trinkets to show we are serious and can offer a good relationship but for now its not a supply chain I can rely on. And certainly not at the volumes we need. I could genuinely sell 100 a week if I had the space and stock.
I have a background in writing code, so I use a clever script to sort through upcoming stock at auction that gives me about the best stuff I can get. Its proven successful but I need to go through about 10,000 cars in each search to secure maybe 100. So the bottom line is I really just need to get a better transport solution in play. I hope this doesn’t appear to be dismissive, I am looking at and have looked at anything and everything.

cav551:
If you are buying the low value elderly cars from auction is there not a possibility of buying from the nearby franchise dealers those same cars which have been traded in but which they normally send to auction?

[cav551]

Probably another non starter but how are these larger dealers getting their for-sale at-auction cars to the venue? is there a possible arrangement there so that the lorry is loaded both ways and all benefit? does your requirement for 21 cars a week defeat this?

[juddian]

trucks.autotrader.co.uk/classif … ransporter

This is the type of trailer you want (or similar), this one is old but they last for years, it has obviously had the peak removed, later models will have 3 axles.

Later ones will have 3 decks which with the peak removed give a typical 8 car capacity, as you arn’t going into the hire and reard business volume isn’t an issue for you, so my suggestion would be to look out for a Hoyner or (later called) Transport Engineering semi trailer, maybe one where the middle deck has been removed…this happened with a lot of 3 deck artic trailers which were put on Land Rover ferrying, handy weight saving removing the middle deck.

Ideally you want one that was a built as van carrier spec, this means the front of the top deck is moveable (as the one in the pic), non van carriers the front end was only hinged and you couldn’t lower the deck front, so even if you’ve only got 6 cars on board you will still be up at 15’ 6" or higher with the front vehicle, with the top deck front being able to be lowered you might be down to about 14’ or so with 6 cars up.
Without the peak deck (the car over the cab) if you have large cars on top you might only get 6 on maximum, luckily for you operators on hire and reward want volume so transporters like the above should be cheapish.

Why i suggest these is because they are very strong and long lived and most importantly simple and quick to learn and use in transporter terms, and any commercial workshops will be able to maintain them.
Simple for loading too, and that is important because with the more complicated high volume bodies they are stupidly complicated and cost a fortune to maintain as its specialist work, there being hundreds of yards of hydraulic and air pipes alone for operating the decks, all buried in the posts and under the chassis.

Remember, almost all are hydraulic operation so your transporter partner will need hydraulics on the tractor, i don’t think i’ve seen one of these converted to electric/hydraulic operation so haven’t a clue how that might work out.

I don’t know about O licencing now, its been 35 years since i took my cpc, but neither you or a normal haulier would liekly get approval for a semi trailer with peak, not as you’d find a driver prepared to drive it, they are ok once used to them and those of us who used them were reluctant to give them up (takes minutes to load one of these, 3 or 4 times longer to laod a typical modern high volume carrier, but if you had a peak you’ll be at max height anyway.

Those artics being low at the rear have very favourable approach angles at the skids and gentle top deck slopes due to the length of the deck itself (think skirt damage and some automated manual cars struggle to climb the steeper decks of other steeper designs) even when loading the top deck, rigids don’t usually have such easy angles.

Before taking the plunge, think carefully about the routes involved, tree damage is the thing, mostly at 14’ you can drive around happily so long as there no low bridges, but once you go over 15’ tree damage on some routes can be a serious issue.