Hi All
Starting small haulage co(in Northamptonshire) and wondering if I need to look for Euro 5 Tractor Unit. I am planning to do some container work or store delivieries to german retailers. I have got op centre and passed operators cpc.
Looking to buy Volvo FH (euro 5 - around 2008 plate) but found out smilar euro4s are cheaper and there is more of them to choose from in my price range(18-20k).
Will I find any limitations of work I can subcontract having euro4 vehicle ?
Any idea about LEZ compliance ? When Euro 5 kicks in there (couldnt find any information about it)?
Looking to keep the truck for 24-36months.
Thanks
recipie for disaster…keep your £20k cash,and lease/repair maintenance contract and that way it wont burst your balls when the clutch goes bang,or the crank snaps in the middle of Dresden…my grandad had a similar experience some years ago returning from a trip to hamburg,started off as a simple oil leak,then the engine seized,wrecked the lot,and crashed…it wouldn’t have been so bad if he was driving a truck instead of the Lancaster bomber he was in at the time,but the principals the same…keep your dosh as a float,or be prepared to fork out £10k or the best part thereof if the thing goes bang,or someone wrecks it in an accident.lease contract,lease purchase,repair /maintenance or whatever,do your sums and costings upfront,and you know where you stand apart from fuel,and sleep a tad easier at night. 
thanks for reply but i dont think its the answer to the question asked ;D
Euro 4 is LEZ compliant and it’s highly unlikely that it will become non-compliant within the 36 month time frame you mention, there has been no announcement yet as to when Euro 4 will not be LEZ compliant but the rumour I’ve heard is 2020. I have a Euro 5 vehicle but in hindsight I wish I’d bought Euro 4 and saved some money.
I think DD is saying you’d prob find a deal that you may be better in leasing
nick2008:
I think DD is saying you’d prob find a deal that you may be better in leasing
after i read his post few times i think he means it 
but generally its not easy to lease a motor being a fresh company with no operators licence.
im planning to buy a motor first, apply for licence, hopefully start to roll
translimited:
after i read his post few times i think he means it
but generally its not easy to lease a motor being a fresh company with no operators licence.
im planning to buy a motor first, apply for licence, hopefully start to roll
No, definitely not. O Licence first, then sort out the truck. Horse before the cart. What if they don’t grant you the O Licence?
It is difficult as a new start, but you will be able to lease a truck if you put down a couple of months’ deposit, maybe not a Volvo or a Scania but MAN, Renault, Iveco and many independents would definitely talk to you.
Harry Monk:
translimited:
after i read his post few times i think he means it
but generally its not easy to lease a motor being a fresh company with no operators licence.
im planning to buy a motor first, apply for licence, hopefully start to roll
No, definitely not. O Licence first, then sort out the truck. Horse before the cart. What if they don’t grant you the O Licence?
It is difficult as a new start, but you will be able to lease a truck if you put down a couple of months’ deposit, maybe not a Volvo or a Scania but MAN, Renault, Iveco and many independents would definitely talk to you.
i can do it that way(O licence first) but will they grant me the licence having 0 trucks? i know i dont have to put vehicle details in application but think will have to do it before they finally grant the licence
please correct me if im wrong
translimited:
Harry Monk:
translimited:
after i read his post few times i think he means it
but generally its not easy to lease a motor being a fresh company with no operators licence.
im planning to buy a motor first, apply for licence, hopefully start to roll
No, definitely not. O Licence first, then sort out the truck. Horse before the cart. What if they don’t grant you the O Licence?
It is difficult as a new start, but you will be able to lease a truck if you put down a couple of months’ deposit, maybe not a Volvo or a Scania but MAN, Renault, Iveco and many independents would definitely talk to you.
i can do it that way(O licence first) but will they grant me the licence having 0 trucks? i know i dont have to put vehicle details in application but think will have to do it before they finally grant the licence please correct me if im wrong
Yes, you are wrong in your thinking. You can add vehicles at a later stage. As others have side don’t do anything with regards hardware before you have everything in-place. Keeping in mind it may be 3 - 6 months before you get a go ahead from the Traffic Commissioner. With regards eventually buying a truck EM Rogers have always been nice to deal with a fair selection. Go for a Euro 5 and get as new or as low-milage as you can. Don’t know whether you’ll be running at full weight but I’ve bought several from F1 teams - all local to you. Good luck, its a good time to be thinking about starting as there is plenty of work around as companies start to feel a bit more confident.
Plambert:
translimited:
Harry Monk:
translimited:
after i read his post few times i think he means it
but generally its not easy to lease a motor being a fresh company with no operators licence.
im planning to buy a motor first, apply for licence, hopefully start to roll
No, definitely not. O Licence first, then sort out the truck. Horse before the cart. What if they don’t grant you the O Licence?
It is difficult as a new start, but you will be able to lease a truck if you put down a couple of months’ deposit, maybe not a Volvo or a Scania but MAN, Renault, Iveco and many independents would definitely talk to you.
i can do it that way(O licence first) but will they grant me the licence having 0 trucks? i know i dont have to put vehicle details in application but think will have to do it before they finally grant the licence please correct me if im wrong
Yes, you are wrong in your thinking. You can add vehicles at a later stage. As others have side don’t do anything with regards hardware before you have everything in-place. Keeping in mind it may be 3 - 6 months before you get a go ahead from the Traffic Commissioner. With regards eventually buying a truck EM Rogers have always been nice to deal with a fair selection. Go for a Euro 5 and get as new or as low-milage as you can. Don’t know whether you’ll be running at full weight but I’ve bought several from F1 teams - all local to you. Good luck, its a good time to be thinking about starting as there is plenty of work around as companies start to feel a bit more confident.
thanks very much for your advise. (Harry, Gettin-On, DD, Plambert)
Ill go this way and update you here.
Merry Xmas and Happy New years
I’m having similar probs, can’t get an account to have vehicles but don’t know whether to rent my company a vehicle or make my transit in scope.
It seems like you’ve gotta line up the lorry, the yard, the o licence, and the work all to land on the first Monday of the month.
I’m tempted as have funds to buy, and fund it but then comes where I get the work from and make it start on the right day. I think that’s what people want when they ask how to get the work, is it just a case of company introduction, is it really just that and persistence?
There is no reason why everything needs to happen at the same time. The order should be:
- Get offers of work in place and draw up a business plan to make sure it is viable
- Sort out all the O licence pre-requisites such as finding a operating centre and transport manager
- Obtain O licence
- Obtain truck
I would strongly recommend the fully maintained lease option. As long as you are happy to put down a few months deposit, there are lots of companies out there who will take on a new operator. It makes budgeting so much easier and if something does go wrong (as it will at some point) it is somebody else’s problem to recover and fix the vehicle.
This is very sound advice. On top of that I would suggest choosing what type of work you want/need as that will depend on the truck and possibly how it’s purchased and run
whelmic:
…it is somebody else’s problem to recover and fix the vehicle.
But it will still be YOUR responsibility as an O/D to deliver the load!!
Well my plan is to get the operators licence, the yard would be shared with another operator who I drive for occasionally to cover holidays/sick periods, so hopefully I’ll get grace on full rent and just give him a drink weekly to secure the corner as mine, my cpc results come through end of January, iv obviously spoke to a few firms regarding work but would prefer to go under someone’s wing, subcontract to a main player whilst I iron out the inevitables of a second hand truck and put everything else together. As said, think I’ll be making my own transit in scope for purposes of licence.
Mattwoodtransport:
As said, think I’ll be making my own transit in scope for purposes of licence.
I wouldn’t bother. You can apply for the licence without specifying a vehicle, then add the vehicle once the licence has been granted and the vehicle obtained.
As everyone else has said, there’s no problem getting the license without any vehicles, it’s not really worth putting the transit down when it doesn’t needto be, it’s just something else for VOSA to scrutinise. Either last year or the one before, they did change the wording on the O license guidelines stating that you would need a vehicle to be able to apply, in the same set of guidelines they also stated that new operators should wait until the license had been granted bfore purchasing a vehicle, go figure!!! That’s now been changed as far as I know.
whelmic:
Mattwoodtransport:
As said, think I’ll be making my own transit in scope for purposes of licence.
I wouldn’t bother. You can apply for the licence without specifying a vehicle, then add the vehicle once the licence has been granted and the vehicle obtained.
So how would I prove to the traffic commissioner I have access to a vehicle, if iv so far been unable to get an account with a genuine outfit like all truck, Maun motors etc?