Mixer / tipper franchises

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

Ta mate. Looks like Chewyboy has come back with similar advice. Independent sounds like the way to go, but maybe not right now… I’ve heard though that the muck carters need to go in for MOT inspections every few weeks or something. Is that right or over-exaggerated?

Muckaway:

pork_chop:
I’m in Surrey, around Addlestone / Staines way

Muckaway:

pork_chop:
Hi all have been reading threads on here for a while but only just joined the forum to send this, my first post. I’m thinking of buying into a franchise with one of the concrete or aggregates mobs. Has anyone had any particularly good (or bad) experiences with the big names? My old man used to have a mixer with Pioneer (Hanson) back in Oz but that was 20+ years ago. I’d probably run the truck for a while but then put a driver on after a bit and go back to doing my main job. I know now isn’t the best time to be getting in with the economy and fuel prices the way they are so I’ll likely hold off for a bit and even then wouldn’t want to come in taking on a big £90k lease for a new truck. Would rather buy something 2 or 3 years old so I don’t have to worry so much about huge payments if things go quiet… Just hoping to find a company with a good name that will give reasonably consistent work and pay up on time. Probably a lot to ask for…

Where are you based?

If you decided to go completely independant (might be a better idea as you can pick and choose to certain extant) I suggest Day Aggregates and Henry Streeter for your immediate area; I don’t know too many around by you although there’s Sibelco (was WBB Minerals ) Sand quarry at Godstone; They make play/mortar/industrial use sands there. Chewyboy might know of the other pits in your area; I know there’s a marine agg works along the Thames, and further out along the M4 there’s Grundons at Colthrop (Thatcham), Hansons’ rail siding at Theale… SJK from Hemel Hempstead do a lot of bulk muckshifts, then theres always specialist (contaminated) jobs done by Viridor upto Ardley (M40)…

22

Re. 6 week inspections I thought that applied to all trucks?

23

Approach waste companys like skip firms a lot of them sub tipper work out as they don’t noramlly run tippers. I thought the idea of having 6 week inspection was to catch minor defects before they all built up into a big one be prepared to have money to spend on tyres and snapped springs as they are they main things tippers go through

24

Approach waste companys like skip firms a lot of them sub tipper work out as they don’t noramlly run tippers. I thought the idea of having 6 week inspection was to catch minor defects before they all built up into a big one be prepared to have money to spend on tyres and snapped springs as they are they main things tippers go through daf s are cheap for a reason there ■■■■■

25

Big Truck:
Turn and run away as fast as you can from ANY KIND of “Contract Haulier” offers at this time :exclamation: :exclamation: :wink:

sammy dog:
same as above post they will have you locked into heavy finance etc with hardly anywork been there got the tee shirt. :unamused: :unamused:

hammer:
Steer clear! It might as well be called “Buy Our Work” because thats what their doing to people.

I’ve seen it first hand, you buy you’re fuel off em’, finance off them (at THEIR rate), insurance off them (with their approved insurer), you are frequently only allowed a certain make of truck, certain age etc. Basically, “do as we say, when we say” until the work goes quiet when you’ll be left with nothing as they totally wash their hands of you.

Ask for a copy of the contract, take it to a specialist solicitor. It might cost you a couple of hundred quid but it will be the best money you’ve ever spent. Once the solicitor has finished laughing, you can go and spend 50p on a lighter and burn the contract - it will be the second best money you’ve ever spent! :laughing:

I just took a copy to a business advisor and was told don’t touch it with a barge pole :confused: , i did and did a reasonable earner for a few years but a load of worry and mither even worse if the batcher or weighbridge man is a prize nugget/back hand boy :confused:

They are big into rate cutting nowadays, they will run it from a plant further away if those drivers will do it for less rads, they are also loathe to pay a transfers now because there are plenty of ‘other’ drivers who will do an 80 mile round trip for the work :confused:

Muckaway:
What Hammer said + I’ve heard if you have a day off, Hansons’ insist you supply a relief driver…

Or pay the going rate for a ‘hire in’ which probably costs twice the days earnings :confused:

fuse:
Well I have been an od now for twenty seven years,when I started I was told I would be better off but not rich this is about right.the last couple of years though I could not recomend it,more so if you are just starting out,at the minute new trucks are far to expensive and old ones to expensive to fix.If you do go ahead and do put a driver on your truck get a good one and pay him well they are like gold dust.

I worked with many who bought another truck in their quest to be the ‘next big thing’ and clean up, funny how company policy was no more than one truck per operator and as ‘operators’ became more and more difficult to find they were virtually insisting you take on another truck, now their cutting fleets for fun and if you don’t renew upgrade when it your ‘year’ however tidy or maintained your truck is your out :confused: there’s only one doing it now with a small fleet the rest are back to one truck,bust,bankrupt or deranged through stress and worry :confused:

I have the same T shirt as sammy dog but at least there was a bit of work around when i did it :neutral_face:

26

Following on from that; Today, a hired truck was working a muckshift with me; The operator bought this second hand 04 plate Scania 6wheeler over Xmas and came from a small haulage company near Shepton Mallet and was on a Hanson franchise. That was until apparently, Hanson wanted it repainted white,and remove the spotlight/lightbar combination and to fit a replacement roof beacon (believe it or not the one fitted was TOO big). Their idea of compromise, was however REPLACE IT WITH A NEW ONE :unamused:

27

North east area, up until a while ago I would have continued to work when I have gone 65 because I enjoy my work but I may finish early now I think things may go down hill fast…daft rules ect ect.

28

I think some of the companies may drive ODs away because they have forgoten the expense of running a tipper fleet.Over the years owner drivers have give these companies very good service it would be nice to give them a touch of the old union ,sorry I getting my dinner ,no Im going out tonight, sunday rate and a half your ,jestting…broken springs wings and lights ripped off,where do you want it up that hilll round the corner and in that pile of s…no problem,but hurry up Im on bonus .

29

Problem is people take these ‘franchises’ on the promise of being special. Problem is when everyone gets one, everyone is special…and therefore no-one is special at all. :wink:

30

Mugs game.

31

best money i ever earned was working for wimpey minerals in the ninties plenty of work then bought brand new fl10 and was able to run the truck nearly 24/7 we used to get double tarmac rate on sunday and run dust into british steel 7 nights a week untill tarmac bought wimpeys after a while tarmac insisted that all wimpeys drivers (employed by wimpeys) must now by the companies trucks or bugger off as tarmac did nt run company trucks only o/d down hill from there on in.

32

Too true… Looking back I’m just surprised the big concrete and aggregates mobs didn’t start throwing their weight around and squeezing the subbies and franchisees’ margins earlier than they did. The blokes in the game up until the 90s can count themselves real lucky. My old man bought his agitator in the early 80s from a Pioneer subby who was retiring from the game, made a good income for 4 years, then sold it for enough to pay the house mortgage off. No joke, tripled or more his outlay and the truck was 4 years older - people were buying in and paying for the ‘goodwill’ in the business… Mind you those blokes got screwed over when the company a few years later forced the LODs to sell their trucks to the company at the going rate for a 2nd hand truck with no goodwill and employ them as wage earners…

hammer:
Problem is people take these ‘franchises’ on the promise of being special. Problem is when everyone gets one, everyone is special…and therefore no-one is special at all. :wink:

33

judging by the amount of new pimped up globetrotter’s & new scania 8 wheelers in hansons at dagenham it must be paying would’nt having a crack at it they start at 6 there finished by 3 and inbetween u see em all sitting about drinking tea my firm does a bit for hansons there weighbridge staff always how much driving time u got left as they dont want any one who works for em going over there hours. keep meaning to ask a hansons subbie how it all works what u get paid what u gotta lay out to get started etc
every lafarge subbie ive asked just shrugged there shoulder and said they do ok :open_mouth:

34

I’ve heard 6wheelers do well on the asphalt as they get the barrow jobs on footpath/cycletrack jobs. Waiting time could be as profitable as some loads when you think the engine’s off…

35

Muckaway:
I’ve heard 6wheelers do well on the asphalt as they get the barrow jobs on footpath/cycletrack jobs. Waiting time could be as profitable as some loads when you think the engine’s off…

This is partly true, however, the big aggregate firms will try to put things on their 8-leggers wherever possible - even if its only about 4tonnes. Apparently, its ‘environmentally friendly’ to send thing on larger vehicles. :imp:

Sadly, the only way you’ll make any dough on quarry work is to get a big chunk of handlay or waiting time and they are few and far between these days. :frowning:

36

hammer:

Muckaway:
I’ve heard 6wheelers do well on the asphalt as they get the barrow jobs on footpath/cycletrack jobs. Waiting time could be as profitable as some loads when you think the engine’s off…

This is partly true, however, the big aggregate firms will try to put things on their 8-leggers wherever possible - even if its only about 4tonnes. Apparently, its ‘environmentally friendly’ to send thing on larger vehicles. :imp:

Sadly, the only way you’ll make any dough on quarry work is to get a big chunk of handlay or waiting time and they are few and far between these days. :frowning:

The driver I was referring to does a lot into Oxford city where, I suppose it’s easier to send the smallest lorry possible. I can think of a couple of 4 wheelers that are regularly on asphalt around Oxford and Abingdon or any other medieval town…

37

I run a 6w and 2 8ws on franchise and if I didnt have a few of my own customers the 6w would be gone. Hanson charge the smaller customers extra to have a 6w load delivered but do not pass this on to the haulier.
They needed a 6w last Saturday for 2 loads of coated,I couldn’t do it myself as I had a lot of repairs to do. They asked if I would put a driver on and I said Its 20t rate then.Anyway the office ring and ask what the problem is,I asked what the rate was and he told me, I told him what the driver would get and we agreed on the fuel costs,he said you won’t make anything will you,“precisely” I replied so he did agree to give the the extra on this occasion. Most days the 6w uses half of the earnings in fuel,the 8ws are not a lot better,but these are desperate times and in our area there not much else to do.
If I could walk away from it I would,the hassle and rules and regs make the job that hard for such small returns.

38

I’d be interested to know if u get a better rate dependent on the area your in

39

wonder if u get a better rate dependent on area ur in when I work for them we normaly Get a muck away back load on each job I suppose that’s how my bosses make it pay

40

pursy:
Hanson charge the smaller customers extra to have a 6w load delivered but do not pass this on to the haulier.

This ^ = :imp: :imp: :imp: :imp:

What a bunch of utter ■■■■■■■■■ these big firms are. Why does the 6 have to have a premium applied? Its all just crap, stupid rules made up by people who’ve never done the job and who think it looks good on their computers. The quarry firm i work for sent some bod down from head office “what are all these 6-wheelers doing here?” he said. Clearly he’s never seen the roads of rural North Wales. Fact is, sometimes, 8-wheelers just don’t fit but you can’t tell them.

When I’m in a position to do so i will be out. If I could find another (decent) job to go to now I’d be gone.