Moving my own house contents from Southern Spain back to UK

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS EURO DRIVING FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hello all, first time poster here
i am thinking of moving the contents of my house from Spain to the UK early next year
and i had the thought to buy a Truck, say between 7500kgs to 13,000kgs ((probably my choice))
then sell it on when i am all done with it

Some questions:

  1. i am correct i do not need an Operator’s licence ?

  2. I can tax the truck as a private HGV, correct?

  3. do i need to run on a tacho ?

  4. i dont have a CPC and i have been told i dont need it. ?

  5. is there any form of Euro/UK breakdown insurance available from anyone?

I have CE licence and i have sorted out the insurance for when the time comes.

looking at trucks, looking at some like up to 10 years old ( in the 13,000kgs bracket)

any ones i should avoid?

Example : are DAF 55’s any good?
i assume Merc’s & MAN are but they will cost (a lot) more i guess

Thanks in advance
Dave

2

Buy a truck where? Spain? Or are you saying buy a UK truck and run down empty?
You`ll need to look at Spanish law regarding O-licence etc if it’s Sp registered. And what’s the market for selling Spanish trucks in the UK?
Buy a UK truck and run down? An older foreign registered truck will attract lots of attention from the cops and customs.

3

Yes, should have made that clear

my thinking was to buy a truck in the UK and run down empty

truck will be a 08, 09 or a 10 plate im thinking

not really worried about cops & customs , it all my household stuff, nothing that they would be interested in

4

BTC_Dave:
Yes, should have made that clear

my thinking was to buy a truck in the UK and run down empty

truck will be a 08, 09 or a 10 plate im thinking

not really worried about cops & customs , it all my household stuff, nothing that they would be interested in

My point is the cops/custom will be very interested in a private owned truck coming from south Spain back to the UK. You may be squeaky clean yourself, but you will be ticking a lot of their boxes.
They will ask for your tacho card and international permits. If you have none it’s up to you, at the roadside, to convince them that you don’t need them if you wanna continue.
I`m not commenting at all about legalities, just saying you’re likely to get to meet lots of new people !

5

ok, so you are saying that

a) i need to go on the tacho ( i can do that)
and
b) i need International permits ? ( to move my own household effects ?)

6

I don’t know your circumstances but if you just want to bring your stuff back to the UK from Spain there are plenty of “man and van” operators or even recognised hauliers who could do it for you.Check out websites of Euro Weekly News,Round Town News or Costa Blanca News.I recall one van company who did one-way van rentals based(I think)in Southampton area.

7

Yes i am aware that there are “man & vans” all over the place in Spain, as well as dedicated Removals companies…
But
its just that i fancied doing it myself

i have about 30-odd cubic meters or thereabouts to move and one 13 tonne truck with a 27 to 29ft box will fit everything in
plus, i like driving
i drove all our stuff down here originally, although it took a few trips in the Merc Sprinter i had at that time

8

BTC_Dave:
ok, so you are saying that

a) i need to go on the tacho ( i can do that)
and
b) i need International permits ? ( to move my own household effects ?)

Im saying you'll be asked for all of the normal documents involved in a commercial operation. Its then up to you to explain why you don’t have them.

9

Can’t believe this, what seems to be, utter BS.

You are willing to buy a wagon to transport your belongings back to the UK, just because you want to drive it yourself. :unamused: :unamused: :unamused:
You are prepared to probably lose money on the re-sale of said vehicle, IF you can resell it that is. :laughing: :laughing:

You want to run one way empty in a hired truck, if you can get a hire company to let you have one of course! Hope you’ve worked out all the costs, hire of said vehicle, insurance, fuel, ferry crossings, etc. etc.

You’re willing to be harassed by the authorities in 3, yes three, different countries !! BOTH ways.

That is one hell of an ego trip !!! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :unamused: :laughing: :laughing:

And edited to add :

You must also have some wad of cash to do it your way, in which case, I would just ring up a reputable removal firm, there are loads that do UK/Spain, UK/France, Spain/UK and of course France/UK. They have all the know-how on what has to be done, what paperwork needed for customs, regulated vehicle, driver and a crew at both ends to handle your worldly goods and you can then drive up to Bilbao/San Sebastian and get on Brittany Ferries and take a leisurely cruise to Portsmouth.

10

pierrot 14:
Can’t believe this, what seems to be, utter BS.

You are willing to buy a wagon to transport your belongings back to the UK, just because you want to drive it yourself. :unamused: :unamused: :unamused:
You are prepared to probably lose money on the re-sale of said vehicle, IF you can resell it that is. :laughing: :laughing:

You want to run one way empty in a hired truck, if you can get a hire company to let you have one of course! Hope you’ve worked out all the costs, hire of said vehicle, insurance, fuel, ferry crossings, etc. etc.

You’re willing to be harassed by the authorities in 3, yes three, different countries !! BOTH ways.

That is one hell of an ego trip !!! :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :unamused: :laughing: :laughing:

And edited to add :

You must also have some wad of cash to do it your way, in which case, I would just ring up a reputable removal firm, there are loads that do UK/Spain, UK/France, Spain/UK and of course France/UK. They have all the know-how on what has to be done, what paperwork needed for customs, regulated vehicle, driver and a crew at both ends to handle your worldly goods and you can then drive up to Bilbao/San Sebastian and get on Brittany Ferries and take a leisurely cruise to Portsmouth.

Ok,lets deal with your “points”

Yes, i want to drive myself if it’s possible , whats wrong with that?
i have done the trip down here & back many times in cars & vans these past 8 years…
never had any issues with customs etc coming into/out of Spain or France, there is no customs forms to fill in with your own goods ( this is not commercial haulage)

re “You’re willing to be harassed by the authorities in 3, yes three, different countries !! BOTH ways.” = that maybe your experience, but not mine

yes i could /still may do, ring up a reputable firm to move us if this doesnt work out

quotes i’ve had so far range upto 5000 euros (& i can by a truck for that) to move us back to the UK , hmmmm i thought

Can’t get get a hire co to rent me a truck of 13,000kgs, they all want ( for their own protection) evidence of an O licence, which i dont have or need
Yes., its possible to hire a 7500kgs one though ( which is still an option i’m considering)

yes i agree a 13000kgs truck maybe difficult to to move on in the short term, might have to loose a £1000 on it, but less so a 7500kg one, they are easier to sell on

always have driven the full route from Calais to Malaga and vice versa, not going to use or even considering the Bilbao/San Sebastian route, spend 24 hours on a ferry? why?

and yes, i can afford what i,m planning , which ever way i decide to go

11

Get a copy of cm,truck trader or eBay for a truck, with massive tanks, fill up in Gibraltar for home journey, basically crack on, your the boss. Climb the authority ladders when they are presented to you.

You have a can do attitude, it’s what this industry is now missing, in the older days, man ask firm can you take this load to there, firms would say yes, then worry afterwards, now they worry first.

12

biggriffin:
Get a copy of cm,truck trader or eBay for a truck, with massive tanks, fill up in Gibraltar for home journey, basically crack on, your the boss. Climb the authority ladders when they are presented to you.

You have a can do attitude, it’s what this industry is now missing, in the older days, man ask firm can you take this load to there, firms would say yes, then worry afterwards, now they worry first.

You make a fair point about “can do attitudes”, but ten or twenty years back, any problems were sorted with a few thousand pesatas or a couple of hundreds francs. Every control is now out to make a profit. Anything out of the ordinary is gonna invite interest. And you’ve gotta agree any fines now are eye watering.
With a good paper trail showing ownership of vehicle and the goods, there may be no problems, but going in under prepared is asking for hassle.

13

biggriffin:
Get a copy of cm,truck trader or eBay for a truck, with massive tanks, fill up in Gibraltar for home journey, basically crack on, your the boss. Climb the authority ladders when they are presented to you.

You have a can do attitude, it’s what this industry is now missing, in the older days, man ask firm can you take this load to there, firms would say yes, then worry afterwards, now they worry first.

Thanks for that, and yes i do have a can do attitude

i am now more leaning towards a 7500kg Box truck, might be less hassle , and much easier to sell on
some with with a 7m back can hold 40 cubic meters , although most are 6m in the back and they hold 34.5 cubic meters
and although they can carry only 3000kgs. Weight wise, that should suffice . its the space i need not so much the weight capacity

trying to find Euro breakdown cover for anything over 3500kgs is proving a challenge

14

wouldn’t a 20ft container be better. door to door delivery.

15

Legally over 7.5t you must have tacho & use it properly & calibrated etc even for private use you have to comply with EU driver hrs.

So for an 7.5 the above doesn’t apply, you’d be daft not to run to tacho regs abroad however, saves a lot of grief in a foreign land.

The biggest prob is is stopped abroad proving the stuff is yours. How can they know it is & you are not just a cowboy removal firm that doesn’t think that it needs to comply with the regs ref CMR paperwork, driver cpc, O licence on truck, a full log of driver hours etc etc.

16
  1. i am correct i do not need an Operator’s licence ? - Correct, although be prepared to prove that the goods are yours
  2. I can tax the truck as a private HGV, correct? - Correct, see point 1
  3. do i need to run on a tacho ? - Upto 7500kg no, see point 1 (although safer to use abroad anyway) above 7500kg yes.
  4. i dont have a CPC and i have been told i dont need it. ? - Correct, see point 1
  5. is there any form of Euro/UK breakdown insurance available from anyone? - Not that I am aware of without taking out a full R&M contract which is likely to be expensive on a older vehicle.

I would strongly advise hiring a 7.5 tonner. That way it will come with breakdown cover and you don’t have the hassle and expense of fixing any problems and trying to sell it on again afterwards. A hired vehicle will also look more legitimate if stopped by authorities than having your own vehicle that you have apparently purchased just for that trip…

17

iguana:
Legally over 7.5t you must have tacho & use it properly & calibrated etc even for private use you have to comply with EU driver hrs.

So for an 7.5 the above doesn’t apply, you’d be daft not to run to tacho regs abroad however, saves a lot of grief in a foreign land.

The biggest prob is is stopped abroad proving the stuff is yours. How can they know it is & you are not just a cowboy removal firm that doesn’t think that it needs to comply with the regs ref CMR paperwork, driver cpc, O licence on truck, a full log of driver hours etc etc.

Yes i think going over a 7.5t is a no no. Actually one of the main issues would be time required to sell the truck on…not easy i suspect

And i agree that even though i dont need to run on the tacho, its safer to do so, Esp in France & Spain

Proving the stuff is mine is the easy part , i can photograph / video loading the stuff from my house here is Spain . i will also have loads of documents/receipts on board for things purchased etc over the years with our names on it.

18

whelmic:

  1. i am correct i do not need an Operator’s licence ? - Correct, although be prepared to prove that the goods are yours
  2. I can tax the truck as a private HGV, correct? - Correct, see point 1
  3. do i need to run on a tacho ? - Upto 7500kg no, see point 1 (although safer to use abroad anyway) above 7500kg yes.
  4. i dont have a CPC and i have been told i dont need it. ? - Correct, see point 1
  5. is there any form of Euro/UK breakdown insurance available from anyone? - Not that I am aware of without taking out a full R&M contract which is likely to be expensive on a older vehicle.

I would strongly advise hiring a 7.5 tonner. That way it will come with breakdown cover and you don’t have the hassle and expense of fixing any problems and trying to sell it on again afterwards. A hired vehicle will also look more legitimate if stopped by authorities than having your own vehicle that you have apparently purchased just for that trip…

i have also looked into getting quotes to have it all moved for me , £5,000 and up is the prices i’ve been receiving ( & thats with us doing the packing) + ins + “extras” ( that you actually need)
ok, so they load and unload each end
but i have friends at both ends, who if i did the move myself, would help

i can buy a truck for £5,000 and i would expect to get most ( if not all, if i buy it right ) of that price back when sold

I have found a company who can provide breakdown cover for UK & Euroland breakdown cover for £600 and thats for a year . only upto 7500kgs though

not many companies hire 7500 kgs truck that you can take abroad. i have only found 2

the cost of hire for the time period that would be required & with “European insurance & emergency cover” is £1500 , there would be mileage add-on charges on top of that because i will exceed their included mileage allowance plus an extra £280 if i wanted to “Reduce CDW excess from £2000 to £500”

19

30cbm in a 7.5 ton might well fit but will be overweight. Get caught overweight in Spain and the fine can be between 3-4k Euros &.5 tonners can only really carry 2 ton, less if it has a sleeper.

If you’re in Malaga area, contact St Georges who are based in Coin. They run artics on a weekly basis back to the UK. They can do as much or as little as you want but it will be done professionally. Getting a professional removal company to do the job won’t be cheap but will be the cheaper option than doing it yourself.

20

Far better to get a company to do the removal rather than you wanting to drive a "big truck " (Tonka), look in Olive Press, EuroWeekly news, Costa del Sol news, loads advertising there, or do as we did, sell the house furnished.