My dream is to own my own truck

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
41

Lennoxtown:
I’m NOT suggesting blind optimism, but more of a healthy attitude to what is possible if you actually set your mind to it and make it happen, rather than the usual negative & cynical ‘Why things can’t be done’ attitude us Brits seem to thrive on!

The guy needs helpful advice & encouragement… not a load of griping from bitter people who’ve perhaps tried and failed, or never had the balls to try!

If this chap fancies a go at being an owner driver then why not… or he could spend the rest of his life wondering ‘If only I’d had the balls to attempt it?’

There are plenty owner drivers out there making it work already… and remember Richard Branson knew bugger all about running an airline but it didn’t stop him having a go and massively succeeding

I’m glad we agree but have you read my more recent posts. I’m making exactly that case! I don’t blame the chap for trying, I’m planning on trying myself its just from my research and investigations so far even I can see that the worst possible thing to be looking into is personal or unsecured business loans. At least with a lease if you found out you have the sums wrong you can hand it back, with loans if it goes wrong you lose everything.

As I said above, I hope to do it all with cash in hand, rather than taking credit in any form. Both as a way of keeping down ongoing costs so that the slower weeks are break even rather than loss making and as an insurance policy. If it goes wrong for me at least I can sell the truck to pay off the fuel card!

42

nsmith1180:

Lennoxtown:
I’m NOT suggesting blind optimism, but more of a healthy attitude to what is possible if you actually set your mind to it and make it happen, rather than the usual negative & cynical ‘Why things can’t be done’ attitude us Brits seem to thrive on!

The guy needs helpful advice & encouragement… not a load of griping from bitter people who’ve perhaps tried and failed, or never had the balls to try!

If this chap fancies a go at being an owner driver then why not… or he could spend the rest of his life wondering ‘If only I’d had the balls to attempt it?’

There are plenty owner drivers out there making it work already… and remember Richard Branson knew bugger all about running an airline but it didn’t stop him having a go and massively succeeding

I’m glad we agree but have you read my more recent posts. I’m making exactly that case! I don’t blame the chap for trying, I’m planning on trying myself its just from my research and investigations so far even I can see that the worst possible thing to be looking into is personal or unsecured business loans. At least with a lease if you found out you have the sums wrong you can hand it back, with loans if it goes wrong you lose everything.

As I said above, I hope to do it all with cash in hand, rather than taking credit in any form. Both as a way of keeping down ongoing costs so that the slower weeks are break even rather than loss making and as an insurance policy. If it goes wrong for me at least I can sell the truck to pay off the fuel card!

Yes, that’s a sound idea mate… What you’re doing is managing the risk if it goes ■■■■ up and certainly this other chap should follow your example and lease rather than get in to personal or secured debt that could ruin him

Anyway, good luck to you nsmith1180 and however you manage it, I do hope you both succeed

43

And now we have that settled… Crack on OP, sorry for the thread hijack.

44

dieseldog999:
surely if you are lunatic to want to be a maritime type subby in a ham shanked out premium,have the ability to ignore constant advice and think after a couple of years you could add another truck to the existing “fleet” of a shagged to death premium,then hopefully he can continue to post updates on here so we can all have a good laugh as it all goes into a uphill struggle linked to a downhill financial disaster with the inevitable down the pan bankruptcy…go for it my good man,the world is your lobster.who wants a normal job where you can easily enough clear £6-700 pw with the option of if you get fedup,just jack it and move to a different type of work…get dripped up to your chin,subb yourself blind,and be your own boss.master of all you see.most of which will be reminders for unpaid bills…go for it… :smiley:

There are many-many ex-ND/XPO Premiums out there at 4-6 years old inside the budget I have listed. ND, when I worked for them looked after the trucks very well indeed for a fleet. As used trucks go, they are a safer bet than many others. Buy it well maintained, keep it well maintained and the chances of it continuing to work well are high. If you want an idea of how well older trucks work, just take a look at the Thompsons wagons running out of Devon. Most of em are older than my brother and pulling well even now.

I am not claiming big fleet grandeur but I would like to list a couple of names. Eddie Stobart, Norbert Dentressangle, Conrad Downton, Donald Malcom. You know what links all of these names? They all had an idea, they all gave it a try and they all started with 1 truck.

I also agree completely with your question, who does want, at my age, the prospect of another 30 years of the daily grind for £600 per week. Of course going down that route does give people, particularly you by the looks of it, the chance to run away to another dead end job.

Perhaps I am strange, perhaps I am deluded. I’m trying to do this in the most prepared way possible but, and hear me on this, I would rather fail horribly than know that I am too much of a coward even to try.
[/quote]
seeing as you know nothing about my working life,finances,etc,the once again the phrase…ignorance is bliss…ive driven trucks on and off my entre life nearly always on a self employed basis,trip dosh or otherwise,as well as having up to 65 folk working for me in 1 non haulage company I owned.(ive owned and sold several for great profit). ive also worked despite knowing I could make more easier and with less greif elsewhere,so by all means go for it if you wish,the difference is,that what your suggesting seems to be yet another recipe for disaster.and I don’t see that the masses of normal truckie dudes working and making good wages as being in dead end jobs?..or once again is it only me that has that impression :confused:

45

leylandtrucker1:
forget big wheels , I make more ppm with a 12 tonner, same with a 7.5 and come to think of it a 3.5 tonne dropside, and I have run everything from an ldv to a 44t in uk and european

Shush dont tell them that

46

nsmith1180:

Carryfast:
It might be worth reviewing that fuel cost figure for 3,560 miles on the basis of ? mpg at ? per gallon.

Based on what I actually put in the damned thing at the most recent price from the Fuel Prices thread, thats next weeks UK fuels price of 108.9 inc VAT.

dieseldog999:
surely if you are lunatic to want to be a maritime type subby in a ham shanked out premium,have the ability to ignore constant advice and think after a couple of years you could add another truck to the existing “fleet” of a shagged to death premium,then hopefully he can continue to post updates on here so we can all have a good laugh as it all goes into a uphill struggle linked to a downhill financial disaster with the inevitable down the pan bankruptcy…go for it my good man,the world is your lobster.who wants a normal job where you can easily enough clear £6-700 pw with the option of if you get fedup,just jack it and move to a different type of work…get dripped up to your chin,subb yourself blind,and be your own boss.master of all you see.most of which will be reminders for unpaid bills…go for it… :smiley:

There are many-many ex-ND/XPO Premiums out there at 4-6 years old inside the budget I have listed. ND, when I worked for them looked after the trucks very well indeed for a fleet. As used trucks go, they are a safer bet than many others. Buy it well maintained, keep it well maintained and the chances of it continuing to work well are high. If you want an idea of how well older trucks work, just take a look at the Thompsons wagons running out of Devon. Most of em are older than my brother and pulling well even now.

I am not claiming big fleet grandeur but I would like to list a couple of names. Eddie Stobart, Norbert Dentressangle, Conrad Downton, Donald Malcom. You know what links all of these names? They all had an idea, they all gave it a try and they all started with 1 truck.

I also agree completely with your question, who does want, at my age, the prospect of another 30 years of the daily grind for £600 per week. Of course going down that route does give people, particularly you by the looks of it, the chance to run away to another dead end job.

Perhaps I am strange, perhaps I am deluded. I’m trying to do this thats expensive mines 107.11 next week and im a low user horribly than know that I am too much of a coward even to try.

47

well I am still waiting to hear the most important bit, before any money borrowing, truck buying, cpc, o licence plus the rest of the malarkey…and that is WORK,WORK,WORK, customers, contracts, cos if that’s not sorted first, then as I said previously your doomed before you even start.

48

sure hes going to work for someone 1st…then save up 14k for expenses and then with absolutely no collateral because the bank can see hes been a good boy and saves his wages,there going to fund him for the most red light of all new ventures and lend him enough to buy a 2nd hand flagship premium so he can sub for maritime,i think his main q was…do you need to get backloads or something like that…hes got it all worked out plus the schools go back next week,so mabey this will die a death then. :smiley:

49

dieseldog999:
sure hes going to work for someone 1st…then save up 14k for expenses and then with absolutely no collateral because the bank can see hes been a good boy and saves his wages,there going to fund him for the most red light of all new ventures and lend him enough to buy a 2nd hand flagship premium so he can sub for maritime,i think his main q was…do you need to get backloads or something like that…hes got it all worked out plus the schools go back next week,so mabey this will die a death then. :smiley:

Sorry, was that aimed at me or the OP?

If it was me I can rebut it by saying I never intended to go to a bank for finance. Part of the reason I am waiting as long as I am to go ahead with this is to save up the estimated £33,791.19 its going to take to get me to buy one outright. As for the work, I’m getting accurate numbers on what sort of miles I would do as a Maritime subby. Thats a start. I can then, knowing I have work to make it pay and in possession of the assets I need to do the job, go looking for other work, or if I am earning enough on Maritime, decide if its worth changing.

In true BBC fashion, other container people are available.

50

I ran my own truck for four years and while it suited me at the time, I only ever really earned a wage. I was hoping to get more of my own work but in between applying for my O licence and it being granted, that too went to the eastern Europeans. I did look at the Maritime deal as a back-up plan but I just couldn’t get the numbers to add up.

51

Harry Monk:
I ran my own truck for four years and while it suited me at the time, I only ever really earned a wage. I was hoping to get more of my own work but in between applying for my O licence and it being granted, that too went to the eastern Europeans. I did look at the Maritime deal as a back-up plan but I just couldn’t get the numbers to add up.

I’d guess that being able to ‘earn a wage’ while at least working on the basis that ‘management’ just means nothing more than being given the choice of where something is going and when it needs to be there without trackers or driver facing cameras etc etc,is an upside ?.

While it’s fuel costs as a proportion of revenues which are often the deal breaker at typical subbing rates ?.

52

Harry Monk:
I ran my own truck for four years and while it suited me at the time, I only ever really earned a wage. I was hoping to get more of my own work but in between applying for my O licence and it being granted, that too went to the eastern Europeans. I did look at the Maritime deal as a back-up plan but I just couldn’t get the numbers to add up.

wise words from mr monk,however, in other words…he and anyone like him will be a busy poor man subbing for maritime and the like… its nice to dream till the bills need paid and you want a day off. dont work for maritimes transport office and have to do what they want…buy your own truck,subb from them,and do what they tell you with your own financial noose round your neck…enjoy the freedom of the road as an owner driver maritime subby,:roll:

53

dieseldog999:

Harry Monk:
I ran my own truck for four years and while it suited me at the time, I only ever really earned a wage. I was hoping to get more of my own work but in between applying for my O licence and it being granted, that too went to the eastern Europeans. I did look at the Maritime deal as a back-up plan but I just couldn’t get the numbers to add up.

wise words from mr monk,however, in other words…he and anyone like him will be a busy poor man subbing for maritime and the like… its nice to dream till the bills need paid and you want a day off. dont work for maritimes transport office and have to do what they want…buy your own truck,subb from them,and do what they tell you with your own financial noose round your neck…enjoy the freedom of the road as an owner driver maritime subby,:roll:

Does he want to be ‘a driver who owns his own lorry’ or an ‘owner driver’ there is a big difference

54

BSERIES PAUL:
Does he want to be ‘a driver who owns his own lorry’ or an ‘owner driver’ there is a big difference

I know a man who is an OD, owns one truck but he works thru agency as HGV driver and someone else is driving his truck ! :idea

55

Harry Monk:
I ran my own truck for four years and while it suited me at the time, I only ever really earned a wage. I was hoping to get more of my own work but in between applying for my O licence and it being granted, that too went to the eastern Europeans. I did look at the Maritime deal as a back-up plan but I just couldn’t get the numbers to add up.

Just to give the two guys on this thread who are working the figures so to speak ref becoming an O/D:

What was your average mileage rate running for Gregory etc to “really just earn a wage”■■

I know that you wouldn’t entertain the £1.21mile or whatever the big players in the boxes are paying!!![emoji52]

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56

Big Truck:
Just to give the two guys on this thread who are working the figures so to speak ref becoming an O/D:

What was your average mileage rate running for Gregory etc to “really just earn a wage”■■

I know that you wouldn’t entertain the £1.21mile or whatever the big players in the boxes are paying!!![emoji52]

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Why not entertain the £1.21 the boxes are paying if it covers all the bills and puts a wage in your pocket? That’s what I am looking into now using real world figures.

I’m not saying the Maritime route is the preferred option, but as you can see from further up the topic, I’m trying to play this worst case scenario. If I can find better paying work when I have everything ready to go them I’ll take the better paying work. If I can’t then Maritime/McIntyre/MSC/Goldstar are a backup plan.

Every time this conversation comes up the usual suspects say the usual things. Mr Monk tells us that he tried everything for 4 years and couldn’t make it pay but says nothing else. No indication of what he was trying to run, what sort of work he was trying to run it on etc. I’m sure Harry is giving his honestly held opinion but there is no evidence to back up.

Then all the rest of the naysayers jump in with the standard response of why go to all that risk when you can take £600 week in week out from a major firm. If I or the OP were wired in the “happy clock puncher” way, would we even be considering it?

Both the OP and I are not looking for advice on if we should do it. I think he has pretty much decided it’s being done and I’m gonna make a firm decision once I have enough of my own real world data to form an opinion. What I’m not going to do is launch, or bin it, based on the say so of people who have tried and failed either through their mistakes or through no fault of their own. I’m not going to base my decision on the recommendation of my competition either.

What I am asking for here, along with the OP I’d advice on the actual mechanics of putting a wagon on the road, not the advisability of actually doing it.

Though if I do it and lose my shirt, I’ll let you all say I told you so!

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57

The key to making it work is commitment. Basically its not something you can park at weekends and forget about. It will take over your life and the stress levels can be through the roof. If you’ve got the truck paid for great It means you’ll may be able to run at that lower rate have you not thought about short sea direct it may pay better than working for maritime etc turn around are usually quicker due to boxes being mainly pallets but you will have to get in the back at some drops. Don’t forget to factor trailer rental or purchase in to it

58

Purchase and recon of a 2007ish montracon sliding Skelly is factored into my initial startup cost calculations.

I hadn’t thought of SSD, thanks. I’ll take a look into them.

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59

I find these threads difficult. In one way I’m with Harry, weewullie and dieseldog because I’m old and got all the t-shirts. I’ve seen many people lose a lot of money, one their house and in the early days I was nearly amongst them.

But if I hadn’t given things a whirl, then I wouldn’t be where I am now, two bases, 22 staff. So I say if you want to do it, just be aware that for everyone that is successful, ten weren’t.

Just for clarity, I started with a couple of vans and worked up to trucks. Never did a costing (beyond the broad idea that fuel and wages should equal 50% of costs) or a business plan in my life. 25 years later, still making it up as I go along.

60

nsmith1180:

Big Truck:
Just to give the two guys on this thread who are working the figures so to speak ref becoming an O/D:

What was your average mileage rate running for Gregory etc to “really just earn a wage”■■

I know that you wouldn’t entertain the £1.21mile or whatever the big players in the boxes are paying!!![emoji52]

Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

Why not entertain the £1.21 the boxes are paying if it covers all the bills and puts a wage in your pocket? That’s what I am looking into now using real world figures.

I’m not saying the Maritime route is the preferred option, but as you can see from further up the topic, I’m trying to play this worst case scenario. If I can find better paying work when I have everything ready to go them I’ll take the better paying work. If I can’t then Maritime/McIntyre/MSC/Goldstar are a backup plan.

Every time this conversation comes up the usual suspects say the usual things. Mr Monk tells us that he tried everything for 4 years and couldn’t make it pay but says nothing else. No indication of what he was trying to run, what sort of work he was trying to run it on etc. I’m sure Harry is giving his honestly held opinion but there is no evidence to back up.

Then all the rest of the naysayers jump in with the standard response of why go to all that risk when you can take £600 week in week out from a major firm. If I or the OP were wired in the “happy clock puncher” way, would we even be considering it?

Both the OP and I are not looking for advice on if we should do it. I think he has pretty much decided it’s being done and I’m gonna make a firm decision once I have enough of my own real world data to form an opinion. What I’m not going to do is launch, or bin it, based on the say so of people who have tried and failed either through their mistakes or through no fault of their own. I’m not going to base my decision on the recommendation of my competition either.

What I am asking for here, along with the OP I’d advice on the actual mechanics of putting a wagon on the road, not the advisability of actually doing it.

Though if I do it and lose my shirt, I’ll let you all say I told you so!

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You need to look back on the O/D forum as Harry Monk has said many times what truck he ran, who he subbed to and what his operating figures were!!!

As for me I joined Trucknet Nov 03 ( time flies!!!) and got a good pile of info on here.
Did Nat/Internat CPC and put artic tipper on road Oct 04,
(1st fill of 700L derv 54ppl ex Vat in Eire!!!)
sold up just before housing crash Feb 08.
Best single day was in Aug 05 and grossed £1600 on the tarmac 4am til 9pm (2drivers) that month truck worked every day on tarmac (NOT double shifted) and she grossed £13k!!![emoji41]

I worked out over those four and a bit yrs truck averages £1.70mile and derv cost 75ppl at its worst.
Fair enough I wasn’t doing “mega” 2500miles/week nor ANY nights out.
Had bought 01 Foden then 04 Premium plus 04 KelBerg T99 trailer so finance was less than £500/month.

Made money ok but not enough to justify the hassle and the messing about over the weekends.

£1.21mile and the price of derv in 2016 wish you the best of luck
BUT,
your on a hiding to nowhere!!![emoji52]

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