Is it possible to get your operators licence but not use it? Phoned a company yesterday who helps with the operators licence application the say i need to have a transport manager and accountant pre arranged and that most of them will want paid even if I’m not operating? For example if i got my operators licence approved but don’t put a lorry on the road for 6 months after i need to pay them wages from when my licence gets approved. Is there anything i can do so that you don’t need to pay until i actually put a lorry on the road? Thanks
You could go elsewhere for advise. There is no requirement for an accountant, lots of people do it themselves.
How ou pay the tm. You’re describing one on contract rather than an employee, is up to you and them. May find they will charge all or a proportion until your licence gets vehicles.
You won’t be granted an O-licence without a nominated TM, so you are using their services from the get-go, therefore they will rightly expect to be paid. If an ETM is on your O-licence you’re now one of the four operators they could be working for, so there is a cost to him/her being named on your licence.
You’ll also need your Financial Standing to be granted an O-licence: assuming one vehicle on a Standard National licence, that’s £8,000 you will need to have “available” in one form or another.
You can apply for your Operators licence without having a vehicle and without actually starting work
Accountants… I don’t believe there is a need to have an appointed accountant until you’ve got money coming in.
If you’re serious about wanting an O-licence, there’s a few TM FB groups I use where you could be put in touch with someone in your area.
If you are not in a rush, just do the CPC yourself and become your own TM, that is a cost saved, applying for an O licence is simple, you need money, an operating centre, maintenance facilities, a newspaper advert and a computer to complete the application, you can have an O Licence granted without any vehicles, just add them when you have gone through all the adverts, quotes, offers, that invariably drop through the letterbox as soon as your application is published.
Wheel Nut:
If you are not in a rush, just do the CPC yourself and become your own TM, that is a cost saved,
But, let’s not pretend it’s a walk in the park: you’ll most likely want to do a training course to pass the TM-CPC, which will be anywhere from £700-1000, this will require time (off work to do the course which might mean lost income) and significant effort (bookwork does not suit everybody). And if you don’t pass first time (which is all too common) you’ll need the wherewithal to get back on the horse and subject yourself to that all over again.
It might also be helpful if the op puts where they are.
Ken.
_
Zac_A:
Wheel Nut:
If you are not in a rush, just do the CPC yourself and become your own TM, that is a cost saved,But, let’s not pretend it’s a walk in the park: you’ll most likely want to do a training course to pass the TM-CPC, which will be anywhere from £700-1000, this will require time (off work to do the course which might mean lost income) and significant effort (bookwork does not suit everybody). And if you don’t pass first time (which is all too common) you’ll need the wherewithal to get back on the horse and subject yourself to that all over again.
Maybe so, different people learn stuff at different speeds. I bought a David Lowe book whilst doing a night trunk. I used to read it for an hour or so each day. I booked the exams at a local college and got the certificates through the post several weeks later.
I wouldn’t trust anyone I don’t know with my CPC, and don’t think I would want to trust someone I have never met to run or advise on my business.
I’m not saying it can’t de done via self-study, obviously not because it worked for you, but the TMCPC candidates I frequently see are not as fortunate.
As a general rule of thumb about 50% of candidates fail, but there are different ways of crunching the numbers.
For the benefit of those either working towards their qualification, or seriously thinking about it, here’s some statistics for the recent exams from one cohort I know of, based on (i) counting each separate exam as a pass, and
(ii) viewing it in terms of QAR (qualification achievement rate).
Percentages are rounded up or down to the nearest whole number:
Thirteen candidates took 24 exams (two people sitting just one exam each)
Three people passed both exams at the one sitting (25%) (Go you!)
The two candidates taking just one exam each both passed (8%) proving the value of “if at first you don’t succeed…”
Therefore five of the thirteen can now expect their “piece of brown paper”,
This gives 38.5% QAR for the cohort.
Whoo-hoo! Pop the corks on the champagne!
Of the remaining eight candidates:
Three failed both at the one sitting (25%) and come away from their experience with nothing tangible, only some valuable experience (back to the drawing board guys, you can treat yourselves to a pint of shandy for the fact you even tried)
Five candidates took 10 exams between them, each failed one (21%) and passed one (21%). So in terms of QAR, like Bon Jovi these candidates are “halfway there, livin’ on a prayer” (Reward: a nice cold bottle or two of Stella, but “must try harder next time”)