Yes it’s a hard game to make money in now, if you’re doing lots of miles, then you need a fuel surcharge to keep your operating costs the same, no matter how much fuel goes up, or down.
Or you stay local, put the money in the bank, not the fuel tank…
No
If there’s the slightest glimmer of hope, that an individual can make any money out of running their own truck, surely the reward isn’t substantial enough to bother with it. Not to mention all the hassle and anxiety that you’d endure.
V40LLY:
If there’s the slightest glimmer of hope, that an individual can make any money out of running their own truck, surely the reward isn’t substantial enough to bother with it. Not to mention all the hassle and anxiety that you’d endure.
It depends on the definitions of reward.If it means earning at least as much as an employed driver hopefully a bit more and being able to choose from a better choice of work and being your own boss.Then the ‘reward’ certainly is arguably worth all the downsides.
Carryfast:
V40LLY:
If there’s the slightest glimmer of hope, that an individual can make any money out of running their own truck, surely the reward isn’t substantial enough to bother with it. Not to mention all the hassle and anxiety that you’d endure.It depends on the definitions of reward.If it means earning at least as much as an employed driver hopefully a bit more and being able to choose from a better choice of work and being your own boss.Then the ‘reward’ certainly is arguably worth all the downsides.
I disagree. You should earn a lot more than an employed driver, not ‘a bit more’, for it to seem worthwhile. As for choice of work; you get whatever you offered, start refusing too much and you’re shown the door.
Do you know anyone, who has his own truck, that can afford to live in a big house, drive a shiny new 7 Series BMW and books 4 exotic holidays from out of a Kuoni Brochure, each year?
No, I don’t either.
V40LLY:
Carryfast:
It depends on the definitions of reward.If it means earning at least as much as an employed driver hopefully a bit more and being able to choose from a better choice of work and being your own boss.Then the ‘reward’ certainly is arguably worth all the downsides.I disagree. You should earn a lot more than an employed driver, not ‘a bit more’, for it to seem worthwhile. As for choice of work; you get whatever you offered, start refusing too much and you’re shown the door.
Do you know anyone, who has his own truck, that can afford to live in a big house, drive a shiny new 7 Series BMW and books 4 exotic holidays from out of a Kuoni Brochure, each year?
No, I don’t either.
How could an owner driver ‘be shown the door’ for ‘refusing’ work that wasn’t even tendered for to start with on the basis of either specifically looking to ‘either’ ‘tender for’ local work/distribution etc ‘or’ full load distance for example. 
You seem to have missed the point that working as an owner driver provides that choice unlike being employed directly or indirectly through an agency.Bearing in mind the difference in the contract.
IE the ‘offer’ and ‘acceptance’ or refusal of a ‘load’.
As opposed to the offer and acceptance of services as a ‘driver’ regardless of ‘what’ the employer wants the ‘driver’ to ‘drive’ within legal licence category or where or for that matter even ‘other’ ‘reasonable duties’. 
As for trying to take a banker’s wage out of an owner truck driver job great that’ll work. 
V40LLY:
Do you know anyone, who has his own truck, that can afford to live in a big house, drive a shiny new 7 Series BMW and books 4 exotic holidays from out of a Kuoni Brochure, each year?No, I don’t either.
Maybe not everybody aspires to those things?
I run my own truck, I work when I want to, spend time pursuing my other interests when I want to, if I wanted to earn the maximum amount of money then I wouldn’t have become any type of truck driver.
I like the new user name, “V40LLY” by the way. It doesn’t sound anything like “Rob K” 
Harry Monk:
I like the new user name, “V40LLY” by the way. It doesn’t sound anything like “Rob K”
Don’t know about that Harry, at least Rob used to talk sense.
Where as this guy is fluent in ■■■■■■■■, and an authority in total Crap.
He must have had his wings clipped by the Mods, as he seems to have toned down his obnoxious posts. He has gone from offensive to just plain irritating. 
Been there bought the tee shirt for what its worth , do you want a life outside of road haulage? You will never have the right truck or trailer. You will never be in the right part of the country for that urgent well paying load, and you will always be chasing your money. Me I still miss the trucks but not the job, reasonly I was left 700,000 in a will, I could now buy a truck outright if I was mad.
Carryfast, you really should read instead of type sometimes.
If as an owner driver you are fortunate to pick up direct work from a customer that pays well and most importantly, on time, you do not turn work down for any reason other than you are already doing a job for that customer.
The vast majority of owner drivers are, like Harry, subcontractors for other haulier or shipping lines. Then you do have an element of flexibility, the size of the fleet overall will allow you to take time off as Harry does, or choose to work locally, have nights out, go tramping or whatever you fancy doing, but even then, not all companies are like that, at some places your only choices are to take it or leave it.
When you have a lorry payment to make, insurance, parking, scheduled maintenance and all the other costs incurred in owning a lorry, let alone the variable costs like fuel, you actually have less choices than an employed driver as you have to pay the bills no matter what.
miketdt:
Been there bought the tee shirt for what its worth , do you want a life outside of road haulage? You will never have the right truck or trailer. You will never be in the right part of the country for that urgent well paying load, and you will always be chasing your money. Me I still miss the trucks but not the job, reasonly I was left 700,000 in a will, I could now buy a truck outright if I was mad.
Robroy would probably buy one, if he had your money.
the above is spot on from mikedtd (not the other pleb), I can remember painting my old truck in the colours of the firm I was pulling for as they mentioned it would give me more work over the other subbies.
guess who was the first one stood, yep me. when I mentioned I was the only one and couldn’t go elsewhere due to being in a competitors colours I got tough luck. when I had the cheek to mention it was my truck I basically got told to go and find other work if I didn’t like it. I was lucky and did find other work but to be honest other than the little bit of paper with your name on it you still have no say really.
unless you get your own work direct from someone rather than a subby role with someone else.
newmercman:
Carryfast, you really should read instead of type sometimes.If as an owner driver you are fortunate to pick up direct work from a customer that pays well and most importantly, on time, you do not turn work down for any reason other than you are already doing a job for that customer.
The vast majority of owner drivers are, like Harry, subcontractors for other haulier or shipping lines. Then you do have an element of flexibility, the size of the fleet overall will allow you to take time off as Harry does, or choose to work locally, have nights out, go tramping or whatever you fancy doing, but even then, not all companies are like that, at some places your only choices are to take it or leave it.
When you have a lorry payment to make, insurance, parking, scheduled maintenance and all the other costs incurred in owning a lorry, let alone the variable costs like fuel, you actually have less choices than an employed driver as you have to pay the bills no matter what.
Firstly I’m only going by the type of work that was on offer for owner drivers v employed when I was looking.On that note if I’d have walked into an agency or most other employers looking for full load distance uk/international work they’d have just laughed and showed me the door.While those few that were there applied all the usual pecking order experience and face fits bs.
Whereas the trade press was full of such work for owner drivers with numerous different forwarders and main contractors.In that environment I’d have obviously just picked and chosen my work to suit myself,not limited to any particular work provider,driving the wagon I wanted to drive,where I wanted to drive it.While not bothering to tender for any jobs that didn’t suit.With none of the ‘issues’ applying in the employed driver environment.
As it turned out I was lucky to find 15 years of UK night trunking which was as close as the employed driver route ever got me to where I wanted to be in the job.
Unlike my opportunities ‘would’ have been ‘if’ I’d have been lucky enough to find the required start up cash to start up as an owner driver and thereby able to have taken up any of those numerous ( much ) more well suited job offers.
All of which seems consistent with your comments related to ‘the vast majority’ of owner drivers.Who don’t need to compromise on the type of work that they ‘choose’ to do with far more choice of opportunities being available.That choice certainly not being available to employed drivers.
Really? I don’t think I’m unique in the lorry driving world, but I never did a job I didn’t want to do.
That includes which lorry, what it was carrying and where to, it was fairly simple to achieve as well, I never applied for jobs I didn’t want to do and I did apply for jobs that I did want to do!
As for start up money, I think you’ll find that the harder you work and the more you save, the “luckier” you are.
V40LLY:
miketdt:
Been there bought the tee shirt for what its worth , do you want a life outside of road haulage? You will never have the right truck or trailer. You will never be in the right part of the country for that urgent well paying load, and you will always be chasing your money. Me I still miss the trucks but not the job, reasonly I was left 700,000 in a will, I could now buy a truck outright if I was mad.Robroy would probably buy one, if he had your money.
No chance mate, also been there done that, …not interested.
Not even if I had 7million let alone 700grand.
peirre:
Carryfast:
I got stopped at the start up capital hurdle.Me too … I’d spent to much money on whiskey and whores
don’t get the new whores ,even they get to work a week in hand and go for old whiskey far better 
Carryfast:
newmercman:
Carryfast, you really should read instead of type sometimes.If as an owner driver you are fortunate to pick up direct work from a customer that pays well and most importantly, on time, you do not turn work down for any reason other than you are already doing a job for that customer.
The vast majority of owner drivers are, like Harry, subcontractors for other haulier or shipping lines. Then you do have an element of flexibility, the size of the fleet overall will allow you to take time off as Harry does, or choose to work locally, have nights out, go tramping or whatever you fancy doing, but even then, not all companies are like that, at some places your only choices are to take it or leave it.
When you have a lorry payment to make, insurance, parking, scheduled maintenance and all the other costs incurred in owning a lorry, let alone the variable costs like fuel, you actually have less choices than an employed driver as you have to pay the bills no matter what.
Firstly I’m only going by the type of work that was on offer for owner drivers v employed when I was looking.On that note if I’d have walked into an agency or most other employers looking for full load distance uk/international work they’d have just laughed and showed me the door.While those few that were there applied all the usual pecking order experience and face fits bs.
Whereas the trade press was full of such work for owner drivers with numerous different forwarders and main contractors.In that environment I’d have obviously just picked and chosen my work to suit myself,not limited to any particular work provider,driving the wagon I wanted to drive,where I wanted to drive it.While not bothering to tender for any jobs that didn’t suit.With none of the ‘issues’ applying in the employed driver environment.
As it turned out I was lucky to find 15 years of UK night trunking which was as close as the employed driver route ever got me to where I wanted to be in the job.
Unlike my opportunities ‘would’ have been ‘if’ I’d have been lucky enough to find the required start up cash to start up as an owner driver and thereby able to have taken up any of those numerous ( much ) more well suited job offers.
All of which seems consistent with your comments related to ‘the vast majority’ of owner drivers.Who don’t need to compromise on the type of work that they ‘choose’ to do with far more choice of opportunities being available.That choice certainly not being available to employed drivers.
To this day the trade press is full of various kinds of work the reason it’s there is its pretty ■■■■ and you will struggle to make a living with it.
Like a employed driver an owner driver won’t start with a firm and get all the best work straight away.
You have to work your way up and there will usually be the blue eyed boys who either arse lick or pass a brown envelope to get the cream work.
In most respects an owner driver is no different to a employed driver you have to get out of bed every day wether you like it or not as if you don’t your services will be dispensed with and you have bills to pay and you have someone telling you what to do.
kr79:
To this day the trade press is full of various kinds of work the reason it’s there is its pretty [zb] and you will struggle to make a living with it.
Like a employed driver an owner driver won’t start with a firm and get all the best work straight away.
You have to work your way up and there will usually be the blue eyed boys who either arse lick or pass a brown envelope to get the cream work.
In most respects an owner driver is no different to a employed driver you have to get out of bed every day wether you like it or not as if you don’t your services will be dispensed with and you have bills to pay and you have someone telling you what to do.
Why would an owner driver be limited to working for ‘a firm’.When as I said the usual object is just a case of accepting a load or not that suits from numerous different sources.While I don’t remember any questions or conditions related to all the usual bs pecking order applied in the employed driver environment.It was simply a case of looking for the ‘right’ work,of which there was plenty,and having the correct insurance and operation requirements.IE none of the experience or face fits bollox that plagues the employed driver scene.
Unless you’re saying that all those adverts etc,offering full load international/distance work,were all bs.Which really just meant mostly local multi drop/building deliveries etc.Along exactly the same bs arbitrary face fits and ‘experience’ lines as expected in the employed driver environment. In which case no one with any sense would go to all the aggravation of all the requirements needed to work as an owner driver.
Having said that things ‘might’ have changed to a degree in that regard.Since the East Euro invasion and the shift in long haul container traffic to rail,has possibly wiped out a large proportion of the type of the type of work which I’ve described as being the domain of the owner driver sub contract scene.
In which case yes I can understand an environment now in which too many owner drivers are looking for too little of the ‘right’ work.Which would explain some of your points.Except for,as I said,there’s no way that anyone’s ‘services’ could be ‘dispensed with’ regarding work they haven’t even gone for in the first place and no one with any sense is going to limit themselves to one source of work.
Your not restricted as an owner driver unless under a contract however mist owner drivers especaly doing the kind of work you are talking about will Work mostly if not always for one customer week in week out but like an employee may decide to go elsewhere if another firm pays more or has work that suits better.
If you ring up and ask about work you will invariably promised the earth and be told what you want to hear. Fast payment quick turnaround no multi drop collection etc. The reality can often be quite different though.
Why are we talking about international work? Did we all become Romanian? That game is over now.
I know Carryfast is trying to rewrite history, but it ain’t going to happen. The same as his international trucking career never happened and that’s a good thing for him.
Can you imagine pulling a Carryfast at a border? They’d have the lorry, trailer and load in pieces after 5mins of his arguing black is white…