I would definitely change my Maintenance contract, it might be worth going to the main dealer and ask them to do your 6 weekly inspections, they will normally do them at a fixed cost. Then write to the nice men at the ministry, and explain to them that you are not entirely happy with your current maintenance agreement, and would like to move tp the main dealer. Which they’ll love. Get your inspections done there, and you’re a free agent to get the other work done wherever you want.
paul b:
never thought about the stockyard shaun, that might be an idea. there are a lot of places up this end that i could use but they’re asking £70/80 a week which is alot of money if i then park the wagon at the steel works! might just have to play it a bit, i.e start parking the wagon at the works and tell the garage i’m doing it for work reasons so i’ll carry on paying for my parking space which is only twenty quid a week and then take the wagon elsewhere for any repairs when i need em until i can find a decent yard to move my o’license to, might try some of the smaller haulage firms who’ve got their own workshop and kill two birds with one stone.
What about Deepcar Haulage in Corus, they seem to have trucks permanently based there, Did Corus sign there licence application?
not as far as i know, in rotherham theres truswells who i work for, able and davis, deepcar are based at stocksbridge along with thorpes who all have wagons and trailers permenently based in the works but as far as i know they all have their own yards as well so i assume their o’license is at those yards, officially.
the trouble with the whole system is, it’s all set up for the big operator with no leeway for the owner driver, i.e i run one wagon, a rigid, (although i have an allocation for a unit and trailer) so why do i need an operating center with off street parking and maintanence facilities? especially when i could legally run that wagon down the road with a paid driver and never return to that center except for maintainence!
i now park in the works which has been a far better setup work wise and just let the garage do my six weekers although i’m still paying twenty quid a week for parking there, so i haven’t gained any thing finacially but it means i’m in the driving seat as far as running the wagons concerned and have the opertunity to take the wagon elsewhere for any major work thats required.
heres the the story, where i park is a commercial garage and also my operators center,now i’ve always had the impression that the owner has took the attitude thats he’s got me by the short n curlies, just little things like putting other peoples repairs before mine when i’ve had the wagon booked,the odd exessive bill and so on. now i’ve recently took on some full time work running steel for which i’ve had to have some work done on the wagon to make it suitable for the work,nothing major just a bit of fabrication, the bills arrived today and it’s just crazy money, in real terms more than the wagons worth 
anyway thats enough of me whinning, the question is whats the situation if i pull out of the yard as regards my o’license? i know to move my operators center is a major variation but if i pull out citing that i don’t consider the garage upto maintaining my vehicle, which is true because i can’t get it in for a six weekly that was due last week even though i’ve asked em everyday, will the ministry give me some leeway to find somewhere else suitable?
i’ve already been offered some secure parking at the steel works which is free but i’d not be able to get an operators center there although it would be dead handy work wise. my intention is to take up the parking from tomorrow and then go up the garage with the bill to have a proper full out with the owner, i just don’t want to burn all my bridges work wise.
any advice on the o’center would be much appreciated.
paul
Don’t envy your position. Have a chat with the nice people at TAO in Leeds, assuming your Op Licence is a North Eastern. Strictly speaking you need to have an Op Cntr specified on your licence before you can park there. Which means advertising etc.
The real problem is the safety inspections. They need to be done on time otherwise you can guarantee a visit from your local Ministry Man followed a short time later by a close encounter with a Traffic Commissioner, not a pleasant experience!!
GOOD LUCK!
You goy’s get it really tight with you O/C’s overthere,I know of a couple of new start O/D’s here in N.Ireland who’ve just been granted their O/C at their own home in the middle of a housing development!!! My O/C was granted in an Agri contractors yard which no HGV’s had been parked at before with no problems at all!!!
Why can’t you get your op centre as the steel works if the parking is free there?
Then you just need a maintainence agreement with someone who can & WILL do the 6 weeklies on time & any other work at an agreed hourly rate.
because i’d need written autherisation from corus steels as they own the land which would be highly unlikely seeing as i don’t work for them directly.
the parkings free because it’s in the trailer park thats set aside for the company i sub off, handy in it’s self but not official parking as far as the traffic office is concerned. having spoken to them yesterday the situation is, i can’t legally operate a vehicle without an autherised o’center, so i’ve got to find somewhere else and then apply for a major variation with all that goes with it!
so the long and the short of it is, i’ve got to stop where i am and argue the toss with the owner as to the maintainence schedule and costs. really the whole thing is a complete nonsence, why you can’t have your home address or office as your o’center and then just show some secure parking for the wagon? i don’t know.
Why dont you give the stockyard a ring see if you can use the truckstop as an o/c,
While you’re at it they may be able to put you onto a garage (as a last resort you could always get a service contract off the trucks manufacturer)
I’d get out of where you are asap in my experience situations like you are in now only get worse.
There must be loads of places you could use as an o/c in sheffield if the new o/c is in the same tc area as the old one I think it’s just a question of filling in forms & advertising (you may even be able to do it online
never thought about the stockyard shaun, that might be an idea. there are a lot of places up this end that i could use but they’re asking £70/80 a week which is alot of money if i then park the wagon at the steel works! might just have to play it a bit, i.e start parking the wagon at the works and tell the garage i’m doing it for work reasons so i’ll carry on paying for my parking space which is only twenty quid a week and then take the wagon elsewhere for any repairs when i need em until i can find a decent yard to move my o’license to, might try some of the smaller haulage firms who’ve got their own workshop and kill two birds with one stone.