Mobile HGV Mechanic Starting Up

Hello,

Firstly, I am new here and very much an outsider to the industry so if my terminology seems a bit funny, please bear with.
Secondly, I may not be posting in the right place, but if anyone can direct me somewhere else better suited, please kindly do so.

My partner is looking to setup a mobile HGV mechanic business in the near future/ I am trying to help with whatever research and information I can find, so after 2 solid days of delving into truck servicing, fleet management, R & M contracts, mobile mechanic insurance and accreditation :open_mouth: :confused: I’ve decided to ask some people who’ve got the experience of the industry.

A bit about him: he’s an experienced HGV mechanic without any qualifications or certifications. He has in the past had his own business repairing motorcycles (not UK) and he is generally knowledgeable about pretty much everything with an engine. He currently works for an truck & trailer servicing garage. If there’s any HGV mechanics around who have gone self-employed, your experience would be welcomed. If not, perhaps from the owners / fleet operators perspective, what would be necessary to you when contracting an independent?

More specifically:

  1. What accreditation / certification would be absolutely necessary?

  2. Would an MOT Tester certification offer an additional advantage? Considering it would be a mobile setup?

  3. What type of insurance would be best to cover truck servicing and repair work (on client’s site)?

Many thanks!
Alina

Sorry I can’t type this all over again so some discussion here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=126940&hilit=mobile+mechanic#p1981008

Further somewhat related discussion here:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=130655&p=2054775&hilit=+main+dealer#p2043243

To answer the questions asked:

  1. None. But any possessed will be an advantage although few will ask to see them.
  2. No. Although it does give additional credibility regarding PMIs if already qualified.
  3. Motor Trader’s and Public Liability. It’s not easy to get cover for mobile working. Road risks for 44t is out of this world as is GIT for tools in the van. You will not get cover for accidental damage caused to customers’ vehicles while working on their site. The conditions for the use of heat run to several pages as do the ones related to paint.

Thank you!

I knew there’s a chance for it to be answered somewhere else, but after a couple of days of looking I thought best to ask.

I have read the first thread on “Maintenance costs” and there was some valuable info there. I hadn’t seen the one on “Truck servicing”; excellent insight on each type of service provider. And thank you very much for the additional answers.

As for what you said, the insurance seems to be the biggest obstacle / expense. Somewhere along the lines of £20k just to start off with the van and the insurance. Sigh…

<I had to go and love him, didn’t I? :unamused: :laughing: >

I would avoid at all costs due to the following
1, they want it cheap, they will want you to fit cheap ■■■■■ parts that will fail and it will be your fault
2, they wont want to pay you straight away, a few will not pay you ever!
3, they will want 30 days credit (bigger boys 60 days) incl parts and parts can soon get into serious money
4, you need to have some heavy/expensive/easily nickable kit
5, if you have no diagnostics kit you are on the back foot straight away, the generic diag tools like Texa are just utter carp
6, did I mention 2 :grimacing:

Any half tidy hgv mechanic paperwork or not can earn 750 a week with little hassle and nearer a 1000 if hes keen.

I was going to mention R&M and main dealer technology. You might get a few jobs with Tommy Tipper or Fred Fridge but you will be changing second hand tyres and chasing invoices

Thank you both.

@trickydick Excellent! So hefty initial investment, plus a pain to get the payments after the work is done :neutral_face:

Some clarification on your last point please, if you don’t mind me asking: 750 - 1 000 a week? Errmm… how? Hand-on-heart he is excellent. The clients request him so much so he’s made himself indispensable to the employer. And he works all the God-given hours (up to 70 a week, plus when he’s on call and goes out day & night), but while working for someone else I don’t see how he could make that money. So did you mean this as on the side?

@Wheelnut - yes, R&M’s is how the idea came about. There have been service managers that specifically said they would choose his services if he were properly setup as an independent. Hence why we are looking into it. However, when you put your eggs in one (or a couple) of baskets… they pretty much got you by the eggs. Hence why I am here doing some due diligence here. Also, while they may appreciate the knowledge, talent, resourcefulness, they may still want it done on the cheap with crappy parts and money 60 days later or never.

Dealerships would take independents? Wouldn’t they have their own in-house teams?

You haven’t mentioned how old your boyfriend is, nor if he is fluent in written English (he isn’t doing the enquiring himself), this may have some bearing on the chance of success. It takes many years to build up experience in this game, being good with engines is only a small part of the job, more relevant is diagnostic and electrical ability and the old fashioned skills of repairing the bits that do fail, but which most garages just want to exchange.

Having re read what I and others had to say in both threads I have not altered my opinion that the time to set up as a mobile all makes HGV mechanic has passed, the opportunities lie in specialisation.

If you can find some genuine horse box owners who will spend money then that is a start, but the run of the mill Mrs Snooty will spend the earth on Dobbin, thinks her horsebox is worth a fortune because she paid a fortune for a wreck with a posh body on it, but wants you to find scrap yard parts for it. If only she washed it out properly the urine wouldn’t have seized everything in sight which has led to the argument over the amount of time taken. The ‘Tarmac yer drive guvs’ will run up a bill they won’t pay with every mug in town. This leaves you with the ODs and a quick read through this forum will give an indication of what rates they are working for or propose to work for, and hence how much money they have to spend; if they even have a vehicle that isn’t on R&M.

A read through one of the trade magazines like Professional Motor Mechanic, which are on the counter FOC at your local Motor Factor will give an insight into the gaps in the market. This magazine is aimed at the car and small van sector with articles from diagnostic specialists. The same problem with accurate diagnosis is broadly true for heavies, but since Texa and the like are being criticised the availability of dealer level diagnostics needs to be investigated. Even with that product knowledge is going to be vital, which means specialisation in one or perhaps two brands. To succeed with that requires detailed knowledge, which probably means two, three or more years in a main dealer workshop relevant to the fleets in your area, but keeping an eye on the age of the model range. Starting up S/E just as the new model range appears will be the wrong time.

If however there are two or three small own account 7.5t fleets operating the same brand locally then there is a chance of making a go of it. The insurance for a start will be much cheaper. This leaves trailers, which if one is never taken one on the road can enable a lower insurance rate can be negotiated.

@cav551 Thank you for all your advice.

He is 29. He’s been working in the UK for the past 2 years, on HGVs. He has worked with cars and motorbikes for the past 10. He is fluent in spoken and written English. I am the one enquiring, because I want to help him of course. Research and talking to people is my area of expertise, seeing I work in comms :slight_smile:

You are very right. Experience is necessary and talent can only take you so far. A good understanding of the trade, the market, challenges, opportunities, the ins and outs, the culture, the people etc etc. I know all this, hence why I infiltrated your forum :wink: . To more or less compensate for the years of experience with some solid research. The internet and the magazines can only take you so far and I just wanted to ask some real human beings that have been doing this for a long time.

And to pre-empt your next question which I’ll assume to be “why doesn’t he talk to people himself”, he’s not keen to discuss leaving his employer / setting up a new business face to face with the people he interacts locally on a daily basis. It’s a small circle and not everyone is happy to help, or at least keep quiet.

Once again I am very grateful for all your help.

P.S. Has the snow reached down in Kent yet?

Hello Alina, no snow as yet, it is normally East Kent and the hills which get the most. I could have put the language bit more politely so I apologise. I definitely agree with you about not letting too many people locally know of his impending plans. Apart from saying to register for VAT from the word go and to be aware of the situation the Bath tipper crash fitter got himself into I shall not say any more for the moment; you need to read others’ opinions to get a balanced view.

No worries. That was a valid point and it makes sense to address it. I understand it looks odd that I am asking instead of him. Tbh, haven’t even told him. I just said I’ll investigate a bit. I’ve just gone a bit creative with my methods :smiley: Ultimately, you were quite right. If he had been living & working here since forever, he’d have been more acquainted with the legislation and regulatory stuff. I have nearly 10 years in the UK, but I’m in the cyber security industry - sod all helpful!

Yep, he is young. And he could wait 10 more years to gain the experience and learn the tricks of the trade. But you also lose time, energy and the best years. Or he could weigh his options and see what is feasible and which way to specialise. Another option for example would be an MOT tester qualification. So yes, listening to opinions and seeing what suits best for now.

I’ve quickly googled the Bath tipper truck crash - Yikes! I am biased to say he’s very good and very thorough, but yours is a risky workplace and I know accidents can happen through no fault of your own (such as being rushed to finish a job, or using cheap parts).

Snowing in the West Mids. It is loooovely. Bugger all work done. We’re all staring out of the window and talking weather. Honestly tho’, one little flake pops on the street and the country comes to a standstill; traffic stopping, schools closed, trains cancelled, lorries sliding off the road… :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

Now this is the snow I’ve grown up with (attached).

zapada.jpg

Ive often thought theres a market for an agency fitter, that way he gets to work everywhere and I bet its something the agencies dont offer yet and if they do the guys they send will be muppets.
Also gets his name out there and maybe in the future when he has enough contacts he could go on his own, but the agency way has little risk for him, just needs to bring the basic tools as they arent going to ask him to do much more than servicing/clutches.

As for the wages yes down in Kent 35/40k is pretty much the going rate for shift worker earlies lates week about 40hr week, add on 10hrs o/time at low 20s per hour and theres your 50k

If hes doing 70 hrs and not getting anywheres near that someone taking the pee out of him.

Ive sent you a pm ref money

either I have missed it or I cannot see where you are looking to operate from, or an area such as within the m25, or along the m62 corridor, this could have a bearing on the amount of work available, he could specialise on just trailer repairs, there was always independent vans around the docks of Poole which could pick up work from trucks and trailers.

Alina:
Thank you both.

@trickydick Excellent! So hefty initial investment, plus a pain to get the payments after the work is done :neutral_face:

Some clarification on your last point please, if you don’t mind me asking: 750 - 1 000 a week? Errmm… how? Hand-on-heart he is excellent. The clients request him so much so he’s made himself indispensable to the employer. And he works all the God-given hours (up to 70 a week, plus when he’s on call and goes out day & night), but while working for someone else I don’t see how he could make that money. So did you mean this as on the side?

@Wheelnut - yes, R&M’s is how the idea came about. There have been service managers that specifically said they would choose his services if he were properly setup as an independent. Hence why we are looking into it. However, when you put your eggs in one (or a couple) of baskets… they pretty much got you by the eggs. Hence why I am here doing some due diligence here. Also, while they may appreciate the knowledge, talent, resourcefulness, they may still want it done on the cheap with crappy parts and money 60 days later or never.

Dealerships would take independents? Wouldn’t they have their own in-house teams?

For 70 hours per week your fella should be expecting circa £40k+! He’s being turned over wherever he’s working. Look for another job and sod setting up as a mobile fitter!

A lot of the potential customer base for this type of operation is in terminal decline even owner drivers are mostly on R+M . Someone round my way who had about twenty service vans on the road has got out of the game altogether and another retired and despite going for donkey’s years couldn’t find a buyer for the business once they’d looked over the books.

Own Account Driver:
A lot of the potential customer base for this type of operation is in terminal decline even owner drivers are mostly on R+M . Someone round my way who had about twenty service vans on the road has got out of the game altogether and another retired and despite going for donkey’s years couldn’t find a buyer for the business once they’d looked over the books.

I think shes gone to give hubby a good kicking about not earning enough money :grimacing:

I can’t see him earning much more if he did set up, but he will still be actually working a lot of hours. Not only can you only really book in one job a day, there is so much wasted time that isn’t chargeable, leaving something like as few as 20-30 hours as revenue. You have simply got to get the labour rate right and that is not going to look quite as attractive to the customer as you had hoped. Even if you know the vehicle, if the customer has it off the road he either wants it back for lunchtime or expects everything done for the next morning; both can completely mess with one’s own plans for the day and possibly the next day. Parts delivery vans only come out at scheduled times of the day, however urgent your need you are going to have to wait or go and collect it. That collection is more than likely going to be FOC. Inspection and service sheets have to be filled in, probably on the computer in the evening. To justify time taken on the job the wording on the invoice has to reflect what was actully done. As has been mentioned before manufacturers will not pay their dealers for diagnosis time for warranty jobs. That invoice you are in the process of raising has to be fair to both sides, four hours or quite possibly longer diagnosing an obscure electrical fault you haven’t come across before, and on an unfamiliar model, is going to look excessive when seen in black and white along with actual fault; time is going to have to be written off. You can save some of it, but wording the invoice to reflect the work involved is going to take a lot of thought. Even run of the mill jobs undertaken in the workshop are going to take longer. Cleaning larger parts from a paraffin pot with a brush does not compare favourably with the ability to use a steam cleaner. There is every chance as well that you are going to have to ensure that the customer’s premises are not contaminated with the residue.

Now consider where a very significant proportion of revenue is going. The list of equipment needed and the consumeables required is staggering. All has to go in the van or be kept at home safely. To be versatile even a 3.5 tonne van is too small - it cannot carry the weight: compressor, axle and chassis stands, 3 tonne trolley jack, tool boxes, welder, oxy acetylene, lubricants, umpteen bits of wood; and then there are the consumeables - and more of them - and more still, all needing to be safely stored which means racking and containers - lots of them. That leaves the vice and a means of mounting it so possibly a bench? Before long it looks like a 7.5 tonner is going to be necessary - so where is that being parked overnight?

And I haven’t mentioned the weather yet, you will be working outdoors most of the time.

Indeed and CV_library are full of adverts for companies desperate for HGV mechanics

Where are you based? Tesco RDC at Reading have an almost permanent advert on there and the pay is over 40k plus you get a discount on your shopping :smiley:

Any large dealerships would give him a start, as there’s a desperate need for fitters, also no worries about getting paid, and call outs are on a rota.