how hard is it to set up in buisness yourself.obviuosly you need a cpc and a shed load of cash 
but what else does it involve.?
is it hard to find contracts,are you pushed more to break hours rules to keep the contracts?
is buying you own trailer better then rental?
if you fail to make a alotted delivery time and the delivery is refused do you not get paid?
if you’ve got the cpc what would stop you from gaining the o licence?
just a couple of questions for you guys
jon
jonboy:
how hard is it to set up in buisness yourself.obviuosly you need a cpc and a shed load of cash
A ton of stuff but planning, planning and more planning is very important. Business plans to show the bank for instance.
jonboy:
is it hard to find contracts,are you pushed more to break hours rules to keep the contracts?
Hard to find ones that will pay a decent rate I would say. I’ve never been pushed to break the hours rules by anyone and I would walk away from a contract no matter what it paid before I did that, no rate will ever be good enough to make up for being jailed and losing everything you have because of something has happened while breaking the rules.
jonboy:
is buying you own trailer better then rental?
That would depend on several things, are you going to be doing just one type of work or would you need different trailers for different jobs, if the latter then renting would be better I would say.
jonboy:
if you fail to make a alotted delivery time and the delivery is refused do you not get paid?
I’ve never experienced anything like that so others will be far better qualified to answer that. I guess it would be covered by both your and the shippers trems and conditions.
jonboy:
if you’ve got the cpc what would stop you from gaining the o licence?
Lack of cash, lack of good repute in the eyes of the Traffic Commissioners, lack of a suitable operating centre are just a few reasons that spring to mind.
Ditto to all the above
with the added advice of trying to get on a firm that will pay you weekly as I have done.
at least if they do go ■■■■ up you wont lose so much
I think you would be hard pressed to get anything in writing with regard to a “contract”.
With myself it is a verbal agreement that I will do a load Monday to Friday, and the company I haul for try their utmost to load me the same. I usually miss out a couple of days a year so then it gets booked in for the jobs that have been put on the backburner (cab mounts etc.)
The company I work for do not pay you if you fail a delivery if it is your fault, because of this I will not do the drops that turn you away if you are late, namely one over your booked time.
In the case of a breakdown then a phone call to the RDC usually does the trick.
One drop I definitely will not do is Morrisons as they charge the company I haul for £200 for a failed delivery. A mate of mine couldn’t deliver his load on the day it was booked and he was billed for the £200.
It’s not all bad though, in 8 yrs of “being on my own” I have only had one major upset, and that was when I arrived at Asda Dartford, and the security guard looked at my tickets to book me in and said “ this has got Asda Lutterworth on the delivery notes”.
I had gone in to load for Dartford and the lads started winding me up saying “you are going to Lutterworth tomorrow “ knowing that I do Dartford most days.
My failing was, not checking the delivery notes, but as they put the wrong load on me they paid me to take it to Lutterworth
