Owner Driver - My Experience Setting Up

Hello,

I know this forum is absolutely inundated with posts about ‘start up costs’… ‘where to get work’… ‘which truck is best’ etc etc… I thought I would just give a bit of an overview of my recent experiences starting up on my own… with a 4 full days operating under my belt, I’m clearly a font of knowledge

Obviously, anybody setting up - listen to the seasoned Operators on here not the start-ups like me that are ten a penny, but I’m writing this to show the route I followed as it may help somebody.

So having toyed with the idea for years, and talked myself out of it, and back into it, and been talked out of it by other people, I decided last November to take the plunge.

Living in Lincolnshire, the obvious choice to get up and running was traction work out of Immingham. Plus it’s where all my class 1 experience was gained so I know the work, and it’s plentiful most of the time.

The chicken and egg situation is that potential customers don’t take you seriously unless you’ve applied for an o license and you don’t want the cost of getting an o license without having work lined up… same with a truck, hard to even get quotes for anything from dealers or insurers unless you have the license in progress.

My approach was very much, I’m doing it anyway - so push ahead regardless. I applied for a license and approached dealers about vehicles. The market is through the roof at the moment but I ended up with an Actros, 64 plate with 550,000km on the clock. She’s no show pony but a Scania R450 with equivalent KMs was 48k +VAT where as I paid 24k (still a bit high for the year but you can only work with the market forces at play and your own budget). Buying any truck or car second hand is a gamble, you can only mitigate the risk by looking at the condition and whether it’s been looked after mechanically - I’ve got a 3 month driveline warranty but anything can happen at any point once the warranty expires and it’s on me - go in with your eyes open.

My plan was to try and buy outright and keep my standing costs down should the truck be stood for any reason, or if I lost the love, I could sell the truck and try and recoup some investment and not be tied into a rental / lease agreement for a minimum term.

Insurance was 5k for the truck and £400 for GIT & Liability (including CMR cover for ferry trailers) - again very steep but as a new operator, you just have to swallow it and smile - like the Mrs does (well she used to)

Don’t expect it all to happen overnight. I pushed the button in Nov 21 and did my first paid job on 4 Feb 22.

Picked the truck up from the dealer and immediately got it inspected by my maintenance provider. I found a local independent firm to do my inspections as the labour cost per hour was a third of dealer prices and you seem to get that personal service of going above and beyond to keep the truck on the road (I haven’t tested this yet but know a few firms that use the same place and rave about it).

Anyway, picked up my pride and joy and put her to work - day one, hit a kamikaze pheasant on the M5 and took my driver side wing mirror casing out - gutted. I felt sick all weekend but only £34 + VAT to replace so better than smashing my grill to pieces I suppose. I also felt the anxiety of watching the fuel go down as I was at max weight - never driven so slow in my life . Running a truck has been an aspiration for me for many years - now I’m starting the journey and it’s pretty scary to be honest. The sheer numbers involved seem overwhelming at times but my advice is, if you need to scratch an itch - do it, but be prepared for a lack of cash flow as my current payment terms are 30 days from end of month so I won’t see any money until early April so be prepared for that. You can do invoice factoring if you need to so a finance company will settle up with you weekly and they bill your customer directly, but they do take a small percentage of the invoice amount. This option works for some people but for me, I think it’s just another small bite out of an already small cherry (profit).

Also, apply for a few fuel cards as I learnt this weekend - one card soon gets maxed out (live and learn). I’ve just opted for a pre-paid card so I get the discount but load onto it what I can afford up front.

I won’t bore you all with a regular commentary as it’s been done on here but thought this might help sway somebody who’s on the brink to jump either way their gut tells them to.

Good luck to anybody just setting out - Not sure if other ODs agree but day one for me was like just passing my test again, I’ve never been so nervous or careful - listening to every engine noise and clunk from the auto box as it threw random gears at me at roundabouts (Actros style)!!!

ako444:
Hello,

I know this forum is absolutely inundated with posts about ‘start up costs’… ‘where to get work’… ‘which truck is best’ etc etc… I thought I would just give a bit of an overview of my recent experiences starting up on my own… with a 4 full days operating under my belt, I’m clearly a font of knowledge

Obviously, anybody setting up - listen to the seasoned Operators on here not the start-ups like me that are ten a penny, but I’m writing this to show the route I followed as it may help somebody.

So having toyed with the idea for years, and talked myself out of it, and back into it, and been talked out of it by other people, I decided last November to take the plunge.

Living in Lincolnshire, the obvious choice to get up and running was traction work out of Immingham. Plus it’s where all my class 1 experience was gained so I know the work, and it’s plentiful most of the time.

The chicken and egg situation is that potential customers don’t take you seriously unless you’ve applied for an o license and you don’t want the cost of getting an o license without having work lined up… same with a truck, hard to even get quotes for anything from dealers or insurers unless you have the license in progress.

My approach was very much, I’m doing it anyway - so push ahead regardless. I applied for a license and approached dealers about vehicles. The market is through the roof at the moment but I ended up with an Actros, 64 plate with 550,000km on the clock. She’s no show pony but a Scania R450 with equivalent KMs was 48k +VAT where as I paid 24k (still a bit high for the year but you can only work with the market forces at play and your own budget). Buying any truck or car second hand is a gamble, you can only mitigate the risk by looking at the condition and whether it’s been looked after mechanically - I’ve got a 3 month driveline warranty but anything can happen at any point once the warranty expires and it’s on me - go in with your eyes open.

My plan was to try and buy outright and keep my standing costs down should the truck be stood for any reason, or if I lost the love, I could sell the truck and try and recoup some investment and not be tied into a rental / lease agreement for a minimum term.

Insurance was 5k for the truck and £400 for GIT & Liability (including CMR cover for ferry trailers) - again very steep but as a new operator, you just have to swallow it and smile - like the Mrs does (well she used to)

Don’t expect it all to happen overnight. I pushed the button in Nov 21 and did my first paid job on 4 Feb 22.

Picked the truck up from the dealer and immediately got it inspected by my maintenance provider. I found a local independent firm to do my inspections as the labour cost per hour was a third of dealer prices and you seem to get that personal service of going above and beyond to keep the truck on the road (I haven’t tested this yet but know a few firms that use the same place and rave about it).

Anyway, picked up my pride and joy and put her to work - day one, hit a kamikaze pheasant on the M5 and took my driver side wing mirror casing out - gutted. I felt sick all weekend but only £34 + VAT to replace so better than smashing my grill to pieces I suppose. I also felt the anxiety of watching the fuel go down as I was at max weight - never driven so slow in my life . Running a truck has been an aspiration for me for many years - now I’m starting the journey and it’s pretty scary to be honest. The sheer numbers involved seem overwhelming at times but my advice is, if you need to scratch an itch - do it, but be prepared for a lack of cash flow as my current payment terms are 30 days from end of month so I won’t see any money until early April so be prepared for that. You can do invoice factoring if you need to so a finance company will settle up with you weekly and they bill your customer directly, but they do take a small percentage of the invoice amount. This option works for some people but for me, I think it’s just another small bite out of an already small cherry (profit).

Also, apply for a few fuel cards as I learnt this weekend - one card soon gets maxed out (live and learn). I’ve just opted for a pre-paid card so I get the discount but load onto it what I can afford up front.

I won’t bore you all with a regular commentary as it’s been done on here but thought this might help sway somebody who’s on the brink to jump either way their gut tells them to.

Good luck to anybody just setting out - Not sure if other ODs agree but day one for me was like just passing my test again, I’ve never been so nervous or careful - listening to every engine noise and clunk from the auto box as it threw random gears at me at roundabouts (Actros style)!!!

Did it myself way back in 04/08 and was all posted in the archives on here with a LOT of advice from O/Ds who were regularly on here back then.
Sold up in Feb 08 just as housing/bank crash was happening too!!!

Would I do it again■■?
No NEVER unless the rates around Northern Ireland DOUBLED and even then would have to think about it HARD!!!
Bank account was nicely in the black also when wee bitta finance/insurances etc cleared.

I earn good money now on agency FT nightshift for Tesco PAYE and easy 50hr working week and finish Fri morn to Sun night 100% hassle/stress free and plenty family time.
“On the pigs back” atm.

Best of luck though in your new O/D venture!!!

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Good write up Ako, thanks for posting. I have zero desire to go down that route but back in 2000 (no, not 8pm) I decided to go down that route for various reasons but instead of a lorry I bought a LWB Sprinter and had many happy years thrashing around Europe. I enjoyed it immensely, but would I do it again? Nah, I’ve scratched that particular itch.

If you’re anything like me you’ll find that the more people tell you that you can’t do something the more you dig your heels in and push on anyway. I live by the tenet “I’d rather regret something I have done than something I haven’t “. Apart from castration of course!

And of course there will always be those that say there is no money in transport, but my gaffer seems to do all right out of it, and that is on ferry trailers out of Immingham. If there was no money, why do people do it?

Ken.

Quinny:
And of course there will always be those that say there is no money in transport, but my gaffer seems to do all right out of it, and that is on ferry trailers out of Immingham. If there was no money, why do people do it?

Ken.

Talk on the TV news is to get funding for a second Humber crossing due to major expansion of Immingham and Killingholme. I can see it happening if Hull Grimsby Immingham and Killingholme were given Freeport status

Quinny:
And of course there will always be those that say there is no money in transport, but my gaffer seems to do all right out of it, and that is on ferry trailers out of Immingham. If there was no money, why do people do it?

Ken.

Im not saying its true for your gaffer Quinny, but Ive known plenty over the years who “look” do be doing very well with the very nice cars & rolex watches, but its all financed through “invoice finance”, where they get very positive cash-flow if everything is tickety-boo, but the house of cards can come tumbling down with a bad debt or two in quick succession

Stanley Mitchell:

Quinny:
And of course there will always be those that say there is no money in transport, but my gaffer seems to do all right out of it, and that is on ferry trailers out of Immingham. If there was no money, why do people do it?

Ken.

Im not saying its true for your gaffer Quinny, but Ive known plenty over the years who “look” do be doing very well with the very nice cars & rolex watches, but its all financed through “invoice finance”, where they get very positive cash-flow if everything is tickety-boo, but the house of cards can come tumbling down with a bad debt or two in quick succession

This ,is normally the look at me club fur coat no knickers .

I have just gone back to it as well.

Have been going since early Dec 21. The biggest arse ache is marrying up drivers hours with booking in times and I have had my share of over runs. Really have to go at it though, ideally 6-5-6-5 but its tough. And when you get home there’s all the pods to do.

I use discount invoice financing but find the company a bit ‘toss’ tbh. Had troubles with the unit and trailer, mainly lack of tlc by previous owners. If I can keep going I’ll hopefully be ok, but didn’t help that the TC wants financial standing almost from the word go, which I thought was a bit rich.

Had the same ■■■■ as you with fuel cards. In the end went with NWF. They have been very good unlike UK fuels, Fuel card services (total rs holes) Keyfuels and Certas.

Covid not helped - so stood for a week, I dont want an agency wallah wrecking the unit. It is a tough, tough gigg but at least I can see a way through.

Biggest problem - getting rate increases to cope with the exponential rise in fuel. Would be happy to work with a fuel escalator, but my customers dont seem interested.

A bit like you, 2nd day some Agro pillock at Peterborough hit my truck when I was asleep turning too tight so his trailer took my n/s wing mirrror back off and dented the bumper with the trailer under run. Grrr.

Still must keep going so roll on next Weds when the Covid isolation stops. Just cost me about £1500 in fixed costs. Thanks a bunch China.

Sand Fisher:
A bit like you, 2nd day some Agro pillock at Peterborough hit my truck when I was asleep turning too tight so his trailer took my n/s wing mirrror back off and dented the bumper with the trailer under run. Grrr.

.

My sympathies, had exactly the same but O/S the day before Xmas eve - last tip of the day. I wasn’t asleep I was making a brew on the diesel tank

I did the exact same as you in 2003. Finished up in 2010. Worked my first wagon into the ground, paid it off and bought a brand new on after 2yrs. Worked it to death too with a weekend man to “sweat the asset” as my bank manager told me (it’s taxed and insured 7 days a week after all) but didn’t have the guts or the mojo to punch the button on a new euro5 at the time (most of my work was central London) so sold up, paid off the mortgage and got a job where someone else does the worrying. Wouldn’t change anything I did, learned loads and enjoyed nearly everything about it.
Good luck and stick in

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Really interesting to someone who has always had a vague interest in starting up eventually.

As I’ve mainly only ever driven an Actros’, and therefore actually becoming quite fond of it- in a strange sort of “us against the world” siege mentality i suppose, given its reputation amongst most-but the thought of owning one is terrifying as like you say, the gearbox tries to decide if you should be in 4th or 11th emerging from the roundabout that was clear 8 minutes ago when you began to pull out, but now it’s full of main headlamp beam from an annoyed white van man

Thanks for the supportive comments everyone…. A few weeks in and still going. Desperate for my first invoice to be settled. Luckily had 4K in VAT back so that’s taken a bit of pressure off.

The Actros is going ok…. A few niggles with Adblue faults that everyone knows these trucks are prone to. Dealer has been ok so far in trying to fault find but for some reason it’s sorted itself out over the last week…. Weird!! I’m guessing as the truck was stood for a while maybe something had chrystalised in the system and over time broken free as I’ve gone from using no adblue to using what I would expect to use.

One issue I do have is with the lift axle. When I’m heavy it constantly pumps air trying to level itself and the amber level light is on. When mid lift is up, there’s no issues. Dealer can’t find a fault and have re calibrated. Anybody else had this with the Actros MP4?

Getting plenty of work…… I may be a busy fool currently but I’m getting my feet under the table with the shipping company before I start moaning too much

Its a good honest article, you have learned a lot grasshopper, steer away from invoice financing, / factoring, you will build a rapport with the trailer operator / agent. I scratched my itch in the 80’s / 90’s but got some decent advice along the way, dont use your own trailers when you can use theirs, use their tyres, use their fuel if you can,

a freight forwarder in Hull said this to me and he was fair and honest, “get some fat on your back, cut your costs before they escalate, parking, garage repairs etc. Let the trailer operator pay for your livery cleans,”

best of luck, and keep in touch through the forum

Can’t help with the midlift problem but my previous firm had nothing but adblue issues like you say, although I wasn’t aware it was a Actros’ issue I just thought it was the cheap crap he bought… either way he switched to a premium supplier (brenntag) don’t know how much extra they charged but his trucks were hassle free since. They also advised to keep the tank between 1/4 and 3/4 full wherever possible to minimise risk of crystallisation