Me and a mate are looking to buy a recovery truck, I do hold a C+E licence, and my mate has his O licence wich is needed if we want to do car transportation, now we want to get a truck with twin deck in order to get some decent work from moving cars around…
I was also looking to get some work from the clubs( AA, RAC, etc) but I do not know how they pay or if is worth doing it… I am curently a lorry driver and make about 30k/year but I just had enough of working for someone else, anyway, is there any work out there? We will be based in the Essex area if everything goes well, I am looking for some advice please on how to get work, apart from the small garages or police work which is not easy to get…
without being rude as a 1vehicle outfit you can be 99% sure you wont get any police/highways work. look up the cost of iso9001 and PAS43. and highways sector 17 &17b. AA and RAC work unless youre going to do a recovery and 30miles travel for 30quid they wont touch you. If i was you id stay with the transportation side. look at running a trailer aswell so you can do 3 cars at a time.
Hello Zimbowreker, thank you for your input…
Yes I have been told by AA that I need a proper yard and garag, only then they can send an inspector to check the premise.
Yes I could get a trailer too but still can’t find any info regarding the work… where do I have to go or who should I speak to?
Maybe get in touch with some car dealers around this area.
Other than that?
Sorry don’t know anything about recovery sector, but like any new business you will need to start knocking on doors of local businesses. Try contacting independent garages and similar companies to start building a network of contacts.
I needed a couple of cars moving recently and contacted Shipley, as I didn’t know of anyone locally, and the guy turned-up was a great chap with a 7.5t with a trailer but I paid twice what he would have charged, so I now has his details for next time.
Like any business based around transport the bulk of your work needs to be your own. You can’t rely on other people finding the work for you or sub contracting for others.
As you’re running small I’d say stay localish. Car auctions,Colchester etc. good way in then you’re also in contact with garages you collect from.
Also consider trade plate work especially into London, avoid the charge!
Most of the garages are using the beaver tail brigade which are happy to do a drop for 10-15£ there for I need something reliable, I will be renting a yard for the truck and trailer so that’s another cost, I made some phone calls today to some big car movers… they all said “we are busy and we need subby’s” but they won’t tell how much are they paying/mile so I’m a bit scared really, I don’t wanna quit my job, buy a truck with trailer, rent a yard, insurance, etc… still got bills to pay and family to look after
Thank you all again and any more advice or tips are more than welcomed
Nothing is guaranteed, if it’s too much risk for you don’t do it. I never did as too risk averse dedpite thinking I could have made s go of it.
I’m sure the O/Ds on here will say the same, not for everyone. All the best if you take the plunge.
Alex13:
Thanks for you input guys, really helpfull
Most of the garages are using the beaver tail brigade which are happy to do a drop for 10-15£ there for I need something reliable, I will be renting a yard for the truck and trailer so that’s another cost, I made some phone calls today to some big car movers… they all said “we are busy and we need subby’s” but they won’t tell how much are they paying/mile so I’m a bit scared really, I don’t wanna quit my job, buy a truck with trailer, rent a yard, insurance, etc… still got bills to pay and family to look after
Thank you all again and any more advice or tips are more than welcomed
There is a lot of work out there, getting it is the tricky bit. I’ve been doing this many years, few contracts last for years & just like regular haulage are folks doing runs for stupid low rates.
Ian
Not wishing to sound negative, but… If your on £30k without hassle, the car recovery/transportation industry is nowadays probably less profitabl than it’s ever been. Avoid any of the motoring clubs, like the plague - you will be lucky to see 85p p/mile - don’t subcontract for the larger work providers as they will pay less! Most clubs now work on a turnout (call out) of £25/30 - this includes the first 20 miles free! To get this measly amount you’ll also need PAS43 & ISO 9001 and their contract will state you are not permitted to refuse anything!
Also you will do no work between 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, outside of these times you’ll be busy (weekends/bank holidays/extreme weather & silly O’clock)
A twin deck will be restrictive if you want to move any vans (eg high top transit/sprinters etc), having a trailer will help but can be precarious!
As has been pointed out car transportation can be profitable, but it’s very much an all or nothing scenario - Covered car transport can be profitable, but the vehicles are expensive - so big set up costs.
It is a thankless task and you’ll have to do the most unsociable of hours to earn anything - social life and family will be a thing of the past.
If your heart is set on it and this doesn’t deter you, the very best of luck to you.
A chap I was talking to was doing a similar thing. He was doing light vehicle transport on a 3.5t Movano transporter. The impression I got was that he was struggling really. He was relying on Ebay purchasers and local main dealers from a near by industrial estate. Apparently the biggest problem was prices. If he quoted to collect and deliver, postcode to postcode (and not including mileage from yard to collection point) AND return mileage, he was too expensive! Reading between the lines, I got the impression he was charging for loaded miles only plus a return rate @ 25% of what his mileage rate should have been just to get the job!!
IE, drive empty from yard / Op centre to postcode ABC123 at no charge. Load from ABC123 and drive to postcode XYZ456 and deliver. This leg was charged at his normal charge out rate per mile. Then, after unloading, if he couldn’t find a vehicle to return his way, run back empty to his Op centre / yard at 25% of what his PPM costs are!
He claimed that if he was to charge the full round mileage rate (base - load- tip- return to base empty) at his minimum ppm, he would be to expensive. Apparently, companies like Shipley and U-Ship etc are full of cowboys and bandits who will do the job for pennies one way, run overloaded exceeding the 3.5t weight, deliver on trade plates, etc.
Having said that, 3 years ago I had a Connect van delivered to me from Manchester on the back of a cut down Ford Transit, £120. The chap was then going on to Essex to collect another vehicle to go back to Manchester that night but to be delivered to KENT the next afternoon!! He said that he had been doing it for about 5 years and had just ordered a brand new Ford Transit Chassis cab to have the bed put on and replace the one he was running!
Wessex Paul:
Ian
Not wishing to sound negative, but… If your on £30k without hassle, the car recovery/transportation industry is nowadays probably less profitabl than it’s ever been. Avoid any of the motoring clubs, like the plague - you will be lucky to see 85p p/mile - don’t subcontract for the larger work providers as they will pay less! Most clubs now work on a turnout (call out) of £25/30 - this includes the first 20 miles free! To get this measly amount you’ll also need PAS43 & ISO 9001 and their contract will state you are not permitted to refuse anything!
Also you will do no work between 08:00 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, outside of these times you’ll be busy (weekends/bank holidays/extreme weather & silly O’clock)
A twin deck will be restrictive if you want to move any vans (eg high top transit/sprinters etc), having a trailer will help but can be precarious!
As has been pointed out car transportation can be profitable, but it’s very much an all or nothing scenario - Covered car transport can be profitable, but the vehicles are expensive - so big set up costs.
It is a thankless task and you’ll have to do the most unsociable of hours to earn anything - social life and family will be a thing of the past.
If your heart is set on it and this doesn’t deter you, the very best of luck to you.
Paul
Hello mate, yeah I am a bit worried about the social life and I know that if I start doing work for the big clubs that will be a thing of the past, that’s exactly why I want to quit my job and start something on my own, to have a social life
I guess I’ll have to keep doing research and see what sort of work I can get with a 7.5T truck… I can get a covered truck not a problem, if the work is out there…
Thanks for your reply mate
He said that he had been doing it for about 5 years and had just ordered a brand new Ford Transit Chassis cab to have the bed put on and replace the one he was running!