Sorry to hear you’ve jacked it all in Mart, you must think I’m not the full ticket wanting to start up. As for the brown envolopes, you normally have to give one to the operator, if you want some good work 
OVLOV JAY:
gram67:
Although i’ve never been an owner driver, from the advice given on here from those have, is it not also important factor in the cost of a replacement vehicle.Regards
KP
I have factored in £100 a week, assuming I could still get 5k trade/export after 3 years, should have nearly 20k for a replacement. After all, in 2014, euro 4 units will be cheap, as the lez changes to euro 5 in 2015
Sounds like you’ve done your homework. From what other owner drivers have advised on here, it’s about being realistic with your costs and not getting confused with gross and net income, which no doubt you appear to appreciate. Best of luck with your venture.
Regards
KP
OVLOV JAY:
Whilst I totally agree with you, I think it’s suicide to have finance as a new start up. As you can see from my original post I’m looking at costs of over £1700 a week on a 48 week projection. I just won’t have the extra £200 a week for finance. . .
Silver_Surfer:
Think the most important thing when you’re starting up is not having big weekly finance payments going out for the wagon.
Finance is not a bad thing - we all need it in some form or other. It’s your ability to understand it, how it’s best used, what the ultimate cost of it is.
It’s also a personal thing - what is best for you is not necessarily what someone else will feel is best for them.
But in all cases, and all businesses, a good concise cash flow forecast will point out the pro’s and con’s of buying a unit outright against financing it, or using that money as working capital.
Stan
Know the right people to get the right work, and you’ll never worry about financials ever again.
Blissy:
I’ve knocked it on the head mate and sold it…derv is far to expensive now to make it pay decent money
so after 27 years I’ve gone on the books for MRCT …must admit I’m looking forward to getting a little brown envelope with a bunch of £ notes sticking out of the corner on Friday…or doesn’t it work that way any more.
Sorry to hear that Martin, but you will look forward to getting a wage, although whether it comes as folding stuff is another question.
Wheel Nut:
Blissy:
I’ve knocked it on the head mate and sold it…derv is far to expensive now to make it pay decent money
so after 27 years I’ve gone on the books for MRCT …must admit I’m looking forward to getting a little brown envelope with a bunch of £ notes sticking out of the corner on Friday…or doesn’t it work that way any more.Sorry to hear that Martin, but you will look forward to getting a wage, although whether it comes as folding stuff is another question.
good pic mate … I been thinking about packing in all year to be honest , I wasn’t prepared to spend 6 or so grand to get the truck LEZ compliant and didn’t want to rack up the finance on another one , the derv price situation won’t get any better IMO so when I got offered a job on MRCT doing exactly the same as what I was doing when I subbed for them I just thought it was the right time to get out…time will tell whether it’s the right decision .
Jay if you don’t have a go you’ll never know mate so if your happy with your costings etc go for it and best of luck if you do , the only advise I would give you is don’t work for anyone if they don’t pay within 30 days…and find out what 30 days means … Does it mean 30 days after your first week or 30 days after your first month coz on the second one you have to run for 2 months and then you’ll get a months money so they always hold a month of your dough…and as for 60 days don’t even go there
Thanks for the input Martin, many people would be bitter in your position, but it sounds like you’ve done the right thing for you. I’m really torn over starting up, like you say, you can’t make good money at the moment, and I think you’re right about the diesel. I’m on a good firm but maritime have saturated it with new drivers, I don’t know why, things started good but we’ve took on nearly 40 drivers in Tilbury since I started in April, so as you can imagine, my wages have taken a nose dive. I’ve got an offer to go back to my previous firm, they didn’t want me to go when I did, and I’ve managed to negotiate a slight pay increase plus I’ll be getting a lorry that I can do what I like to (within reason he said), so I may cool off on the idea. When are this government going to realise they are missing out on so much revenue by stopping people like me starting, and people like Blissy packing in. It baffells me, you have to speculate to accumilate, so why can’t the government give a fuel rebate, maybe more people like me would start up, paying vat, corperation tax, fuel duty etc, which they don’t get from me as a paye, look at the states, they’ve got loads of od’s