Hi all
I’m new to this forum and driving Class1 lgv’s only having held my licence for 12 months. I’ve been doing agency work to get the experience
I do want to become an owner operator as soon as possible but don’t know what is required.
From what I have read this forum is full of sound experienced opperators, so I hope you can give me the down to earth pratical advice I need, such as Operators licence, how do I get one and what is the cost through to leasing a vehicle insurances, what costs I should expect to recieve for jobs. Just about everythig really.
Basically is it worth doing my own work or just staying employed somewhere.
Thanks all and your time in replying is very much appreciated
Spider64:
Hi all
I’m new to this forum and driving Class1 lgv’s only having held my licence for 12 months. I’ve been doing agency work to get the experience
I do want to become an owner operator as soon as possible but don’t know what is required.
From what I have read this forum is full of sound experienced opperators, so I hope you can give me the down to earth pratical advice I need, such as Operators licence, how do I get one and what is the cost through to leasing a vehicle insurances, what costs I should expect to recieve for jobs. Just about everythig really.
Basically is it worth doing my own work or just staying employed somewhere.
you can sit your o licence at a college you can do it at night well you can round here,before you go and pay for a decent truck you need to make sure you have got work and good work dont forget you will have to go the first 60 days without pay i think as most companys pay that way unless you are lucky,when buying a truck try and get a fairly new one you dont want to be paying out for repairs in the first few weeks.hope this helps
Thanks all and your time in replying is very much appreciated
A bsolutely don’t do it.
B ad idea.
C rap idea.
D on’t do it.
E ver had a good idea?
F lippin’ bad idea (family forum)
G et over this idea.
H ell mate, you serious?
I wouldn’t do it if I was you.
J oking are you?
K in ell man, buy a dog instead.
L ast thing I would do.
M oney to burn?
N ever in a million years…
O n a scale of 1 to 10 for bad ideas, this is 11.
P essimists are educated optimists.
Q uality of life and truck ownership do not go hand in hand.
R eally poor idea.
S tick with wages.
T ake a long hard look at this idea, then ignore it.
U nder no circumstances do it.
V ery bad idea.
W ouldn’t do it myself.
X pect to be very hard up.
Y ou must be mad.
Z oos are full of animals that are brighter than anyone who buys a truck in today’s economic climate.
I should have left ‘U’ out, because, unfortunately, U are liable to think it’s a good idea.
A bsolutely don’t do it.
B ad idea.
C rap idea.
D on’t do it.
E ver had a good idea?
F lippin’ bad idea (family forum)
G et over this idea.
H ell mate, you serious?
I wouldn’t do it if I was you.
J oking are you?
K in ell man, buy a dog instead.
L ast thing I would do.
M oney to burn?
N ever in a million years…
O n a scale of 1 to 10 for bad ideas, this is 11.
P essimists are educated optimists.
Q uality of life and truck ownership do not go hand in hand.
R eally poor idea.
S tick with wages.
T ake a long hard look at this idea, then ignore it.
U nder no circumstances do it.
V ery bad idea.
W ouldn’t do it myself.
X pect to be very hard up.
Y ou must be mad.
Z oos are full of animals that are brighter than anyone who buys a truck in today’s economic climate.
I should have left ‘U’ out, because, unfortunately, U are liable to think it’s a good idea.
Hi Spider64 I’d say it’s a bad idea, because you have only a very short experience as an LGV driver.
Being constructive, and given I’m fairly sure you already know that many seasoned campaigners have ceased trading, here’s a few of questions to consider:
Do you honestly think you have an idea that hasn’t already occurred to people who are more experienced than yourself
Have you owned/run any kind of a business before
Do you have a sure-fire way of making your customers pay you on time
Have you done any research of your own yet, besides asking on here
Are you aware of all the start-up costs, and have you considered how you’ll finance your venture.
Once you have the basics above, and have formulated a plan, there are a fair number of very knowledgeable people on this site who’d glady discuss your plan and make suggestions. I’ve stopped short of expressing an opinion on whether you’re likely to succeed, because there just isn’t enough info in your original post.
I’d sooner you considered me a spoilsport, than a person who failed to sound an alarm when you asked.
One of my favourite sayings: “it’s not all big wheels and Yorkie bars…”
hanson:
you can sit your o licence at a college you can do it at night well you can round here,before you go and pay for a decent truck you need to make sure you have got work and good work dont forget you will have to go the first 60 days without pay i think as most companys pay that way unless you are lucky,when buying a truck try and get a fairly new one you dont want to be paying out for repairs in the first few weeks.hope this helps
good advice about making sure you’ve got work and the reminder that you won’t get paid for the first 60 ish days, but you can’t sit your O licence at any college - that’s the operators CPC you’re thinking of you get your O licence by applying to your Traffic Commissioner !
hanson:
you can sit your o licence at a college you can do it at night well you can round here,before you go and pay for a decent truck you need to make sure you have got work and good work dont forget you will have to go the first 60 days without pay i think as most companys pay that way unless you are lucky,when buying a truck try and get a fairly new one you dont want to be paying out for repairs in the first few weeks.hope this helps
good advice about making sure you’ve got work and the reminder that you won’t get paid for the first 60 ish days, but you can’t sit your O licence at any college - that’s the operators CPC you’re thinking of you get your O licence by applying to your Traffic Commissioner !
Thanks Hanson, Dieseldave, Denis F, Harry, Repton, Harry and the funny DoYouMeanMe
I think you are right, given that I’ve only been driving 12 months I am better off waiting to get more experience and to develop contacts before making such a commitment. All this is just part of the learning curve and establishing the facts to make an informed decision. There would be nothing worse than taking the plunge and then realising I’ve missed some key elements that could finish me before I’ve started.
I agree with you DieselDave there are some very knowledgeable people on this site, so I intend to be a regular visitor here to tweek out every last bit of advice I can get.
Spider, I started after only 18months of driving and I’ve been ok. However, I don’t do a particularly complicated job to be fair!
However, it has been a real slog at times and you must be committed full-time. I’ve been going nearly three years and still haven’t had a holiday. That is no big deal for me, I’m not fussed with hols but some people insist on one a year.
My advice is make sure there is work available, not just today but on the future also. Check things like insurance and stuff too. Some jobs can be very expensive for insurance and other costs and its worth checking them before you take the plunge.
Oh yeah, and choose your wagon wisely. My advice - no shiny bits, no massive engine. Well-maintained, cheap old clunker beats ■■■■■ extension with big engine and Alcoa’s everytime!!
Good morning i just spent nearly one and half hours covering 30 years and timmed out i,ve also just seen the time. Laugh oh i did laugh. Good luck and good night.
beattun:
theres no need to be dissing alcoas though
Quite right Sir.
Alcoa wheels are a very valuable tool for any driver.
When pulling into a cafe or T/S always be sure to sit as far away as possible from the guys with the highly polished alloys. He will no doubt be on his way home having left Sydney harbour at midnight last night, tipped Turkey and Paris this morning, fought off twelve of the most heavily armed asylum seekers in Calais and will have been Andy McNabs self defence teacher.
Alcoa wheels are a very valuable tool for any driver.
When pulling into a cafe or T/S always be sure to sit as far away as possible from the guys with the highly polished alloys. He will no doubt be on his way home having left Sydney harbour at midnight last night, tipped Turkey and Paris this morning, fought off twelve of the most heavily armed asylum seekers in Calais and will have been Andy McNabs self defence teacher.
then some money to get an O licence and a truck
