Hello Everyone.
I keep thinking about doing it, just wondering what is needed to get started, yes i know money and it’s will cost 25-30k to get started but can it be done cheaper, what would be the 1st thing to do ?
Please all, no negative comments 
Wow its certainly Kamikaze season ,never seen so many posts like this .
Find you own work first.
Just a few threads below titled ’ My dream is to own my own truck’ and ‘start up costs’. That’d be a good start.
@PunchyDan - defo something in the water…
Jas-G:
I keep thinking about doing it, just wondering what is needed to get started, yes i know money and it’s will cost 25-30k to get started but can it be done cheaper, what would be the 1st thing to do ?
Very first thing is to get your own Operator’s CPC, otherwise you’ll end up giving somebody else £15,000+ over the course of a five year licence to be your TM.
as others have said the best advice is to read the 2 recent threads on this subject, as almost everything you need to know is in there.
What disappoints me in these type of posts (nothing personal to the OP), is that hardly anybody has done any groundwork into getting customers.
My way would be.
- Getting experience and all driving licences ever needed.
- Doing my CPC
- Get the money for to start a business.
- Take to any dealer, lease company, hire companies, to see the possibilities, cost etc.
- Calculate my cost per mile / day, and know what prices I have to charge.
- Talk to fuel people.
- Look for operating centres and the cost involved.
- Talk to potential customers, try to get a contract that suits you and pays your bill, plus something to live from.
- Consider if it all willl be worth it.
- If you have a positive on th e last answer consider to apply for an operating license.
We use to have our own transport, and my old man always told me not to bother with it, if it didn’t make more money than working for a boss.
Realise a transport company is 24/7, and after a week hard work, there is maintenance, and administration to do.
If you do it for a nice truck, just give your Boss 10k to put all the gimmicks in your new truck, run with it 4 year and you would only have lost 2.5K a year.
There are a few owner drivers who made theirselves a good living and have expanded or just run their 1 truck for a very good income.
These are very rare, and mostimes in specialist work.
Pulling somebodies elses trailer or box never will make you rich (otherwise they would do it theirselves)
Millionaires exist in transport but are very rare.
Most trucks make pennies, and companies make more money from warehousing or added value to jobs (repackaging, fine distribution) and transport is just a service.
Everybody is allowed to dream, but make it a calculated move, any emotional involvement will become very fast a nightmare.
Jas-G:
Hello Everyone.I keep thinking about doing it, just wondering what is needed to get started, yes i know money and it’s will cost 25-30k to get started but can it be done cheaper, what would be the 1st thing to do ?
Please all, no negative comments
No negative comments?
OK. Its a great idea to go owner/driver. Everyone that does it makes a fortune. Easy money. Get a nice truck with a professional dealership to do all the maintenance work. Chose whether to work any day or not. Get a good professional accountant to do all your paperwork so you can keep your weekend breaks free. Nothing wrong with having dreams. Nothing wrong with having ambitions. Nothing wrong with trying to better yourself and pushing forward. But dont close your eyes to the problems or they will ruin all your plans sooner rather than later. You already know why you want to be an O/D, you need to see any/all the problems out there so you stand some chance of avoiding them. Ask people to talk you out of going down the O/D route, and only if you can reply to all the problems they will throw up, will you be ready to attempt it.