what he actually meant was, I am sat playing with my lorries in my bedroom, I have my monopoly money out and have made a fortune. once I have passed puberty I want to drive a lorry.
There’s always plenty of work for owner-drivers, but almost none of it is profitable (which is why i’s on offer in the first place).
Look at all the sad stories of CityLink owner-drivers. Worked their nuts off last December, then were told ‘you won’t get paid’ on Xmas Eve. Left with a sore back and a big fuel bill…
The only way to can make money as an o/d is if you can see a genuine opportunity that everyone else is missing, and work out a way to exploit it cheaply and legally.
I know one guy who set himself up quite nicely…he had earned a good rep as an employed driver with a number of local companies, but none could take him on full-time. So, he got a CPC and an O licence, and used to spot-hire suitable vehicles to meet his clients’ needs. He ran another business, so could afford to dictate the rate on the driving. But that sort of thing is an exception.
the only other way is to take a truck via someone like maritime where they will guarantee the work, once a truck is paid for its easier to make a bit of cash (until it needs replacing!).
war1974:
once a truck is paid for its easier to make a bit of cash (until it needs replacing!).
Realistically any new start needs to be in the situation of very little,if any,finance needed for the truck even at the expense of something older that needs more maintenance and with a bit more fuel consumption.IE a parked up truck while waiting for the next job won’t burn any fuel or wear out its parts and assuming it is a well maintained old one it won’t wear out any faster than an expensive newer one.
But expensive finance repayments will always be there added to what will still need to be a considerable amount kept in reserve for maintenance and which will probably have a lot more potential for depreciation.
On that note it was the start up capital required in going by the former logic, together with the O licence capital reserve requirement,added to fuel costs which stopped me from being an owner driver when it was/is realistically the only way to get out of the employed driver ‘experience’ and other pecking order trap in getting into the type of international work I wanted to do.Having cleared all the CPC,parking and work contacts hurdles. 
war1974:
yes don’t bother.unless you have cpc, money in the bank, work and by work I mean your own contract as subbying is pointless (like working on containers for someone else.) your just taking the hassle and stress to make someone else money.
other than that good luck.
Just another Armchair expert, with nothing but negative opinions about Owner Drivers, As I have said before there is absolutely nothing wrong with going down the owner driver route as long as you do your homework and can really run a business. It really is far more rewarding than driving for somebody else, and yes you can make a good living, but you really do need to know how to work out ALL your costing’s , and do not listen to the plebs that say you cannot run as a subbie that is crap, but that does not mean running at loss making rates. So the important thing is to get all your figures in place and if you are not sure how to work out that side then PM me and I will help where I can. Golden rule number 1 do not take on jobs that do not cover costs. Golden rule number 2, do not listen to the many so called experts who will tell you it does not work ! ,.,.,.
yoyo5:
there is absolutely nothing wrong with going down the owner driver route as long as you do your homework and can really run a business. It really is far more rewarding than driving for somebody else, and yes you can make a good living, but you really do need to know how to work out ALL your costing’s , and do not listen to the plebs that say you cannot run as a subbie that is crap, but that does not mean running at loss making rates. So the important thing is to get all your figures in place and if you are not sure how to work out that side then PM me and I will help where I can. Golden rule number 1 do not take on jobs that do not cover costs. Golden rule number 2, do not listen to the many so called experts who will tell you it does not work ! ,.,.,.
^ This.Unless someone is happy in a job that suits as an employed driver there is probably no substitute for making the jump and taking the risk.
But the downside is that combination,of punitive fuel costs which makes the costing side of the equation,leaving a decent wage after,difficult at best and raising the start up capital needed to satisfy the O licence conditions and avoid even more potential punitive finance re payments on a truck,which is most likely to be the deal breakers.On that basis I found getting the CPC,finding somewhere as an ‘operating centre’ and work the easy bit.In which case rule number 1 is a very fine line between a viable operation and an unviable one,which is basically all about getting a good enough rate to offset the mad fuel costings,when it’s broken down into a mileage rate.Which is very difficult but obviously not impossible.Assuming that the start up capital hurdle can be sorted which is what stopped me more than anything not rule number 1 and definitely not rule number 2. 
I run my own truck, I make a decent enough living at it, I work when I want to work and when I don’t want to I just say “I’m not available next week”. None of this “putting in a request for leave in nine months time providing it’s in November or February” malarkey.
Neither do I have to dress up as a garden gnome or find the agency driver’s ■■■■ bottle in the fridge when I come in on Monday.
Nobody forces me to carry on doing it, I could sell up and go back to being an employed driver any time, I have the choice and I choose to soldier on. 
That did not look like you yesterday on the M 4 Westbound after the Bath exits, a different driver.
I flashed the lights on the helicopter I was flying, looped the loop.I had Noel Edmunda as a passenger, he also said that aint Harry, no yellow polo shirt. 