Just need advice on business plans. In the process of setting up as an O/D and just need to finalise my costs and sort a business plan for the man at the bank.
Any good websites with business plan info specific to transport■■?
Also anyone on here pulling for taygroup■■?
On the surface seems ok. 7 day payment, trailers, fuel. won’t commit to any guranteed rates / work tho just says it all depends on how hard you want to work.
Cheers
Jordi:
Just need advice on business plans. In the process of setting up as an O/D and just need to finalise my costs and sort a business plan for the man at the bank.Any good websites with business plan info specific to transport■■?
Also anyone on here pulling for taygroup■■?
On the surface seems ok. 7 day payment, trailers, fuel. won’t commit to any guranteed rates / work tho just says it all depends on how hard you want to work.
Read : Says it depends on how bent you want to run, and we’ll expect that of you anyway as we expect you’ll want to earn more than £1100 per week.
Well aren’t they just the shiniest pearls of wisdom I’ve ever read.
And no I won’t be running bent, and I’ll be pleased to turn over 1100 a week, never mind make it. So long as there is some form of profit to be made.
Unlike some day dreamers I do know what it costs to run a vehicle and what a reasonable rate is.
I came here looking for a little bit of proffessional advise, obviously I’m asking the wrong professionals with responses like that.
Jordi:
I’ll be pleased to turn over 1100 a week. So long as there is some form of profit to be made.
Unlike some day dreamers I do know what it costs to run a vehicle and what a reasonable rate is.
Is this a wind-up? 
You’ll be pleased to turn over £1100 per week?!!! What are you driving? A van? You’ll need £1500 per week at least to make any sort of profit running an artic.
With your business plan I think that McBurney’s in Liverpool would be very suitable for you : 85ppm.
Jordi, what have you driven,and where, What type
of money do you wish to earn , the best earner is direct
ie you getting your own work that is from some one who will
pay when you present your completed freight-notes,WHEN
useing or working for some one else they will deduct
their 20-30% before telling you the rate and then for early
payment they will take another3-7% FROM THE RATE
also when useing their trailers you will pay rent;;,be penalised
when you do not achieve the prescribed delivery time and so on
IF you have been working for some one as driver for some time
speak to them perhaps they will be give you some loads ,
what type of CPC have you got and whats wrong with long distance
afield over the channel, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT the sites here
for owner drivers and go back a long time ,The majority of O/D,s
lose out when they work for some one who DOES NOT PAY
this is very important,I do not know how it works in the UK
but try and get a credit check done and also look at who
works for them and ask how they are with certain points,
AS it has been pointed out even the big boys fall foul of
these firms and they ONLY SURVIVE
BECAUSE THEY HAVE RESERVES OF CASH IN THE BANK
I wouldn’t advise pulling for taygroup as I have done in the past. Some people on there do £3k per week , which at the rates paid seems very unachievable. They won’t mind you running legal but you won’t earn much. As Rob mentioned £1500 per week is the bare minimum to scrape by. You need to be doing £2000 plus for it to make a living and two and a half for it to be worth it. The only way to make decent money is by double shifting the unit, the unit isn’t earning if someone is sleeping in it.
Basically mate I wouldn’t advise pulling for anyone that advertises in trucking magazines for owner drivers and the usual suspects people pull for when they first get into owner driving like you have mentioned.
My biggest piece of advice is that it’s all about who you know. Unless you have an angle/specialist niche market trailer type/training/way in to the business via a contact who is going to sort you good work/are direct for a customer (customer being the people taygroup et all pull for) I just honestly wouldn’t bother.
If you’ve been working for a transport company for 10 years and get on with them like family and they say they will give you a start with good quality work and decent rates then crack on.
If you do start, insure your debts against non payment or you may well finish before you realise it’s not worth it. If you are getting less than £1.20 per mile it’s time to have a re-think, you should be doing upwards of £1.40 per mile average for it to be worth the bother and between £1.50 and £2 a mile to enable yourself to say you made the right decision.
Last but not least is the real twist: If you can make a go of it and with a bit of luck become the small majority of O/D’s who are succesful it is a great feeling BUT I and the others who seem to be doing alright could be bankrupt this time next year…
Totally agree with both comments from Rob K & silver surfer , I 've been there, thought i could do it, Lost every thing and i mean every thing. There are people out there just waiting for new o/d 's rubbing their grubby little hands together, thinking easy money. I earn more money now ,home every night and no weekend work than i ever earnt as a o/d. My personal advice is dont waste your money or your time. But hindsight is a wonderful gift !!!, but no doubt you will receive that gift from your insolvency firm when you use them. GOOD LUCK
given up trying to give any advice as theres so many who know far more than me, even about my own business!
basically from what i can make out you’ve either got to be extremely “lucky” (even then it won’t last and you’ll end up potless) know someone who’ll happily pay you more than the going rate because your a pal or earn at least 2.5k a week no matter how much fuel your using or what your standing costs are:?
oh, and don’t forget it’s obligatory that you spend all day saturday and sunday laid under your wagon weather theres owt wrong with it or not.
apparently it in the contract.
My advice to you would be to listen to the advice you get on here.There are some very experienced people who know what thet’re talking about.You’ve asked the question (and amongst other things it’s what we’re here for) make sure you listen to the answers…
please tell me that was said tongue in cheek?
That’s my basic advice, after doing it for 3 years, going from one unit to five in the past year and well on the way to turning over a million pounds in the next twelve months. Some people would be happy turning over and getting less than that mentioned in the previous post but I wouldn’t advise people to take the risk for the return.
Even with very low standing/fuel costs (how many new starts have this?), you would still be wanting to do between 2 and 2 and a half a week to show a clear distinction between taking an employed wage and putting up with the pitfalls of being an O/D without going into the details or boring bits of amongst others: if you buy a foden/erf for a monkey and do the maintenance yourself and put bio deisel in it and have no breakdowns or blowouts… and if they bother paying you.
If you want a more detailed breakdown of your costs/detailed advice and the minimum turnover other people would suggest, look at previous posts for a different view.
paul b:
oh, and don’t forget it’s obligatory that you spend all day saturday and sunday laid under your wagon weather theres owt wrong with it or not.
apparently it in the contract.
I like your style Paul. But your mate Throb K will not be happy with the level of sarcasm in the above quote. I too lay under my trucks at weekends and find it an ideal time to consume the vast amout of Mars Bars I seem to accumulate 
Silver_Surfer:
That’s my basic advice, after doing it for 3 years, going from one unit to five in the past year and well on the way to turning over a million pounds in the next twelve months. Some people would be happy turning over and getting less than that mentioned in the previous post but I wouldn’t advise people to take the risk for the return.Even with very low standing/fuel costs (how many new starts have this?), you would still be wanting to do between 2 and 2 and a half a week to show a clear distinction between taking an employed wage and putting up with the pitfalls of being an O/D without going into the details or boring bits of amongst others: if you buy a foden/erf for a monkey and do the maintenance yourself and put bio deisel in it and have no breakdowns or blowouts… and if they bother paying you.
If you want a more detailed breakdown of your costs/detailed advice and the minimum turnover other people would suggest, look at previous posts for a different view.
i’d have really liked to have got into a conversation on what you’ve posted as i have the opportunity to do something similar at the moment but it would be a waste of time, within twenty minutes we’d have half a dozen “experts” telling me it was a nonstarter and how i’d end up bankrupt inside a year because of spiralling fuel costs, ridiculously low mileage rates and talking about confectionery:?
i appreciate your trying to give this bloke some good advice but as a serious forum this place was finished months ago.
topcat:
Totally agree with both comments from Rob K & silver surfer , I 've been there, thought i could do it, Lost every thing and i mean every thing. There are people out there just waiting for new o/d 's rubbing their grubby little hands together, thinking easy money. I earn more money now ,home every night and no weekend work than i ever earnt as a o/d. My personal advice is dont waste your money or your time. But hindsight is a wonderful gift !!!, but no doubt you will receive that gift from your insolvency firm when you use them. GOOD LUCK
I didn’t know you’d gone as well. Thought you were working alongside Sean and doing well. 
Sad news indeed. 
paul b:
given up trying to give any advice as theres so many who know far more than me, even about my own business!
Come on Paul, what would you like me to tell you this week? 
basically from what i can make out you’ve either got to be extremely “lucky” (even then it won’t last and you’ll end up potless) know someone who’ll happily pay you more than the going rate because your a pal or earn at least 2.5k a week no matter how much fuel your using or what your standing costs are:?
oh, and don’t forget it’s obligatory that you spend all day saturday and sunday laid under your wagon weather theres owt wrong with it or not.
apparently it in the contract.
Funny. Very funny!
R143-500:
paul b:
oh, and don’t forget it’s obligatory that you spend all day saturday and sunday laid under your wagon weather theres owt wrong with it or not.
apparently it in the contract.
Nice replies guys.
Jordi:
On the surface seems ok. 7 day payment, trailers, fuel. won’t commit to any guranteed rates / work tho Cheers
depends on how hard you want to work.
You will end up running bent to get the job done. Rates as I said in my earlier post are dire so u will be busting a gut for no money.DONT GO THERE
Jordi:
Well aren’t they just the shiniest pearls of wisdom I’ve ever read.And no I won’t be running bent, and I’ll be pleased to turn over 1100 a week, never mind make it. So long as there is some form of profit to be made.
Unlike some day dreamers I do know what it costs to run a vehicle and what a reasonable rate is.
I came here looking for a little bit of proffessional advise, obviously I’m asking the wrong professionals with responses like that.
Jordi, I think you are kidding us all here !!! You are joking aren’t you ? £1100 ?
jordi try getting the info which describes running costs for the
use of a lorry,read and digest also if you will not listen to people
who only wish to prevent you going under,GO and talk to either
a local transport firm owner or pay a visit to the RHA-or FTA
LOCAL OFFICE AND ASK FOR RUNNING COSTS
INFORMATION; YOU NEED MORE THAN
1100POUNDS a week, you have FUEL say 4000km a week,
the lorry does say 33liters X100kms --1320litersX FUEL PRICE
insurance costs, wear &tear, dayto day expenses,for parking,meals etc
telephone costs, vehicles licence costs, this is not every thing and their
will be some posting perhaps a better and detailed list but sorry
please research and digest the information as this will even those
who give negative posts help you to follow what you wish to do
ALSO WHEN OPERATING PUT MONEY TO ONE SIDE
for those times when its hard EVEN THE big firms do this
or they would not survive,
paul b:
i appreciate your trying to give this bloke some good advice but as a serious forum this place was finished months ago.
So how can you take someone serious when they say £1100 per week is adequate ? How naive can someone be ?
The same conversation between you and Rob K happens on this forum nearly every week.
Robs points are valid despite HIM not being a small haulier or OD ; He merely points out that the VAST MAJORITY OF People starting out down the O/D route tend to end up working for rubbish rates/rubbish firms either doing Containers in their shiny BLINGED Scanias or tautliner work or pulling for the likes of McBs. Which is TRUE!!
They get their O licence through and they then go and buy a wagon as they think that they have the work lined up . Its only after they get their unit that they think about which one of the crap firms can I go and work for ?
It takes one bump to happen financially and all the dominoes come collaping down. Ie NSH ( Sorry Sean, I was sorry to hear what happened, thought you had made it across the line)
As he points out there are more failures in this game than successes and every failure tells the same 'ol story. Its happened to ODs, its happened to the big players, Celsius First as an example
I take it Paul B you dont do the following work:
Containers / Tilts/Tauts/Euroliners/Fridges/ ? You dont go abroad ?
The majority of starters or established ODs do this sort of work and this is how there are more failures than successes.
Your points may be valid but you maintain that its not down to luck
but it really is.
You may have established a niche in what you do Paul but I wouldnt call it a typical market for any new start or OD to go into.
You are so far doing OK, but didnt I recall you packed in not so long ago 'cos you couldnt t get the work to make it pay ? AND THIS is not in the fields of work mentioned above
Ive always said on this site, STAY away from the scum who advertise in the MAGS. People just dont listen and take offence when you criticise them for doing what they are doing. They then come back on here saying that so and so has ripped me off, Ive gone bust, etc etc.
Its merely stating that prevention is better than the cure
And Ive always stated that if you can go direct to the customer itself then you have a pretty ■■■■ good chance of success.
But to any OD or Haulage firm Dont forget you are only as good as your last job and losers always blame other people.
Jordi, go back and have a rethink of what you are doing for FSS. If you cant turnover £2000- £2500 week in week out then FORGET IT.