hope this is right place to post?
thinking of buyin own truck .daf because cost is low and service parts reasonable .found a new daf xf 6.4 510 double drive ? but it is a really good price but no one else seems interested in the unit…im guessin because its manual and a 6.4 so runnin costs are higher and it is built for heavie loads ( heavy duty 5th wheel) or am i talkin rubbish ? the price of nearly new scanias is astonishin but i hear owner driver like them?
Here we go again…
crazy horse:
am i talkin rubbish ?
Yes
daf v scania no contest 
crazy horse:
hope this is right place to post?
thinking of buyin own truck .daf because cost is low and service parts reasonable .found a new daf xf 6.4 510 double drive ? but it is a really good price but no one else seems interested in the unit…im guessin because its manual and a 6.4 so runnin costs are higher and it is built for heavie loads ( heavy duty 5th wheel) or am i talkin rubbish ? the price of nearly new scanias is astonishin but i hear owner driver like them?
What do you intend to do with the truck if you buy one?
Nobody else being interested should be a clue, as should be the fact that you very rarely see a double-drive on work other than heavy haulage or stuff which will take it off road. Unless you intend to enter one of these sectors then buying such a motor as your first OD’s truck is a recipe for disaster.
If you can write a BUSINESS PLAN that makes you a liveable PROFIT with that please please share it with us . Platting sawdust would be simpler I reckon.
Thirty yrs to late unless you know something we all don’t…And as you asked us it proves you are crazy.
3 wheeler:
If you can write a BUSINESS PLAN that makes you a liveable PROFIT with that please please share it with us . Platting sawdust would be simpler I reckon.Thirty yrs to late unless you know something we all don’t…And as you asked us it proves you are crazy.
Now theres the thing, what is it about you Armchair owner drivers that always make out that you cannot earn a living driving your own truck■■?,. Apart from myself I know a few ODs who earn a decent living doing what we do, But it all boils down to knowing the business. And yes I could quite easily show you a business plan that works, but just being a truck Jockey does not mean you will understand it. And when you make quotes do not include me in them. “Because we obviously do know something that do don’t”
Unless you plan on entering a sector that needs double drive leave it alone. It will be at least 0-5 mpg worse than a midlift cost more in tyre wear and maintenance before you start.
If it’s cheaper than an equivalent midlift daf of same age and spec it must have something wrong with it as there’s always a market for double drives
yoyo5:
Now theres the thing, what is it about you Armchair owner drivers that always make out that you cannot earn a living driving your own truck■■?,. Apart from myself I know a few ODs who earn a decent living doing what we do
Well, I’m a real owner driver rather than an armchair owner driver and I earn a decent living, but the simple fact is that a double-drive tractor unit is not the right choice for work other than work which needs a double-drive tractor unit. For a start, the OP would just be dragging a load of extra weight around and burning up more fuel than a more suitable tractor unit.
yoyo5:
3 wheeler:
If you can write a BUSINESS PLAN that makes you a liveable PROFIT with that please please share it with us . Platting sawdust would be simpler I reckon.Thirty yrs to late unless you know something we all don’t…And as you asked us it proves you are crazy.
Now theres the thing, what is it about you Armchair owner drivers that always make out that you cannot earn a living driving your own truck■■?,. Apart from myself I know a few ODs who earn a decent living doing what we do, But it all boils down to knowing the business. And yes I could quite easily show you a business plan that works, but just being a truck Jockey does not mean you will understand it. And when you make quotes do not include me in them. “Because we obviously do know something that do don’t”
I know a few who make a good living too…I was one of them.
However most like me are now older and wiser and have been around the block (I am medically retired) . The original post was so vague and asking for our opinion, which to me sounds very much like someone just about to drown in a big sea of lack of knowledge.
For every one that makes it I bet 20 don’t , and unless you have a big pot of money to start it’s going to be a very hard road indeed. The one who succeed in a start up business nowadays are the real savvy one .
No way would I try it now from being green .
all ur comments are much appreciated ,but i guessed as much that the popularity of the said truck was a specialized area ,but the truck is on at currently 37k+vat on euro 6 /2014 with less than a 900miles miles so u can see the temptation ….even just to sell on……as u all agree goin on ur own is a risky punt but just maybe this will change soon with the gov noting the shortage of drivers …what really annoys me is the fact u have to have a operators license even if u are a one man band and a a designated storage facility….means the big boys can dominate and reduces competition…red tape by EU i guess….maybe all truckers should have a week off on the same week and watch the uk grind to a halt?
burnley-si:
daf v scania no contest
Yes neither of them.
Buy a boat and legally run on cherry an no road fund licence to pay, oh ! and no congestion either 
(and I may be available to drive it for ya at £270 per day.)
crazy horse:
the price of nearly new scanias is astonishin
Probably because they are decent motors & they hold their value well:)
crazy horse:
…but the truck is on at currently 37k+vat on euro 6 /2014 with less than a 900miles miles so u can see the temptation ….even just to sell on……
There’s a reason it’s not sold already, but best of luck to you if you think you can flip it for a profit.
crazy horse:
…what really annoys me is the fact u have to have a operators license even if u are a one man band and a a designated storage facility….means the big boys can dominate and reduces competition…red tape by EU i guess……
Why do you think a small operator shouldn’t need an O-licence or parking facility? And how does it allow the big boys to dominate?
yoyo5:
3 wheeler:
If you can write a BUSINESS PLAN that makes you a liveable PROFIT with that please please share it with us . Platting sawdust would be simpler I reckon.Thirty yrs to late unless you know something we all don’t…And as you asked us it proves you are crazy.
Now theres the thing, what is it about you Armchair owner drivers that always make out that you cannot earn a living driving your own truck■■?,. Apart from myself I know a few ODs who earn a decent living doing what we do, But it all boils down to knowing the business. And yes I could quite easily show you a business plan that works, but just being a truck Jockey does not mean you will understand it. And when you make quotes do not include me in them. “Because we obviously do know something that do don’t”
Speaking as a mere ‘truck jockey’. 
…To be fair mate the guys that are criticising have a point. His business plan (based on what he told us) was buy an over specced motor that was not really fit for purpose for 40+grand with no operator’s licence and then presumably look for work for it, hardly the actions of a prudent businessman, more a lamb to the slaughter.
If you are doing OK at it, fair play to you. I would never go back to it in a million years although I was doing ok,( well until the recession kicked in anyway ) the outlay to profit ratio is a lot different to when I done it, and you can not get away with a quarter of the stuff that we used to in the 80s.
A lot of o/drivers I have known over the years have gone ■■■■ up (including me) by not entirely their (or my) own fault, so I think it’s a bit unfair to imply that you know something they (and I) don’t about ‘knowing the business’…(there but for the grace of God …etc…etc 
raymundo:
Buy a boat and legally run on cherry
This is true.
raymundo:
an no road fund licence to pay,
This is true although my Canal and River Trust boat licence costs £700+ a year
raymundo:
oh ! and no congestion either
Depends on the type of boat and where it goes. Certainly you can queue at Hillmorton locks for a few hours in July/August.
raymundo:
(and I may be available to drive it for ya at £270 per day.)
Err, let me get back to you on that. 
crazy horse:
hope this is right place to post?
thinking of buyin own truck .daf because cost is low and service parts reasonable .found a new daf xf 6.4 510 double drive ? but it is a really good price but no one else seems interested in the unit…im guessin because its manual and a 6.4 so runnin costs are higher and it is built for heavie loads ( heavy duty 5th wheel) or am i talkin rubbish ? the price of nearly new scanias is astonishin but i hear owner driver like them?
I’m guessing nobody’s interested because a 6x4 tractor is used for a few specialised jobs like hauling scrap metal. Because of its configuration it’ll have a higher tare weight than a 6x2, which is the normal setup for 44T general haulage. Also, from experience with tippers, a Euro 6 tractor will be heavier still because of the extra equipment fitted to the tractor, which reduces the payload yet again (possibly by a tonne). So I’d go for a 6x2 - there are many more to choose from, and if you want a manual then Walker Movements has loads of DAF XF tractors with 16-speed manual gearboxes.
crazy horse:
hope this is right place to post?
thinking of buyin own truck .daf because cost is low and service parts reasonable .found a new daf xf 6.4 510 double drive ? but it is a really good price but no one else seems interested in the unit…im guessin because its manual and a 6.4 so runnin costs are higher and it is built for heavie loads ( heavy duty 5th wheel) or am i talkin rubbish ? the price of nearly new scanias is astonishin but i hear owner driver like them?
Ah just buy it and see how you get on… you can come back on here when it goes belly up and put up another thread called buying a truck part 2.Keeps a lot of people on this site entertained if nothing else.