I have been looking at putting another vehicle on the road for the past few months now and have been offered some work with a container company, the rates seem reasonable. However I have never done any container work at all. I would employ another driver who would run the walking floor whilst I run the container. Does anyone have any advice for containers, any do’s and dont’s?
Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage
got some advise…dont !
Plenty of sitting around so take a book. Make sure they put the box on the right way round. Rates are appalling.
If you want to stand any chance of making money, stay on local “job rated work” rather than distance ppm work. ie Tilbury to basildon, 24mile round trip for £120 or round trip Birmingham for £1.25 per mile (280 miles for £350). You do the maths
yep , locals are the only thing worth doing , i usually try for 3 or 4 jobs a day, somedays you dont know wether you are coming or going buts its the only way to make any money at it
I dont know much about containers but I expect its not going to be fantastic if the rate to you is acceptable youll soon make judgement which job is paying best. For me getting paid is the first priority fair days work for fair days pay, until you dip your toe in the water youll never know and if it aint any good come back on here and tell us. 
Harry Monk:
Plenty of sitting around so take a book
i dont get time to read the paper never mind a book
chaversdad:
Harry Monk:
Plenty of sitting around so take a booki dont get time to read the paper never mind a book
The guy that I spoke to from the shipping company recons that the maximum waiting time is 1 hour, any more and they pay waiting. This may of course be shipping line patter. I know a lot of companies (maritime etc) pay very poor rates and simply couldn’t go with someone like that, but I should be seeing a reasonable profit through my contact - it’s not going to be anything like walking floor money but then I don’t have the outlay that I do on a walking floor
Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage
3 Feathers Haulage:
chaversdad:
Harry Monk:
Plenty of sitting around so take a booki dont get time to read the paper never mind a book
The guy that I spoke to from the shipping company recons that the maximum waiting time is 1 hour, any more and they pay waiting. This may of course be shipping line patter. I know a lot of companies (maritime etc) pay very poor rates and simply couldn’t go with someone like that, but I should be seeing a reasonable profit through my contact - it’s not going to be anything like walking floor money but then I don’t have the outlay that I do on a walking floor
Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage
I assume you might of spoke to DFDS■■? good work and loads of it … But it rated as traction work… Not container jobs ie on the tip and reloads… You just get paid millege … Not 2 job rates… And the millege is about £1.32 with aint great at all when ure nailed to the floor both ways !!! I lasted a week bk in november !
Good luck
Jody
Most container companys only pay demurage after 3hrs, all i do {well 90%} is trailer swaps so i dont have the waiting about like other container jobs
Pulled for DFDS/SpeedCargo/Norfolkline before as a direct driver.
We were on Day Rate up to a certain mileage after that it changed to ppm. When we first started we were unlucky to go over 2750km’s in a week but by the end of it, anything less than 31-3200 in a five day week was a bad un.
Often ran from Immingham to either Seaforth or Avonmouth empty skelly. Rates was paid for the empty run.
Upside, I was on it for just under a year and never had one handball job. All boxes were palletised and more often than not it took longer to get paperwork back from some customers than it did to tip out or load. Once in a blue moon you might do 20ft boxes but that is very rare. More often than not its 40ft and 45fters. Downside is that it can be long distance between port-tip/load point- port. Obviously if your pushing the limit weight wise then your also gonna be burning fuel. But then again I think that goes for everything in this game.
Mixture of weights when we were on it but normally brought in decent money (ive done my calculations and I would be happy…and im tight with my money!)
Only advice I would give you, IF, you go on it then try to get Adam Heyworth to run you. There are numerous planners up there but Adam has his wits about him and you will have next days run thru but 11:00 the day previous. None of this sitting around waiting for a job like we had with some of the others.
I could not complain about the amount of work and there was no lack of work … But i did my calculations … Fuel wages insurance etc and i made £100 on 2 paid for trucks … I do pay good wages tho… I do similar work for macandrews and get a good £50 a box more for a birmingham…
I’ve seen firms runnin new gear pullin the tilts … All i can say is they must pay crap wages and be happy to make £50 a week profit
tonka236:
Pulled for DFDS/SpeedCargo/Norfolkline before as a direct driver.
We were on Day Rate up to a certain mileage after that it changed to ppm. When we first started we were unlucky to go over 2750km’s in a week but by the end of it, anything less than 31-3200 in a five day week was a bad un.
Often ran from Immingham to either Seaforth or Avonmouth empty skelly. Rates was paid for the empty run.Upside, I was on it for just under a year and never had one handball job. All boxes were palletised and more often than not it took longer to get paperwork back from some customers than it did to tip out or load. Once in a blue moon you might do 20ft boxes but that is very rare. More often than not its 40ft and 45fters. Downside is that it can be long distance between port-tip/load point- port. Obviously if your pushing the limit weight wise then your also gonna be burning fuel. But then again I think that goes for everything in this game.
Mixture of weights when we were on it but normally brought in decent money (ive done my calculations and I would be happy…and im tight with my money!)
Only advice I would give you, IF, you go on it then try to get Adam Heyworth to run you. There are numerous planners up there but Adam has his wits about him and you will have next days run thru but 11:00 the day previous. None of this sitting around waiting for a job like we had with some of the others.
Just looking at the rates you guys are stating. £1.32! How do you make any money on that. I have got the pack and contract through today so will have a really good look over it and let you know
Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage
3 Feathers Haulage:
Just looking at the rates you guys are stating. £1.32! How do you make any money on that. I have got the pack and contract through today so will have a really good look over it and let you knowSilverback
3 Feathers Haulage
Ya nor wrong mate… Loads of work … Just dont pay enought esp with the price of diesel…
Jody
company i sub for have just took some old work back on at the same rates they were doing it for 5 years ago 
, they looked surprised when i declined there offer to do a load
jody1980:
I could not complain about the amount of work and there was no lack of work … But i did my calculations … Fuel wages insurance etc and i made £100 on 2 paid for trucks … I do pay good wages tho… I do similar work for macandrews and get a good £50 a box more for a birmingham…I’ve seen firms runnin new gear pullin the tilts … All i can say is they must pay crap wages and be happy to make £50 a week profit
Jody, I see you’ve put it in writing that your paying good money!! can I have references please? 
Although I’m allegedly retired I could be tempted you know I can improve on your fuel costs, lets face it you’ve taken the ■■■■ about my obsession with mpg for years now
Hope things keep going well for you mate. regards Kev. Ps if you need any advice on saving fuel I’m still on the same no. 
J
3 Feathers Haulage:
Just looking at the rates you guys are stating. £1.32! How do you make any money on that. I have got the pack and contract through today so will have a really good look over it and let you knowSilverback
3 Feathers Haulage
Generally I’d say you’d be lucky to earn much more than a wage from container ‘subbying’, but I drove our oldest truck (our spare tractor) for the day on Friday subbying for one of our garage customers & from start fo finish did 203km’s & earned just short of £600. It was a bit exceptional in that my first job was out of Seaforth & they had an empty tank to go in, after tipping the first tank in Huyton (1.5 hrs) I took the empty to be washed (paid) then took it into Seaforth (paid as a seperate job) to get my next job out which tipped in Knowsley (1hr), empty to Bootle. Picked up a loaded tank out of Freightliner Garston for a lift off in Ellesmere Port then an empty from the same place into Stobarts in Widnes. All none haz!!
Job done, started 05:50 parked up in yard 17:10 so there is a decent living to be had IF you can piece together the right work.
Ross.