curiosity!!!

[sfantu]

Hi peeps. As i posted on other topic i said i am considering becoming operator.

no point asking details as “how is it” or “is it worth it” and so on.

but i do have a big curiosity.

why does owner drivers or operators (with one two or ten trucks lets say) dont want to say anything concrete?
all i can see are some simple post like : " not worth it" or " depends mate" and so on. we who want to become operators are not that stupid and we know that the are alot of facts to be taken in consideration. we just want some short stories about how you started when with what money how many trucks how was at begining (not only work … financial as well) how lucky or unlcky were with contracts how much money average you earn a month and you know few details.

by saying these facts doesnt mean we will take your contracts.

now please dont get me wrong. i am not judging you because you guys dont want to say i am just curious WHY you dont want to say!!!

if i decide to become an operator i will defo post the full process . how much it costed . how many trucks. what contract i have( and im not saying to unveil the company name just some financial info like i am payed that for that distance or run i am spending that) if i drive it alone or have drivers employed etc

now imma wait for the negative replays XD

thank you all and wish you the very best luck. drive safe

[pete62]

Hi been reading all the topics about starting up over the last couple of years and to me the only chap that gives it to you as it is, is Harry Monk.

[chaversdad]

I find most owner drivers start out doing the job they did as an employed driver that way you know what the job is about and have a lot of contacts already made

[punchy_dan]

chaversdad:
I find most owner drivers start out doing the job they did as an employed driver that way you know what the job is about and have a lot of contacts already made

Yes true and its then they realise the streets arnt paved with gold and that actually they had a good day job !

[harry_monk]

I don’t mind telling people what I do, because 98% of my work is subcontracting and so there’s no risk of being undercut on that work, although I never talk about loads I take or their customers I do it for. I also never even mention the small amount of my own work I do.

In terms of money, I started off with about £40,000. Of that, £16,000 had to stay in the bank to satisfy the requirements of the O licence. I put £10,000 down on a truck which cost £25,000, and the other £14,000 was what I needed for diesel, inspections, yard rental, accountant, repairs etc etc etc for the first two months until I got my first payment.

I should look for more of my own work, but the simple fact is that I am bone idle by nature and can’t be bothered to get off my arse and go look for any. I’ll never make a fortune in haulage because I’m simply not driven in the way you need to be to build up a large company. It’s just easier to take a load from A to B and then phone up the traffic desk to get the next job, so I do that. I would put more trucks on the road if a fantastically well-paying job fell into my lap but for now I’m quite happy to carry on bimbling along as I am.

In terms of what I earn, there’s no real answer. In a good month I can earn £5,000 for myself, in a bad month I can lose money. Overall though, I’d probably earn more driving a Tesco lorry on unpopular shifts, but then I wouldn’t want to do that. For me, a lot of it is about quality of life, now that the finance is paid off I often only work a four day week, and this Summer I parked the truck up for two months while I went cruising around in my narrowboat. I’ve also had a few very bad employed jobs over the years, working for complete knobheads and it saves me from all that malarkey.

I always give the same advice. If you have a good, reasonably paying job, working for a decent employer, then stick with that.

[sfantu]

thanks for the answer Monk. till now from all posts i have read of this subject yours is the most accurate . thank you. but i am waiting for those who have 2 or 3 trucks to see theyr statement.

i can afford to buy 2 trucks now (euro 4 or 5) . and bout 20k cash for expenses. but i would like for sum who is sub to post.

[chaversdad]

sfantu:
thanks for the answer Monk

sorry but it tickled me

[bullitt]

sfantu:
…thanks for the answer Monk…

That actually made me laugh out loud!! I don’t really know why but it did!

[albion]

sfantu:
why does owner drivers or operators (with one two or ten trucks lets say) dont want to say anything concrete?
we just want some short stories about how you started when with what money how many trucks how was at begining (not only work … financial as well) how lucky or unlcky were with contracts how much money average you earn a month and you know few details.

My Dad died in 1990 and left me two vans on lease, from that built up to mix of vans, 7.5s and artics. First two years were spent slogging for virtually no money £90.00 wage for 100 + hours, scratching bits of work here and there. Plastics company moved in next door and we did a lot of work for them, they were starting out and built up quite quickly. Ten years later they sold to a big company that ran their own transport in house.

Moved away from general haulage over that time and now in a very specialist area. There’s only about 7 -8 hauliers that do what we do, so I wouldn’t post anything that was too identifying, including rates, which would be meaningless unless you know what we do.

Only hold one contract, but it provides the bulk of the work and the rest is ad-hoc. Got it because one day I said yes to a job they were struggling with, went on from that on an ad-hoc basis for a couple of years, then they gave us a contract for part and later on all of their haulage.

On a personal basis, it was nine years before I stopped being the lowest paid member of staff and about 15 till I got to be the best paid.

It’s been a mix of hard work and luck, though luck often derives from hard work

[sfantu]

im happy to hear it worked out for you albion. wish you the best of luck forward.

[mattwoodtransport]

I was gonna do exactly same as you sfantu, give a week by week diary, from getting a operating centre, to getting my first cheque in, a real detailed bare bones account, as that’s all I wanted when I had a head full of questions. I hope someone does it one day, I really hope it’ll be me to do it

[mkmicky1]

sometimes its not always that easy to document everything, it can be a long winded paper chase and if your like me and hate the paper side it can get stressful and the last thing you want to do is put everything down on the internet,
but like you i had loads of questions and everyone you ask gives you the same ancwers different ways and almost never tell you the real truth about the money.
is the stress worth it, i would say yes,
I’ve had alot of help from my old boss from renting from him and using his fuel cards and paying a small percent to get my work from him,
i’m slowly sorting my own bits out but have a good deal on my unit and fuel so why change it.

[albion]

Just to add, when I took over the two vans, I had no plan beyond getting the wheels on the road. Nearly 25 years later, I still have no plan, I just do whatever work I can do and do it well; all those 5 year plans that banks and so forth want, I wouldn’t have a clue. I know what money I need to charge for a job to pay, as a very basic rule of thumb, I work on the slightly archaic double the cost of fuel and driver. I dislike overly complicated systems and find people often over-think things. I don’t like working for people I can’t have an honest working relationship with, so I don’t.

But nearly 25 years later, I’m still in business, making money most years and I’ve not got the mindset to work for other people, so I’m happy and the drivers are happy can’t ask for much more.