My wife is 20 weeks pregnant and absolutely hates the idea of us moving to a new house with land for a truck and setting myself up in haulage. I understand why, but even with the promise of getting day work she still hates it! This has made me rethink my plans and left me wondering what to do to make everyone happy while still providing. (it may be worth noting I am the only wage in the house and everything is in my name along with the house and mortgage) I intend on only making the decision if i can earn what I do now or more and we don’t end up worse off.
Can anyone tell me how much family support they had when taking the plunge into owner driver territory?
Hi
I would suggest that you only do it with full family support, if your better half is pregnant then it may be worth thinking about the fact that you are likely as an owner driver to be away a lot. It can be tough and without the support back home I certainly wouldn’t have made it happen. The financial outlay is huge, and it has and will break many people. It’s always nice to have someone around to pick up the pieces and offer support
I am already a transport manager with a full national Cpc and I am awaiting results for my international I sat this month. I also drive low loaders and hook loaders with drawbar trailers regular and obviously have c and ce categories on my licence.
I thought I would post this now before anyone asked… I already know my figures and know what I need for my house and have seen property’s with premises attached that would allow me to keep overheads down.
3 Feathers Haulage:
Hi
I would suggest that you only do it with full family support, if your better half is pregnant then it may be worth thinking about the fact that you are likely as an owner driver to be away a lot. It can be tough and without the support back home I certainly wouldn’t have made it happen. The financial outlay is huge, and it has and will break many people. It’s always nice to have someone around to pick up the pieces and offer support
Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage
Thanks for your advice, it’s something I really need to think about and I wanted to get people’s opinion with an outside view.
It would be doubly difficult without the family support.
I’ve run my own businesses for over 30 yrs and I can pretty well assure you that, after you have done your homework and worked out this that and the other, many of the promises made by your customers will be broken and you will at some stage or other, be struggling to buy a tin of beans to go with the stale bread-crusts you have left in the larder. That may sound pessimistic but I’ll doubt anyone who has been in business hasn’t been there sometime.
The positives are that after the bad times, you will have good times although I do honestly think that haulage is one of the worst sectors to be in. I have always held any vehicle back until payment for the work has been made, legally, I’m not actually allowed to do this and should offer ‘reasonable time’. I figure that by the time they have got me to court, reasonable time has expired! But in haulage, the load is delivered and done, you can’t actually hold anything and with the number of ltd companies who deliberately go bang and then go down the pre-pack admin route and set up again next week without thinking of paying their debts off, I don’t think I would see it as a great business option at present unless I had work, direct from a manufacturer and a guarantee of payment.
get her involved. ask her opinion on what truck, what colour, what type of work.
if you are writing letters to potential customers, then get her opinion. let her re write it, then tell her she’s done a better job of it than you.
when you get a positive response, tell her you couldn’t have done it without her.
she’ll have your zip open, and on her knees before you can say R500.
this is only my opinion, but i think you must be nuts you have asked about three of the most stressfull things you will come across in life. awaiting a birth, moving house and starting a business and your intending having them all at the same time. the stress on your wife worrying about a house move wont be doing her pregnancy any good, all the upheaval of a house move will take up all your time and dosh, then just for good measure starting a transport business which im sure you know right now is that this industry is kaput to say the least, ask yourself a question what if you become self employed and it goes ■■■■ up, will you be able to cover your mortgage and all the costs and time involved with the birth of a child. I dont mean to sound harsh mate but i would carry on doing what your doing now then after the birth maybe see how your fixed and then maybe start a business, then maybe think about a house move if youve made enough profit/earnings to warrant it. as i said mate only my opinion but ithink you would be mad to put your impending child birth in any kind of jeopardy
weewulliewinkie:
this is only my opinion, but i think you must be nuts you have asked about three of the most stressfull things you will come across in life. awaiting a birth, moving house and starting a business and your intending having them all at the same time. the stress on your wife worrying about a house move wont be doing her pregnancy any good, all the upheaval of a house move will take up all your time and dosh, then just for good measure starting a transport business which im sure you know right now is that this industry is kaput to say the least, ask yourself a question what if you become self employed and it goes ■■■■ up, will you be able to cover your mortgage and all the costs and time involved with the birth of a child. I dont mean to sound harsh mate but i would carry on doing what your doing now then after the birth maybe see how your fixed and then maybe start a business, then maybe think about a house move if youve made enough profit/earnings to warrant it. as i said mate only my opinion but ithink you would be mad to put your impending child birth in any kind of jeopardy
Don’t worry! I don’t intend to do this while she is pregnant, it’s to short notice for us and funds, I’m just doing my homework.
I would rather move next year when I can pick a house and Comercial site along side allowing me to use it as an operating centre while running the company essentially from home to keep overheads down. Only then would i start a ltd company when I’m financially stable and the risk is lower. I’m not jumping into it, my wife knows what I’m trying to achieve but loves the house we are in, she also thinks I work to much as it is…
I only really started this topic to see how other people managed with their family’s? I appreciate all your opinions and they are helping me to make the best decision for me and my family. In the past I have found the best way to make a decision is to listen to everyone’s opinion to make your own better.
spot on mate you said the magic word HOMEWORK i hope it works out for you, i think at the end of the day no matter what family think good and or bad your gut instinct will tell you if its right, good luck.
I started up as a first time O/D in Oct 04 and our first wee boy was born in Aug 05.
I sold up in early Feb 08(and well in the BLACK ) and our second boy was born that same month on the 22nd, what does that tell you about having a young family and being an O/D
weewulliewinkie:
this is only my opinion, but i think you must be nuts you have asked about three of the most stressfull things you will come across in life. awaiting a birth, moving house and starting a business and your intending having them all at the same time. the stress on your wife worrying about a house move wont be doing her pregnancy any good, all the upheaval of a house move will take up all your time and dosh, then just for good measure starting a transport business which im sure you know right now is that this industry is kaput to say the least, ask yourself a question what if you become self employed and it goes ■■■■ up, will you be able to cover your mortgage and all the costs and time involved with the birth of a child. I dont mean to sound harsh mate but i would carry on doing what your doing now then after the birth maybe see how your fixed and then maybe start a business, then maybe think about a house move if youve made enough profit/earnings to warrant it. as i said mate only my opinion but ithink you would be mad to put your impending child birth in any kind of jeopardy
Don’t worry! I don’t intend to do this while she is pregnant, it’s to short notice for us and funds, I’m just doing my homework.
I would rather move next year when I can pick a house and Comercial site along side allowing me to use it as an operating centre while running the company essentially from home to keep overheads down. Only then would i start a ltd company when I’m financially stable and the risk is lower. I’m not jumping into it, my wife knows what I’m trying to achieve but loves the house we are in, she also thinks I work to much as it is…
I only really started this topic to see how other people managed with their family’s? I appreciate all your opinions and they are helping me to make the best decision for me and my family. In the past I have found the best way to make a decision is to listen to everyone’s opinion to make your own better.
Big Truck:
I started up as a first time O/D in Oct 04 and our first wee boy was born in Aug 05.
I sold up in early Feb 08(and well in the BLACK ) and our second boy was born that same month on the 22nd, what does that tell you about having a young family and being an O/D
Big Truck:
I started up as a first time O/D in Oct 04 and our first wee boy was born in Aug 05.
I sold up in early Feb 08(and well in the BLACK ) and our second boy was born that same month on the 22nd, what does that tell you about having a young family and being an O/D
I agree with this, i have a 2 year old and a 10 week old baby, there is never a right time, just make sure you are as financially sound as you can be. You will need support however, I roped my misses into doing my books, sent her on a bookkeeping course (cost about £250). Now she more or less runs the show, I technically just drive for her!
Not enough information to give you proper advice. You may have days only lined up with no nights out, what if this changes to away all week? What if the lucrative work you had lined up falls by the way side and you are forced to do crap work to pay the out goings then when you decide to knock it on the head, you can’t get your old job back?
Just playing devil’s advocate, great fan of sod’s law me.
If on the other hand you’ll be grossing a grand a day at £2.50 a mile or above and you have a 3 year contract to sign with a fuel escalator built in then best of luck.
Silver_Surfer:
Not enough information to give you proper advice. You may have days only lined up with no nights out, what if this changes to away all week? What if the lucrative work you had lined up falls by the way side and you are forced to do crap work to pay the out goings then when you decide to knock it on the head, you can’t get your old job back?
Just playing devil’s advocate, great fan of sod’s law me.
If on the other hand you’ll be grossing a grand a day at £2.50 a mile or above and you have a 3 year contract to sign with a fuel escalator built in then best of luck.
I’m not really looking for advice as such, my question was; what experience have you guys had relating to family support while setting up?
Silver_Surfer:
Ahh, Ok. Single man so i’ll shut up. Good luck with your decision anyway.
You don’t have to… I’m grateful for everyone’s opinion. Are you an O/D? If so, do you have nights out? Do you like it? Would you prefer time at home more?
From a womans point of view, well from the woman stood behind me at the moment, she said if it was her she would be going back to her mothers!
It is about feathering her nest for her offspring, and you want to risk everything by flying South already. She will not jeopardise the home she has made for the child, or the nest egg she has while you are working regularly.
Forget it for a couple of years, she will no doubt want another house by then, bigger house, bigger car, new car, more bedrooms.
From my perspective, it would be stay at home or close to home, and watch the kid grow up while you can, it will soon be 16 and either pregnant or on class A drugs possibly both
Wheel Nut:
From a womans point of view, well from the woman stood behind me at the moment, she said if it was her she would be going back to her mothers!
It is about feathering her nest for her offspring, and you want to risk everything by flying South already. She will not jeopardise the home she has made for the child, or the nest egg she has while you are working regularly.
Forget it for a couple of years, she will no doubt want another house by then, bigger house, bigger car, new car, more bedrooms.
From my perspective, it would be stay at home or close to home, and watch the kid grow up while you can, it will soon be 16 and either pregnant or on class A drugs possibly both
Thank you for your post, are you an owner driver and do you have kids?
) and our second boy was born that same month on the 22nd, what does that tell you about having a young family and being an O/D 
possibly both