Dear all.
I have just joined Trucknetuk and was wondering if anybody can point in the right direction. I am wanting to start my own Business as an owner driver and would like the do and don’ts. Anything anybody can advise me of would be extremley helpful. Thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you can help me.
Dont take any notice of anyone on here 
Best business advice you can get 
No, there are 1000’s of years of experience here, so good luck with your plans, We need to know what sort of business you want to get into,
What experience have you?
I would advise you to start with what you know best!
Me being one of the ones who doesn’t go around with his head in the clouds … I can tell you now to forget the idea unless you’re perfectly happy earning the same money as you would do working on an employed basis for another haulier, because unless you’re in the extremely fortunate position of having friends in high places you’ll be earning the same quid per mile that everyone else in that position earns.
Some of the long-standing owner driver members on here will say rubbish to that, because they’ve been in the game a long time, are well established and more likely to be a in a position where they can negotiate a much more favourable rate, so of course they will tell you to go for it. But the reality of it is that you are entering the industry as a newbie so you’ll be starting at the bottom of the ladder.
With diesel in the UK nearing a quid a litre and the rates not budging, it’s simply a recipe for disaster from the word go. The only way you’ll make any money out of it is by running bent on your driving hours and from the numerous conversations I’ve had with owner operators myself (as I have also considered setting up on my own on more than one occasion), this is precisely the way they make their money.
For all the legalities and costs can I suggest you spend a bit of time searching back through this forum as there are posts a-plenty which will answer all your questions I’m sure.
All i can tell you mate is listen to and take in what the guys on here tell you and plan accordingly, i have just set up as an owner driver and couldn’t have done it without these guys, their advice is priceless and learn from their mistakes, that’s what it’s all about mate.
Good luck and if in doubt please dont hesitate to ask any questions you may have theae guys are the tops…trust me
Hi John, Welcome to TruckNet.
Here’s a link for you :
www.ownerdrivers.org.uk
Click onto “New O/Ds” on the left hand menu.
You can then click on to further useful links to the relavent Government sites (VOSA etc.) from there.
And also info on the CPC requirement.
I don’t know if you have a background in Road Transport, but if you have you will already know that to obtain and then keep an operators licence will involve you jumping through a lot (and I really do mean a lot !) of hoops. 
Good Luck, anything you want to know, you’re at the right place, here on TruckNetUK - so ask away !! 
Hi and welcome to TruckNet UK JohnFoy1983 and good luck .
my advice would be simple, DON’T DO IT!
i started up last june with the promise of regular work, spent a good lump of money on a wagon, o’license etc etc and to be honest it’s been a nightmare from day one, the work never matterialissed i had a bit of bother with the ministry which cost a lot of money and endless problems mainly due to the fact i was so green.
i’ve now found some regular subbing work thats spot on but work like that is very hard to come by, with most sub-contract work being at rates that give you no chance of earning a decent living! running bent is not an option for a new operator because the ministry are on you case from day one and beleave me they know every trick in the book.
the long and the short of it is i’m something like ten grand out of pocket for my first eleven months of running and that is the only reason i’ll keep at it even though i’ll need a long time and a lot of good fortune before i can say i’ve recouped that money.
the firm i work for also has drivers on a self-employed basis who get paid x amount a load driving the companies wagons with the trailers being loaded by shunters, them lads will be earning more than any o/d with out any of the greaf.
i’m sorry to put you off but as things stand in the uk every thing is stacked against the owner driver making a living.
Do three business plans — optimistic, realistic and pessimistic.
Your first 2/3 yrs are likely to resemble the pessimistic plan. It’s unlikely you’ll make a proper wage. A good month usually pays for next month’s disaster! You’ll need a good stash of cash/line of credit — you need to satisfy the o’licence financial requirement at all times (not just day one — others will disagree, but that’s my interpretation).
I’d echo what RobK said, do your research on these forums, then come back and you’ll get loads of advice once you have a plan taking shape.
Welcome to Trucknet John 
Here’s a link for you :
www.ownerdrivers.org.uk
Thanks for the plug - if it was so bad then why are there so many owner drivers out there.
Some work is good, some work is rubbish - one thing it is guaranteed is it is hard work.
There are lots of pit falls and lots of people out there willing to rip you off.
Don’t go in over your head so you can ride the rough with the smooth. Get the dearest Truck you can afford - not the dearest Truck!!! In haulage the costs can very easily go up and the rates go down - just know your limits…
Sometimes you find buying a dearer Truck will be cheaper a syou save on fuel - and as your biggest cost this can make huge difference…
Good Luck
why are there so many owner drivers out there? many reasons, i think a lot will have been company drivers who got fed up with the job and fancied “being their own boss” of coarse your never going to be your own boss, the nature of job is you’ll always be working for someone but as others have said theres good work and then theres work that won’t pay the cost of the wagon, if i’d walked straight into the steel work i do now i’d be in a lot better possition financially than what i am now. all i would say is do it the right way round i.e find the work that your going to be happy doing ( only something that will give you twenty days a month plus is worth considering) and then buy the wagon to suit what your going to earn rather than the wagon you fancy driving, for many starting out that willmean an old wagon simply because your going to pay top whack for everything like finance, insurance etc.
it is a gamble, go in with your eyes open and don’t let anyone ■■■■■■■■ you that your gona a earn a fortune.
paul
if you wanna make £100 Grand start with £300 Grand!! Ihad to remortgage my house to pay off my debts after running 5 of the ******!! Started with one and built up or should I say down ! Breakdowns,blowouts, vehicle damage, inspections,maintenance,fuel, accountant,road tax,insurance,GIT ETC ETC ETC , the list is endless on what you have to pay out to get 50 pence per km (if yer lucky) back!You need a money tree, your hand will never be out of yer pocket!
I started from scratch last year and I seem to be holding my head above water.
Of course there will always be those who fail in any business, and those who suceed. I’ve started with a 12 grand motor, which is paid for, so no large monthly HP payments. I spent a lot of time find out the real costs of this business, and many on here were very helpful. Its very easy to be put off by the people who have failed, or those who’ve never tried, but seem to know its a bad idea.
The best advice I can give is to be realistic about your costs, and income. Make sure you have regular work for at least the first 6 - 12 months, so you’ll have constant cash coming into the business, and spend a couple of quid credit checking the companies you are going to work for.
However I am very consious that a major problem with the truck could spell disaster for me, but that’s the same for any company.
Having spoken to many owner drivers over the past year, many are making a decent living, and they seem to be the ones with their eyes open.
In short, don’t be afraid of looking at the negatives which could affect you and your business.
Good luck. It can be hard work, but like anything when you’re doing it off your own back and its working, its a great feeling.
to be fair after thinking about it a bit i probably painted a worse picture than it actually is, yes if i packed up tomorrow and sold the wagon i’d be ten grand down but i am earning “good” money now if you call good money more than you’d earn doing the same job as a paid driver and like i say a lot of mistakes were made purely because i wasn’t clued up enough!
the work you get is the key or more to the point what you get paid for that work, i’ve seen a lot of firms regularly advertissing for o/d’s but in my opinion the rates they pay are not viable unless your feeling very lucky but there is some good work about it’s just a bit harder to find, i personally wouldn’t put a wagon on anything that was less than £1.30 a mile and i’d want plenty of miles to go at week in week out, i know there are lads working at lower rates than that, i just don’t know how they’re doing it.
thing is you don’t know if you don’t try
good luck
By the skin of our teeth paul! A lot depends on luck. You really need a bucket full of the stuff when you first start up. Finacially, I wish I’d never got into this business, but there are the good days when it doesn’t get any better.
If your going to do it, three words to remember. CASHFLOW, CASHFLOW, CASHFLOW!
I’ve got three out on boxes, they do well enough for all to make a living, but as NSH says, we’re still searching for that elusive profit.