As Harry and repton has said they are making a living. And there are thousands up and down the land doing so too. They do it for a number of reasons and probably will for many years to come.
Yes you can make a living but as a business proposition your not going to get funding off dragons den. But if it suits you carry on.
Rob K:
And how do you know this? You see, you, like others, jump to conclusions based on the limited information available to you and it ends up making you look foolish when the truth eventually outs. There are a handful of trusted members on this site that know why I am interested in the topic and also know how I am “qualified” (for the want of a more suitable word) to make comments on the topic.
Well, you are welcome to “say your thing” if you ever want to at any point in the future.
but when those people give advice to newbies that they should sell their granny’s to set up as an OD because it’s such a good earner then don’t expect me to sit back and not say anything.
Could you point me to the direction of a post where anyone has ever said that, or anything like it?
You can’t have a very strong position if you have to make up pretend to support it.
Harry Monk:
Rob K:
And how do you know this? You see, you, like others, jump to conclusions based on the limited information available to you and it ends up making you look foolish when the truth eventually outs. There are a handful of trusted members on this site that know why I am interested in the topic and also know how I am “qualified” (for the want of a more suitable word) to make comments on the topic.Well, you are welcome to “say your thing” if you ever want to at any point in the future.
but when those people give advice to newbies that they should sell their granny’s to set up as an OD because it’s such a good earner then don’t expect me to sit back and not say anything.
Could you point me to the direction of a post where anyone has ever said that, or anything like it?
You can’t have a very strong position if you have to make up pretend to support it.
Pretty much every thread on this forum where a newbie asks about starting up I will reply with the usual (accurate) “off your rocker” type comments and then all the ODs come crawling out of the woodwork to tell me I’m wrong and advise the OP to go for it. You evidently have a very short memory. And I’m not getting into an argument about it. There is nothing more to say.
Rob K:
Pretty much every thread on this forum where a newbie asks about starting up I will reply with the usual (accurate) “off your rocker” type comments and then all the ODs come crawling out of the woodwork to tell me I’m wrong and advise the OP to go for it. You evidently have a very short memory. And I’m not getting into an argument about it. There is nothing more to say.
There is just one more thing to say.
All of these owner-drivers probably know far more about being an owner-driver than you do, no?
Harry Monk:
Rob K:
Pretty much every thread on this forum where a newbie asks about starting up I will reply with the usual (accurate) “off your rocker” type comments and then all the ODs come crawling out of the woodwork to tell me I’m wrong and advise the OP to go for it. You evidently have a very short memory. And I’m not getting into an argument about it. There is nothing more to say.There is just one more thing to say.
All of these owner-drivers probably know far more about being an owner-driver than you do, no?
Not necessarily, no. Frankly I don’t think anyone that is still an OD today should have their opinion taken too seriously as they’re stuck in their old ways and not moved with the times. The intelligent ODs got out of it in the mid noughties because they saw the train crash coming. If anyone’s opinions should be listened to it’s theirs, and I challenge you to find one of them say in complete honesty that being an OD now is a good idea. They have all given their thoughts about it in previous threads on here and have largely agreed with my points.
Anyway I’m bored of this now. It’s the same arguments every time and there are thousands of other threads you can read if you are interested. I’m sick of repeating myself and it going in one ear and straight out the other with you ODs.
really enjoy reading robs posts, its really unhealthy the amount of time effort he puts into these posts to discourage potential O D.
I’d love to know if he has actually had a go and failed miserably that would really make me chuckle.
Spill it
It’ll be 9years for me in January. Still doing a Quid a mile and a Mars Bar, bling, lights and frilly curtains!!!
Universal truths about being an owner driver.
It ain’t a get rich quick scheme
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
You get what you pay for.
Cutting corners doesn’t always pay.
You have to go that extra mile. If you want to take home £600 a week, be home every night and not work weekends, stay employed!!!
I’ve made mistakes, I’ve paid for them, but I wouldn’t not become an O/D. Nor would I tell someone not to do it. I would how ever make several suggestions, one of them being, pay for yr first truck out right.
It’s been tough in recent times, but I’ve seen it getting easier over the last year.
Still here, still smiling
As for the troll, leave him to it, bless him, he thinks he’s special.
(Oh, and telling everyone on an internet forum that yr doing really well is never a smart move, some ■■■■ will rub ya nose in it when it go’s wrong!!!)
Couldn’t of put it better myself, think that just about sums it up
It is always good to get a balanced view but could Rob K please clarify if you have been an OD? As he has very strong views and I wish he could expand on what went wrong for him ?..
Me I run 7 artics 1 Drawbar and 3 vans I took over an exsisting fleet of 3 vehicles and put 30 k of my own money in I agree with repton and the advice above - my borrowings are very limited read any good business book and it will always say one thing cash is king.
Rob K:
Frankly I don’t think anyone that is still an OD today should have their opinion taken too seriously as they’re stuck in their old ways and not moved with the times.
It’s comments like that which lose you any credibility that you might have had Rob. That is unless you have access to the business details of every single owner driver in the country of course.
Paul
repton:
Rob K:
.It’s comments like that which lose you any credibility that you might have had Rob. That is unless you have access to the business details of every single owner driver in the country of course.
Paul
You gave the knob credit by replying. The opinion of a nobody counts for nothing. Unlike yr self, you came, you played and you lived to see another day. You have the experience to talk of and share, unlike some.
MR VAIN:
It’ll be 9years for me in January. Still doing a Quid a mile and a Mars Bar, bling, lights and frilly curtains!!!Universal truths about being an owner driver.
It ain’t a get rich quick scheme
If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
You get what you pay for.
Cutting corners doesn’t always pay.
You have to go that extra mile. If you want to take home £600 a week, be home every night and not work weekends, stay employed!!!
I’ve made mistakes, I’ve paid for them, but I wouldn’t not become an O/D. Nor would I tell someone not to do it. I would how ever make several suggestions, one of them being, pay for yr first truck out right.
It’s been tough in recent times, but I’ve seen it getting easier over the last year.Still here, still smiling
As for the troll, leave him to it, bless him, he thinks he’s special.
(Oh, and telling everyone on an internet forum that yr doing really well is never a smart move, some ■■■■ will rub ya nose in it when it go’s wrong!!!)
All true - couldn’t agree more!
Owner-driving offers a certain standard of living but will never make us millionaires. Running a small fleet makes a wee bit more cash than one motor but the hassle rises with every truck you put on the road. Rosey-tinted specs are not required to be an OD but it’s a good way of working for many of us…but not all of the time.
Going back to the original article, here’s something I don’t understand- although I accept that there is still a lot I don’t understand.
Most importantly talk to the bank, rental companies, manufacturers, financial institutions. And don’t put up your money unless you have to…
What would be the logic of taking on finance at 15-20% interest rates if you had your own money which was only earning 3% or so in interest?
Harry Monk:
Going back to the original article, here’s something I don’t understand- although I accept that there is still a lot I don’t understand.Most importantly talk to the bank, rental companies, manufacturers, financial institutions. And don’t put up your money unless you have to…
What would be the logic of taking on finance at 15-20% interest rates if you had your own money which was only earning 3% or so in interest?
I would say if You had money in the bank & went looking for finance that You would’nt be paying 15-20% interest Harry.
If your limited and it goes ■■■■ up you don’t lose your shirt. Also tax deductible
Mind you I wouldn’t think a bank would stump up say 50k to buy a truck and trailer unless you put a fair chunk up yourself.
It strikes Me this is like groundhog day with Rob K, He does however have some valid points that should be taken into consideration before starting out as an OD. The problem being many prospective OD’s don’t want to hear it as its there life long ambition to see themselves in a big shiny truck. There are however people like Me who have done well out of being an OD & have moved with the times & jumped onto emerging markets when opportunities arrive, I think repton as I’ve said was maybe too much of a homebird but thats His business.
The late Les Phillips of Intersped once told Me good business men/woman flourish in times of recession as they have to try that bit harder, I took that on board, something else I taught Myself is its knowing when to say no & knowing when to pull the plug which is all about timing really, & yes luck will play a part its a life thing.
Its about being a business man/woman & some OD’s don’t have that & never will some will bumble along with a stroke of luck & get by, I’ve had some serious ups & downs in 25 years of owner driverism & decided early this year it was time to cash My chips in & run for the hills, I have been further ahead at times in My career but I thought it was time to knock it on the head & walk away with enough to set Myself up elsewhere, I think The UK/EU is ■■■■■■ & will be for a long time to come, I wish all You new wannabees & those still at it all the best & I hope You reap the rewards I have at times, its about putting your money where your mouth is & going out & doing it. No point in not listening to The Rob Ks of this world though they have valid points. If your only going to earn the same as you where as a driver then its a fools errand & will take its toll on you mentally in a very short time, if however your in a niche market & can see yourself getting what your earning now but tax free IE your going to be 25-30% better off then crack on wtf are you waiting for.
Anyway thats My take on it for what its worth, I’m off to walk the dog in the snow without any thought for lorries etc…
fly sheet:
It strikes Me this is like groundhog day with Rob K, He does however have some valid points that should be taken into consideration before starting out as an OD. The problem being many prospective OD’s don’t want to hear it as its there life long ambition to see themselves in a big shiny truck.The late Les Phillips of Intersped once told Me good business men/woman flourish in times of recession as they have to try that bit harder luck will play a part its a life thing.
The problem now is that it’s not just about a recession it’s an actual deliberate government policy to make road transport a less attractive and economically viable choice for the customer.If fuel duty and VAT were removed together with more flexibility by deregulation of length and gross weight limits then the situation and viability,of subbing out to specialist traction operations,would create a much better business environment for owner drivers.
While the attraction of being an owner driver,at least in my case,wouldn’t be all about wanting to drive a big shiny truck it’s more about being able to pick and choose which sector of the industry to work in and therefore the type of work.In which case an expensive new shiny wagon would be at the bottom of the list as a new start when what’s needed is something that’s up to the job for as little capital outlay as possible.In which case it would most likely to be the luck part of the equation that’s most important in both terms of reliability of the wagon and the amounts of work available at an acceptable enough rate to provide at least as much of a wage as would be possible as an employed driver after all the overheads.In which case it’s only the issue of fuel costs and the levels of east european competition and therefore over capacity in the uk-european haulage market that gives any credibility to Rob K’s case. 
kr79:
If your limited and it goes ■■■■ up you don’t lose your shirt.
In theory yes, but in practice almost every time you get credit as a limited company the directors will have to personally guarantee it. That was the case with me for both fuel cards, the overdraft on the business account and even the finance on the insurance I had in the first year to spread the cost when I was starting up…
Paul