I have been browsing these forums for many months now , researching the industry i intend to set up business in.
I have been and got my CPC and am now just awaiting the grant of my Operators Licence with a few to purchasing a 6*2 tractor and hitting the streets.
As a newbie i have found it quite difficult to get a real feel what potential rates are to be had for different types of haulage work with realistic weekly earnings.
This quid a mile lark is no way near enough to cover ones operating costs so i want to know how you all do it?
It would be great if a price table could be produced on this forum which would help owner drivers in preparing financial forecasts.
Any advice??
MARCH284:
Any advice??
Yes, do not even think about purchasing that 6x2 tractor unit and hitting the street until you have work lined up. Until you have work, and know the rate it will pay, you can’t know if you can afford the truck.
MARCH284:
This quid a mile lark is no way near enough to cover ones operating costs so i want to know how you all do it?
That’s easy, don’t work for a quid a mile.
MARCH284:
It would be great if a price table could be produced on this forum which would help owner drivers in preparing financial forecasts.
You should have almost all the figures you need to produce your forecasts, the only thing missing is the rates and no one on here can tell you them, only your potential customers can. There are cost tables produced by people like the RHA but to be honest I have never found them to be much use for an OD. They may be fine for a large concern but the figures are always wildly different from mine.
These forums can provide answers to many questions on legal and technical problems, on the steps needed in obtaining an O Licence, on insurance, on peoples experiences of dealing with different firms etc. However, the "Where can I find work and what will it pay” questions are almost impossible to answer.
Thanks Coffeeholic.
The more i put the figures together it seems difficult to squeeze a living from being an owner driver yet there are loads of you out there.
I will not be purchasing a unit until i can be sure that i would be running in the black.
I dont want to appear naive but what is the best paying work out there. ie is it general haulage,container work,bulk ,fridge etc etc. i am asking this question as it is people like your good self who has done it and knows what to avoid.
I have read in previous threads that you have considered throwing the towel in, which for someone contemplating spending some serious cash feels a little unnerving to say the least.
My point is that i have done the figures, used the costing tables and i have arrived at a general haulage rate of £1.60 / mile.
The feeling i get is that this is simply unrealistic.
Maybe putting in the time and effort to get my CPC and the expense of an Operators Licence is all in vain 
MARCH284:
I dont want to appear naive but what is the best paying work out there. ie is it general haulage,container work,bulk ,fridge etc etc
Hard to say, I have never done containers or fridge work and know very little about those operations. Usually the best work is some kind of niche market as there would eb less competition.
MARCH284:
I have read in previous threads that you have considered throwing the towel in
I don’t want to, but if things continue the way they are at the moment I will have no choice as I will not be earning enough to pay the bills, never mind earn a living.
MARCH284:
My point is that i have done the figures, used the costing tables and i have arrived at a general haulage rate of £1.60 / mile.
Most of the jobs I have done recently have paid between £1.80 and £2.60 a mile, a few paid over £3.00 and a couple paid over £5.00 a mile - Dunstable - Hatfield - Dunstable, 48 mile round trip and paid £250. 
That sounds OK but the problem is I haven’t been doing enough miles and haven’t been working every day. Unfortunately a lot of that work has now finshed with the ending of a contract.
I know when I was working part time for a guy who was on Ferrymaster out of Hull and Immingham he made good money because he had 2 trucks with full timers on tramping all week then 3 parttimers running them on a weekend up and down to Scotland on a special all year job.
We went empty to Glasgow and came back with 5 tonnes max so fuel usage was minimum. During the week if one truck was home during I would do the Hull run to turn the trailer and save time.
Although the rates were not excellent the mileage was high sometimes upto 3500kms so it paid well