Potential new Operator questions

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi

No doubt my questions have been asked before, and I have done a lot of searching and reading of these forums since signing up, but asking direct questions usually gets the right answers. :wink:

Very brief background on my intentions:

I intend to start a new business in the next 12 - 18 months transporting customers motorbikes from UK to Europe and return, as part of a holiday package. Currently I expect to do this in 7.5 tonner, mini artic or even possibly a 5th wheeler/pickup truck combo. Whichever I use I will need an international O licence. I have C1, C1E & D1E driving licences. I intend to take my Operator CPC test rather than rely on an external Transport Manager, as I will only be operating one vehicle to start with, and for the forseeable future and prefer to be in full control myself.

For the Operator CPC, would you recommend a Home Study course, or the intensive 2 week course? I am currently in full employment, in a completely unrelated industry, and whilst I could get the time off for the 2 week course, I prefer not to use my remaining holiday if I can help it - and so would the wife! Home study would suit me better, and is of course much cheaper, but if it’s not worth it then I need to know.

I’m pretty good at self disciplined study. If you were going for the home study, who would you recommend? I’ve looked at the four following companies:

Friendberry - charging £175 - friendberry.co.uk/product.php?xProd=48
Operators License . net, charging £85 - operatorslicense.net/index.htm
Commercial Operator Training Solutions charging (no rates given) - cotsolutions.co.uk/operator-cpc/
Road Haulage Association charging £160 - rhaonline.co.uk/courses/list.php?id=28

My inclination is to go with the RHA course, purely from the ‘association’ connection, but you may know otherwise or have an opinion of the above which I would welcome.

Also, would you recommend becoming a member of the RHA? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?

Very grateful for any info or advice you guys could give at the moment, thanks.

2

OracleMuppet:
Hi

For the Operator CPC, would you recommend a Home Study course, or the intensive 2 week course? I am currently in full employment, in a completely unrelated industry, and whilst I could get the time off for the 2 week course, I prefer not to use my remaining holiday if I can help it - and so would the wife! Home study would suit me better, and is of course much cheaper, but if it’s not worth it then I need to know.

I’m pretty good at self disciplined study.

Hi, welcome along. I think you’ve answered your own question there. I tried home study, couldn’t get on with it and ended up doing the classroom course. But then I am not very self-disciplined. You’ll save a lot of money doing it home study.

OracleMuppet:
Also, would you recommend becoming a member of the RHA?

About as much as I’d recommend putting every penny you have on Lord Lucan and Shergar being found tomorrow on the moon living in a double decker bus.

Ask again when you have 35+ trucks on the road.

Your business plan seems sound, in fact I read just last week about this, motorcycle holidays where the rider flies to the destination and his bike is already there waiting for him and it seemed like a fantastic idea to me. Anything else you want to ask, then just ask.

3

Thanks Harry,

Yes, there’s a few companies around offering the service, but they’re established companies who are running to pre-existing depots in places like Nice, Malaga, Milan etc., and the biker has to take his bike to one of their UK depots, and in some cases, load it onto a stillage crate himself and ratchet strap it in. I’m aiming to do a door to door service.

Spending lots of time researching, working out costs, scaring myself, working out costs again, looking at all kinds of vehicles, wondering what the hell I’m thinking of when I have a well paid job that’s reasonably safe.

But I’m bored, fed up, and getting itchy feet - plus I’m good at organising tours (been doing it as a hobby for 10 years, also spent 15 years as a coach driver on and off in a former life), so life being as short as it is, it’s time to say [zb] it, and go for it.

Comments noted about the RHA!

Cheers
Clive

4

OracleMuppet:
But I’m bored, fed up, and getting itchy feet - plus I’m good at organising tours (been doing it as a hobby for 10 years, also spent 15 years as a coach driver on and off in a former life), so life being as short as it is, it’s time to say [zb] it, and go for it.

Well then do it. It’s always the things you want to do but bottle out of that you regret, not the things that you do do, even if they don’t work out quite how you planned.

5

personally, i think that the full course is a better proposition than the home study course

if you go on the full course with the RHA, then you will also get a lot more information which will be invaluable, which you would not get in the home study pack

also, if you don’t understand something, you will have someone there to ask for clarification

on the home study, you have got you, yourself, and the dog (if you have one), and it will be down to how you understand what is there

from what i have been told, by various people, the success rate is far better

as for being a member of the RHA?

do you like wasting your money?

because, as Harry eluded to, they really are not interested in the little guy

6

^ this is true,there were a lot of things I was stuck on in the course if I had been at home studying I would still be stuck now .

7

Ok, fair comments regarding being stuck on something at home, but all the companies offer online help either by email, or online chat, so I don’t think that’s a major issue, but certainly something to bear in mind.

Thanks

8

Oracle muppet,

Just a thought for you, as well as motor bikes, push bikes there is a winter market for this, it’s pretty big business.

Also the events for example 2 years ago the airports messed up and 200 cycles had to be driven to Turkey from England just for the European triathlon championships, I took 2 in a car and got silly money.

I once wanted to buy a cycle from Tenerife £3k had 2 quotes one to purchase a bag and then fly it home was £410 the other a transport company specialising in moving sports goods would transport it 6-9 weeks cost, ready £1100 I didn’t buy the bike.

As for CPC I sat in a classroom

9

Muckspreader:
Oracle muppet,

Just a thought for you, as well as motor bikes, push bikes there is a winter market for this, it’s pretty big business.

As for CPC I sat in a classroom

Hi Muckspreader,

Yeah good advice, I’ve already got my eyes on that market for winter work. Thanks

Cheers
Clive

10

Homestudy with the cheapest package available. No problem at all. Study at home then turn up at college on day for exams. I did this in 2006.

Classroom ok if you have the time or can’t study yourself but you have already covered that.

Cheers…Joe.

11

OracleMuppet:
Hi

For the Operator CPC, would you recommend a Home Study course, or the intensive 2 week course? I am currently in full employment, in a completely unrelated industry, and whilst I could get the time off for the 2 week course, I prefer not to use my remaining holiday if I can help it - and so would the wife! Home study would suit me better, and is of course much cheaper, but if it’s not worth it then I need to know.

Hi there… Not sure this is a bit late but…

I did the home study course and I passed both exams first time. I started studying properly in January for the exams in March. I just suppose how patient and disciplined you are. I do have a degree from 12 years ago so was used to home study and exams.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

12

I think it depends how much experience you have.

I done the exams in March and passed first time.
I done a two week course with the FTA.

The multiple choice exam is fairly easy all you do is go over the multi questions revision papers Till there in your head parrot fashion and you will pass easy.

The written exam depends on how much experience you have got in business and transport.
You need to know business accounts, driver hours and WTD, licensing, calculating costs and loads general â– â– â– â– â–  inside out.

I knew the drivers hours and WTD and licensing inside out as that is my job.
I had to learn costing and accounts.

If you go on one of those courses blind with no experience it would be very intense to go on a course two weeks before the exams and pass.

A two week course is a two week course.
You can’t learn anymore than what you do on any other two week course.

I was studying myself for about 2 hours a night for 6 weeks before the exams and done the 80 hours learning with an instructor.

13

Yes, if you have had previous experience of proper academic study, for example, A-level maths, engineering degree or something like that you will have no problem getting through it as it is not hard in comparison if you have the ability to just get the learning done sufficiently, you will be fine with home studying.

If your only studying experience was struggling at a secondary modern, or whatever, you are going to need a lot of one to one help to get through. I think even some decent o-levels, but no further, from a grammar school and you might still be better off in a classroom. It’s basically down to the person involved to be totally honest with themselves about their own capabilities. If you can teach yourself things successfully there are more resources out there to help than ever before.