MysonVinnie:
only for one day to come in to work to find he had taken the lot and moved to Poland with his new girlfriend. He left his wife and 3 children with bugger all! Just up and left without word to anyone! [zb]!!!
Still that was a few months ago, we all learn and move on. I suppose everything happens for a reason!
Looks like the Midfield General took over the running there…a lot of those Polish birds are pretty hot alright. This story makes a change from hearing about a poor sod being kicked out and then raped repeatedly by a bunch of divorce solicitors,and ultimately running the business into the ground…
Instead he decided to ■■■■ every last penny from the business accounts, not pay the lease on the units for 4 months, allow us to run with no insurance, as he canceled it without telling us, leaving 6 drivers with not a penny, let alone his family, luckily I saved hard for years so have been able to pick things up, but some arnt so lucky.
Anyway rant over
MysonVinnie:
only for one day to come in to work to find he had taken the lot and moved to Poland with his new girlfriend. He left his wife and 3 children with bugger all! Just up and left without word to anyone! [zb]!!!
Still that was a few months ago, we all learn and move on. I suppose everything happens for a reason!
Looks like the Midfield General took over the running there…a lot of those Polish birds are pretty hot alright. This story makes a change from hearing about a poor sod being kicked out and then raped repeatedly by a bunch of divorce solicitors,and ultimately running the business into the ground…
Instead he decided to ■■■■ every last penny from the business accounts, not pay the lease on the units for 4 months, allow us to run with no insurance, as he canceled it without telling us, leaving 6 drivers with not a penny, let alone his family, luckily I saved hard for years so have been able to pick things up, but some arnt so lucky.
Anyway rant over
Ah yes…a person of good repute no doubt…he obviously had his priorities in order!
At £1.50 per mile you could be a bit on the low side. It does depend on the vehicles and what maintenance you have or don’t have.
I work with an ‘older’ fleet with in house maintenance. The age of the fleet (therefore reliability) with the cost of fuel means I am working nearer £1.75 per mile which means we often end up out pricing ourselves and not getting the work we would like … but we also aren’t taking on work that doesn’t stand a chance of making profit.
More seem to be leaving the industry than starting off. I am sick of coming across hauliers clearly taking on jobs that they cannot possibly make money on. The rates I come up against are unbelievable - even as back loads they don’t make sense. This is just lowering the value of what we do and screwing us all.
After years of running like that - we have seen the light and although the fleet is smaller than it once was - we only take on profitable work. it has been a hard couple of years with more to come.
I hope all goes well for you. With the right contract/s, vehicles and staff - money can be made.
shep532:
At £1.50 per mile you could be a bit on the low side. It does depend on the vehicles and what maintenance you have or don’t have.
I work with an ‘older’ fleet with in house maintenance. The age of the fleet (therefore reliability) with the cost of fuel means I am working nearer £1.75 per mile which means we often end up out pricing ourselves and not getting the work we would like … but we also aren’t taking on work that doesn’t stand a chance of making profit.
More seem to be leaving the industry than starting off. I am sick of coming across hauliers clearly taking on jobs that they cannot possibly make money on. The rates I come up against are unbelievable - even as back loads they don’t make sense. This is just lowering the value of what we do and screwing us all.
After years of running like that - we have seen the light and although the fleet is smaller than it once was - we only take on profitable work. it has been a hard couple of years with more to come.
I hope all goes well for you. With the right contract/s, vehicles and staff - money can be made.
Pete
Pete
Luckily we have secured a dedicated sub contractor deal over 3 years with a very good rate, It gives a reasonable profit level, like you we have set a rate that we simply won’t and can’t go below. There are many contracts out there (especially those that are advertised in the back of the magazines) that only just cover fuel.
The only mistake that I think I have made is buying our units, looking at it now I wish I would have leased, especially with the deals that are available at the moment.
Without being too nosey … I take it you have secured some kind of fuel surcharge or escalator? I’m sure we’ll be hitting £1.50 a litre (ex vat) by 2013
We have a pretty good contract with a large supermarket which has a good fuel surcharge - so we manage to maintain profit levels no matter what the price of fuel does. (within reason). Their base rate for calculating the rates is 78 pence per litre I can’t even remember fuel being that cheap
It’s quite worrying putting in a rate based on 78 pence per litlre - makes the rates look terrible, but then their complicated fuel surcharge drags it up to a proper rate. Quite confusing really.
MysonVinnie:
Luckily we have secured a dedicated sub contractor deal over 3 years with a very good rate, It gives a reasonable profit level, like you we have set a rate that we simply won’t and can’t go below.
This (IMO) is the only way you will ever make any proper money in the haulage game. When people say “someones got to make a success of it” they are talking about proper contracts like you describe, not subbying for Maritime etc. Good luck to you.
shep532:
At £1.50 per mile you could be a bit on the low side. It does depend on the vehicles and what maintenance you have or don’t have.
I work with an ‘older’ fleet with in house maintenance. The age of the fleet (therefore reliability) with the cost of fuel means I am working nearer £1.75 per mile which means we often end up out pricing ourselves and not getting the work we would like … but we also aren’t taking on work that doesn’t stand a chance of making profit.
More seem to be leaving the industry than starting off. I am sick of coming across hauliers clearly taking on jobs that they cannot possibly make money on. The rates I come up against are unbelievable - even as back loads they don’t make sense. This is just lowering the value of what we do and screwing us all.
After years of running like that - we have seen the light and although the fleet is smaller than it once was - we only take on profitable work. it has been a hard couple of years with more to come.
I hope all goes well for you. With the right contract/s, vehicles and staff - money can be made.
Pete
Pete
Luckily we have secured a dedicated sub contractor deal over 3 years with a very good rate, It gives a reasonable profit level, like you we have set a rate that we simply won’t and can’t go below. There are many contracts out there (especially those that are advertised in the back of the magazines) that only just cover fuel.
The only mistake that I think I have made is buying our units, looking at it now I wish I would have leased, especially with the deals that are available at the moment.
Maybe not such a mistake buying, should the job change you have the option of down/upsizing to suit, can flog a motor if need be, stand one down for a while etc, and you keep control of all vehicle costs and can maintain as you want.
If leased you’ve got to find that payment every month without fail for the duration, and it has to be returned in adequate condition or penalties may apply.
Maybe if you need another truck or two then leasing some and owning some to give you flexibility, and you can judge the savings or not for yourself over a year?
My mate only buys good used, and keeps very tight cost control over his 4/5 vehicles, its working for him, he does not want to be signed up to a massive lease deal and i tend to agree with him, not as he doesn’t tear his hair out and cuss fluently when several things go expensively wrong in a month mind….
By the way he wouldn’t have an auto truck on his small fleet if you begged him.
Leasing is good in the fact you know your costs for the truck and maintaince every month but the maintaince charge works out about 500 quid a month. I know you could be unlucky and have a few big breakdowns but it shouldn’t cost 6k a year to maintain a truck if you do it yourselves or indipendant garages.
kr79:
Leasing is good in the fact you know your costs for the truck and maintaince every month but the maintaince charge works out about 500 quid a month. I know you could be unlucky and have a few big breakdowns but it shouldn’t cost 6k a year to maintain a truck if you do it yourselves or indipendant garages.
I hope I have done the right thing, I can be a bit of a worrier some times so the thought of a breakdown etc just concerns me a bit. I see tour point about the 6k figure. Although a friend has just had a cracked head repaired on a daf 95 at a cost of 8k !!
MysonVinnie:
Although a friend has just had a cracked head repaired on a daf 95 at a cost of 8k !!
Who repaired that, Harrods with parts supplied by House of Frazer? I had exactly the same repair done in 2005 on a 430XF & I think it cost me about £1,600, that was for a 2nd hand head, labour to have all the valves re-seated & the other head off & two new gaskets.
MysonVinnie:
After much going back and forth, and many months consideration I have finally decided to ignore all the switched on logical people and put 3 units on the road!
Obviously I haven’t gone in blind, I have secured a reasonable UK contract, and spent many many hours with the accountant and family working out how the hell I can make my dream a reality!
The thing that has got me is the actual running costs these days of trucks, and how things have changed from when I got into driving only 10 years ago.
When all considered of asset depreciation, maintenance, fuel, adblue, wages, tolls, overnight parking, a bit in the bank for when it all goes ■■■■ up and a tiny bit of profit, your looking at around £1.50 per mile.
I am very lucky in that I don’t have any bank loans and have managed to purchase good units at a reasonable price, but if I had a loan I just couldn’t see a way of making money, in fact I would be loosing big time!
Are my calculations wrong?? If not how do the subbys that do it for £1 and a mars bar
MysonVinnie:
After much going back and forth, and many months consideration I have finally decided to ignore all the switched on logical people and put 3 units on the road!
Obviously I haven’t gone in blind, I have secured a reasonable UK contract, and spent many many hours with the accountant and family working out how the hell I can make my dream a reality!
The thing that has got me is the actual running costs these days of trucks, and how things have changed from when I got into driving only 10 years ago.
When all considered of asset depreciation, maintenance, fuel, adblue, wages, tolls, overnight parking, a bit in the bank for when it all goes ■■■■ up and a tiny bit of profit, your looking at around £1.50 per mile.
I am very lucky in that I don’t have any bank loans and have managed to purchase good units at a reasonable price, but if I had a loan I just couldn’t see a way of making money, in fact I would be loosing big time!
Are my calculations wrong?? If not how do the subbys that do it for £1 and a mars bar make a living??
How have things turned out,
you enjoying running your own business
I can’t even remember fuel being that cheap 
.
