Hi all, I enjoy reading the posts and listening about life is like in the real world of transport. So, I wonder does anyone out there have any experience of this situation?
I was driving for a firm until the end of last year when based on a change in domestic circumstances, I decided to start running my own printing business (a limited company). Obviously, its not connected to transport or driving. Things started off well but its hard to keep cash flow going and so to keep the house going, I have fallen back on some part time diving at weekends on a PAYE basis - but tax wise - the two situations dont mix. so I went to another agency for some Self employed work. This is purely as an agency driver - not an owner driver with my own truck etc.
Today, I signed on, but they advised that as I was working on a self employed basis and not under their own umbrella company, I needed to have my own public liability insurance as well as professional indemity insurance. The agency girl went off to check she was right told me she had and made a quick call to their legal team, who said I could get a suitable policy for around £20 -25 per month for the £2million PL cover and gave me a contact number to call. Do any other Self emplyed drivers out there have such insurance? If so what sort of level and type of cover?
Its unlikley that my PL insurance from my printing company (which is also £20 per month) would cover driving work, but why do I need this sort of insurance to drive? I just presumed that I would be insured to drive as any other driver would be?
I know £25 per month may not seem a lot but is it the agency trying to sell me something I dont need. Probably not - as they said they would have to wait on putting me forward until I coukd provide them with a cert of insurance.
As someone who was self employed ADI we heard this public liabilty thing all the time. Long story short any comprehensive motor policy you are driving under covers all liabilty while driving.
I decided to start running my own printing business (a limited company). Obviously, its not connected to transport or driving. Things started off well but its hard to keep cash flow going and so to keep the house going, I have fallen back on some part time diving at weekends on a PAYE basis - but tax wise - the two situations dont mix.
I think your problem stems from thinking there is a clash between your normal work and working part time on PAYE. You have a limited company, so presumably you are a director of this and your salary is paid to you via PAYE. So your tax free allowance will be absorbed at that point. You simply need to work part-time on a standard PAYE basis but paying tax without allowances.
That gets you out of all the Public Liability requirements and any future liabilites on your earnings. Surely it’s best to have the tax stopped at source and have nothing to worry about?
As Pete says, the PAYE from the driving and the wage from the Ltd. Company shouldn’t cause a problem - you’re simply doing 2 jobs (much like many single parents do these days)
Why could you not simply invoice the haulier from the Ltd company? The P.L liability shoulder make any difference. That’s for things like people slipping over whilst on your premises etc., while you’re driving someone elses truck, you are covered on their commercial vehicle insurance.
all you have to do is invoice the agency via the ltd company that you’re already a director.
the company already has insurance.
your letter head could say “number 1 driver agency” and at the bottom in the small print, it will say “■■■ printers ltd, trading as number 1 driver agency”.
therefore, all you have to do is print off some letterheads, and invoices.
they will probably tell you that they can arrange insurance for you. even though we all know you don’t need it.
I have now found that my own PL insurance does cover me for my premises and out and about in my van ( seperately insured on fully comp for business use) but I have spent about an hour on the web trying to find an insurance company that deals with my driving activities - and the two I spoke to have all asked "Why do you need seperate insurance (from the haulier)? One guy suggested that it was probably because I was not an employee of the agency as would be the case if I went through the agency’s own PAYE system, but his company did not deal with this type of insurance. Still not sure.
Do any of you self employed guys have some insurance contact numbers I could ring?
Ok just checked but my business account does not have any insurance built in.
I have just rung the number the agency gave me and it was their own legal dept. The guy was not very helpful, but said that they had built in cover for all drivers under their own umbrella company but not for self employed with their own limited company. When I asked why that was we just went around in circles so bit of a waste of time, until he said it was eight quid a month deducted from my invioces. For the sake of the ten quid a month I have said yes.
You don’t need to have insurance (PL or PI) to work as self-employed or Ltd Co driver; you are covered by the insurance of the company who’s truck you are driving.
I have driven previously as Self Employed and currently as Ltd Co, and have never had, nor been asked to provide any form of insurance. Ask them what exactly you are taking out insurance for… what does it cover, and why is it not covered by the Transport Cos own insurance, as per their own PAYE drivers and any agency drivers they may use.
