newmercman:
The colour, the lights and bars and the interior design by Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen don’t bother me one bit, but as an owner operator the mpg most certainly would, I’d suffer a bit of comfort for ten grand or so extra in the bank each year
Well, luckily enough I’ve got enough money not to have to worry about the odd ten grand here or there.
You won’t have if you keep giving it to Keyfuels
Seriously though, as you said yourself, you’ve slowed down now you’re paying the bills, so you know the importance of mpg. I know you’ve said that you’re not doing this to become a millionaire (you’d need at least two million in the bank now to do that by next year anyway, if you’re lucky ) You only need to cover your expenses and make a small profit and you’ll be a happy camper. Nice position to be in, but the line between that and losing money is very easy to cross and it will soon put a stop to enjoying the job when you’re getting up at 4am to get [zb]ed about all day and not earning a penny out of it
It would be interesting to see a thread about all the steps you’ve taken so far, from the idea, through all the bureaucracy, to getting on the road and getting the first cheque in the bank. You’ve been pretty open about things so far, I reckon it would be an eye opener for others who want to follow in your footsteps
I will now resume my ■■■■ taking…
Is the rumour that you were thinking of having stone cladding put on the cab true
Stone cladding is so last year Mark
I have always thought the shape of the cab would work well with the Swedish style Pine cladding , it would certainly stand out in the crowd although it would require a regular spruce up with cuprinol which isnt cheap, I would use old engine oil mixed with derv to get the same effect. HTH.
Edd China holds the record for fastest shed in the world , I think it went 54 mph so prehaps we have a new record breaker amongst the holy pages of trucknet.co.uk . Fingers crossed .
take your avatar away like mine , I havent had mine since the Falklands were invaded . So be warned young man , its a very humiliating expierence being avatarless in a world of so many beautiful and witty avatars .
newmercman:
It would be interesting to see a thread about all the steps you’ve taken so far, from the idea, through all the bureaucracy, to getting on the road and getting the first cheque in the bank. You’ve been pretty open about things so far, I reckon it would be an eye opener for others who want to follow in your footsteps
Agree it would be a interesting post, I would love to know how people start up in this business in the hard times we are living in etc. The main thing I always believed was you have to have enough customers and business to keep a float so how do you get these people on board ? Word of mouth and the likes ? It would make a interesting post
newmercman:
It would be interesting to see a thread about all the steps you’ve taken so far, from the idea, through all the bureaucracy, to getting on the road and getting the first cheque in the bank. You’ve been pretty open about things so far, I reckon it would be an eye opener for others who want to follow in your footsteps
Agree it would be a interesting post, I would love to know how people start up in this business in the hard times we are living in etc. The main thing I always believed was you have to have enough customers and business to keep a float so how do you get these people on board ? Word of mouth and the likes ? It would make a interesting post
In actual fact, pretty much every step of the process, from sitting the Operator’s CPC examination to the present week has been discussed in the Owner and Operator’s forum, including the reasons why I decided to put a truck on the road.
I’m not expecting to earn a fortune, rather I’m hoping to earn a living and to be able to have a little more degree of control over the vehicle I drive and the way I work. I’m also hoping to be sufficiently established when we come out of recession, a few years down the line, that I might be able to expand, come off of the road and be able to run things from home, provide my girlfriend with a part-time job, and possibly my children too, should they need it.
We are living in difficult times, but I’m earning a reasonable rate for the work I’m doing, I’m paid a variable fuel surcharge so I’m not affected by diesel price increases, and the people at the firm I’m working for, for whom I’ve done a large amount of backload work as an employee in a previous job, are some of the most decent people you will find in road transport.
I probably wouldn’t have gone down this path had I been able to find a decent job as an employee, but the fact is that I haven’t been able to and I’ve spent a considerable amount of the last two years being out of work. I don’t qualify for benefits and so if I just carried on like that then eventually my savings would disappear, so I really don’t have anything to lose.
Anyway, see you all up the road next week. Thurrock for 0600 tomorrow, then probably a load to the West Country.
Harry Monk:
It is quite distinctive, and as I’ll be looking to pick up roadshow and promotional work once I get a second truck on the road, it will be its own advert. I wouldn’t personally bother with light bars and air horns etc but they were on there when I bought it and the kids love them. I think the vinyl graphics have transformed the look of truck and at £140 for the lot were a bargain.
If and when I do put another truck on the road, I’ll ask on TruckNet if anyone’s interested in a job. You’ll earn fantastic money if you’re prepared to go away for three or four months, and have a job that you’ll remember on your deathbed as the best experience of your life.
Here’s a few pics so look out for me and give me a wave, or if you see me parked up come up and introduce yourself, if I’ve got time I always love a coffee and a chat, new contacts etc.
Nice truck Harry, hope all works out for you. I’ll be looking out for it on my travels.
) You only need to cover your expenses and make a small profit and you’ll be a happy camper. Nice position to be in, but the line between that and losing money is very easy to cross and it will soon put a stop to enjoying the job when you’re getting up at 4am to get [zb]ed about all day and not earning a penny out of it
