thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some light
questions
1,would i need a operators licence
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
No and no.
Don’t need an MOT either. But you are using it for recovery ofcourse and not just general haulage…
madmanjay:
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some lightquestions
1,would i need a operators licence
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
stagedriver:
No and no.Don’t need an MOT either. But you are using it for recovery of course and not just general haulage…
if I’m reading between the lines correctly it seems a bit risky to me, what’s the penalty for using a none exempted vehicle without an operators license.
The OP doesn’t appear to want to use the vehicle for recovery but to transport accident damaged vehicles he buys, I would think he would need a limited operators license and would have to comply with the 6 weekly inspections.
I could be wrong though 
I would say the answer is yes and yes and tacho.
Tacho,you posted while I was typing.I agree with you.Hes buying the cars.Different story if he was recovering accident damaged/broken down motors.Up this way you will get pulled the first day youre out in it.And most other days too.
If he runs it (unintentionally) as a recovery company however transporting as he stated then he will be fine.
It’s considered ‘bad’ not to have an O licence in the recovery industry but you dont really need it. They are exempt from MOT’s etc.
But the only way you could get around the O is by making RECOVERY and operating in such a manner, or at least appearing to.
madmanjay:
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some lightquestions
1,would i need a operators licence
Hi madmanjay,
Yes, IMHO you would need an own account (AKA restricted) ‘O’ licence, because what you propose to do is the very definition of ‘own account.’
The goods (accident damaged cars) are yours, and your use of the vehicle is ‘in connection with a trade or business.’
madmanjay:
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
Yes, inspections and maintenance arrangements are one of several undertakings (promises) you will give to the Traffic Commissioner when you apply for the ‘O’ licence.
Given that you’ve mentioned “twin deck,” I’d say that this type of vehicle will look more like a transporter than a recovery truck, so that’ll probably be a bit of a giveaway to the ever observant VOSA if you’re not quite kosher.
As for the penalties if you’re caught using a non ‘O’ licenced vehicle when you’re not exempt, you could end up the truck being impounded and face the possibility of (IIRC) a fine of up to £2,500 at a Magistrates’ Court.
There’s quite a bit of paperwork and other administrative hassles involved in getting and maintaining an ‘O’ licence along with all the other ongoing legal compliance stuff that goes with it, so wouldn’t it be cheaper and easier for you to pay somebody else to transport the cars for you?
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars
If you tax the vehicle as RECOVERY, then you can recover a broken down car or accident damaged car to an onward destination. You will NOT be covered as recovery if you move car from onward destination to another destination.
Accident damaged cars are classified as GOODS so you will need an O licence.
Recovery trucks DO require a MOT and 6 weekly inspections
Hope this makes sense
stagedriver:
If he runs it (unintentionally) as a recovery company however transporting as he stated then he will be fine.It’s considered ‘bad’ not to have an O licence in the recovery industry but you dont really need it. They are exempt from MOT’s etc.
But the only way you could get around the O is by making RECOVERY and operating in such a manner, or at least appearing to.
How will he be fine? Dont you mean fined? I know a good few operators in Fife and the Lothians,some doing recovery and some buying accident damaged or scrap cars.The recovery guys get stopped when they have broken down cars on the back and the police check the car is broken down.The guys buying the scrap/damaged cars get pulled at least once a week. Might get away with it in a city where you are only running a few miles but its still illegal.
Reading the original question, the OP doesn’t want to run a breakdown truck, he wants a truck he can transport damaged cars when he has bought them, presumably so he can get them back on the road again. So it needs to be treated as a normal goods vehicle surely?
Yes You will need an ‘O’ licence. As you will not be doing recovery, you are planning to do vehicle movement.
Paul
madmanjay:
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some lightquestions
1,would i need a operators licence
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
If you want to get round the O/License thing, stick to <3.5 tonne gross Sprinter or ■■■■■■ and one car at a time 
madmanjay:
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some lightquestions
1,would i need a operators licence
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
1, Yes, you need an O license
2, Yes, you need maintenance
People who say here that you don’t need O license, tacho or test/maintenance don’t know what they’re talking about.
‘Recovery vehicles’ are not test exempt, they never were and they never will be.
‘Specialised breakdown vehicles’ were test exempt, but this exemption is ending shortly.
You can have a ‘Specialised Breakdown Vehicle’ that is taxed as recovery.
You can have a ‘Recovery Vehicle’ that is taxed as recovery, but not Olicense, tacho and test exempt
If you use this truck for buying accident damaged cars, then this is ‘for burden’, and no different from general haulage.
VOSA are getting wise to people mis-using the breakdown truck exemption.
Do you want me to provide all the legislation to back this up?
stagedriver:
If he runs it (unintentionally) as a recovery company however transporting as he stated then he will be fine.
He will not be fine, he will be running bent, transporting is not recovery, it is transporting, haulage. All the normal haulage rules apply.
stagedriver:
It’s considered ‘bad’ not to have an O licence in the recovery industry but you dont really need it.
In the same way it’s considered ‘bad’ to run an artic on haulage without an O license.
For the type of work the OP suggests,you do really need it.
stagedriver:
But the only way you could get around the O is by making RECOVERY and operating in such a manner, or at least appearing to.
Stagedriver, please don’t encourage this guy to run bent.
To the OP, take legal advice on this, don’t rely on people’s opinions. Especially when they’re giving advice on a subject they know nothing about!
another thing to consider is that twin deck 7.5 tonners are very close to overloading the front axle which vosa and even the average policeman is aware of and is a good enough reason to pull you even if it looked the dogs b.
Big Joe:
If you want to get round the O/License thing, stick to <3.5 tonne gross Sprinter or ■■■■■■ and one car at a time
Even then you need to be careful Joe, we built out Transit (lwb chassis cab, rwd) as light as we could, the body is actually the deck off a Brenderupp tilting car trailer, pressed steel planking, very light.
With a driver, spare wheel and full tank of diesel, it weighs off at 2050 kgs, so only 1450kgs payload.
Thats about a Focus/Astra.
The VOSA are getting wise to this (certainly round our way, they’re pulling beavertail transits in regulary on Scotch Corner weighbridge) and are cracking down. Makes me giggle when you see a Transit with a Range Rover or Disco on the back!
thanks for all the info guys,decided to leave the 7.5 tonne after all, on the look out for a 3.5 tonne now think that will be best option as i’m still driving artics for a living and these cars i buy is only a part time thing,plus there is the driving hours side of things
madmanjay:
thanks for all the info guys,decided to leave the 7.5 tonne after all, on the look out for a 3.5 tonne now think that will be best option as i’m still driving artics for a living and these cars i buy is only a part time thing,plus there is the driving hours side of things
I’m puzzled?
You feel the need to purchase a twin deck car transporter to move cat “■■” vehicles yet you admit to still driving artics for a living?
If you’re in the business of buying £ low to sell £ high then surely you already know the answer?
If you don’t, then you are heading for a big & quite rude awakening.
I know a few people who make a good living off buying cat A to Z repairables, yet none of them actually own their transport method from the salvage yard to the back street garage where they work.
You are based in Mansfield, you need to drive artics for a living, & you need to keep your eye on your driving hours?
None of the info you have openly given us makes any sense to me whatsoever so far.
If, indeed you are interested in Satan’s first principle of buying £ low & selling £ high, then why do you wish to discover how £ much to run a twin deck car transporter?
you stand very little chance of pulling the wool over the vosa or police mans eyes they will spot you from the start , the first question they will ask is who owns the car or cars on the back and from that point on you would be doomed .
imagine if angus gets ya !
buy a cheap landrover and get a strop and a mate
thinking of buying a 7.5 tonne recovery truck for buying accident damaged repair cars,just a few questions for you guys,wondering if you could shed some light
questions
1,would i need a operators licence
2,would the truck in question require 6 weekly inspections
Yes you would need a operators licence and yes it would only exemption is for spec trucks where there been modified just for the role of recovering disabled vehicles and they don’t need a mot but… that only applys if your using it for a breakdown if you just transport a vehicle or buy one and move it then you need a O licence also police are cracking down on recovery vehicles if you’ve flat bed its not mot exempt etc as its just flat bed lorry which can move other things