AaronR:
The fact why its so hard to get your own direct work is because its alot easier for companies to deal with bigger firms who have more resource, that way they can pass on their mix of good and bad jobs, while the only driver is only going to be looking for that good job, which happens to match with his hours etc. For example, say a freight forwarder gives a haulier 1 jobs a day, there might be 4 or 5 good jobs, but the rest will be “crap”" jobs like for example midday cambridge ex Felixstowe or something like that, this obviously wouldnt be any good for the one man band who may be in Felixstowe at 6pm the day before with a couple of hours still to run whereas a it would fit in somewhere in a bigger fleet as they are bound to have a truck running in to Felixstowe first thing that morning.
Its just much easier for Customers to deal with bigger companies IMO.
It depends on the lead time you get from the customer. with a bit of notice your 1200 Cambridge can be slotted in between other local work/shunting. Tbh though box work from the lines tends to be very short notice.
whereas the agents/merchants i work for usually give me nearer a week and ask (mostly) what booking times, if any, i want.
Takes time though, to reach that stage and while i agree with Phil in principal, you need to break the catch 22 somehow. Subbing, albeit short term ain’t the end of the world.
The original question of this thread is quite easily answered.
The reason many folk start out sub-ing is because they love driving lorries, and it’s an easier way in to the industry than trying to find a major customer who will fill the majority of your available working hours.
In fact, it’s sometimes easier than finding a job with an employer!
Many of us harbour the dream of owning one or more trucks, with a big customer, who pays well and on time. This is commonly known as “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. But that doesn’t mean no one should try. If you don’t try, you wont have any chance of it coming off.
Raise your glasses to the Subbies, the truckers who truly keep the wheels of the country turning!!
scotrodg:
The original question of this thread is quite easily answered.
The reason many folk start out sub-ing is because they love driving lorries, and it’s an easier way in to the industry than trying to find a major customer who will fill the majority of your available working hours.
In fact, it’s sometimes easier than finding a job with an employer!
Many of us harbour the dream of owning one or more trucks, with a big customer, who pays well and on time. This is commonly known as “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. But that doesn’t mean no one should try. If you don’t try, you wont have any chance of it coming off.
Raise your glasses to the Subbies, the truckers who truly keep the wheels of the country turning!!
Yeah, to right. I agree, anyone who has the balls to start as an od in the firstplace deserves a pat on the back.!!
My thoughts precisely, I don’t think I’ve seen one for a few years and even then it was probably about a quarter of the thickness they were twenty years ago.
They delivered them to my block about two weeks ago… A pile of them still lies in the hall, I think maybe 20% of them disapeared… But in my block there is lot of elderly people…
scotrodg:
The original question of this thread is quite easily answered.
The reason many folk start out sub-ing is because they love driving lorries, and it’s an easier way in to the industry than trying to find a major customer who will fill the majority of your available working hours.
In fact, it’s sometimes easier than finding a job with an employer!
Many of us harbour the dream of owning one or more trucks, with a big customer, who pays well and on time. This is commonly known as “Cloud Cuckoo Land”. But that doesn’t mean no one should try. If you don’t try, you wont have any chance of it coming off.
Raise your glasses to the Subbies, the truckers who truly keep the wheels of the country turning!!
Yeah, to right. I agree, anyone who has the balls to start as an od in the firstplace deserves a pat on the back.!!
^ +1
Or there’s the other option of having no interest whatsoever in the cloud cuckoo land scenario anyway so there’s no need to ‘try’ to make it happen and therefore no real need for any ‘business plan’ to show such an intention.In which case the ‘business plan’ just means what it says on the tin working as an owner driver/sub contractor with one truck and that’s as far as the owner driver in question would wish to grow the operation.
