starting your own business

[m1c]

recovery vehicles always seem in demand, might investigate how much money there is in it as they also arnt cheap!

so if I picked up a flatbed and insurance, what else would I need to do? never looked into self employment before

[mk3cokebottle]

http://www.homeworking.com/library/business/index.htm

 

some good guide lines on the link above , when i had a transporter i went into all my local garages and left them a card , under cut everyone else by phoning them up and asking how much they charge then qouting cheaper prices to said garages , the word soon gets round that you are about and cheaper than the rest , get ya cab n chassis spanking and all painted up with your trucks name and telephone number and you are away

[m1c]

cheers will check the link out

it make enuf cash for nice living?

[kevmk2]

My mate Dave does it with an Iveco van converted into a flat bed pick up. Some weeks he earns around £6-800, but then theres fuel costs to come out of that etc etc. Then other weeks it can be quite and he will only earn £150-250. Since the fuel prices have risen he cant compete with some of the larger companys

[JAY PS]

"Another used to be an earner ",i looked into this a while back and more recently when i wanted cars collected from all over the place

To buy a pupose built truck £10k+

Insurance

Tracking system and alarm

Laws and rules on towing and breakdown vehicles are changing and have changed

New regulations will come in 2010 will force smaller operators out of business

Fuel cost

Servicing costs (when trucks off the road your not earning )

 

The motor trade arent moving cars around due to costs as much as a year ago ,i used to travel to Wales ,Manchester and all over but now dont bother .

[kevmk2]

Not a good time for any business at the mo really

[danopier]

Not a good time for any business at the mo really

 

i work for a body shop and iv noticed that my boss has cut down on the use of the recovery truck latly, we now mostly use 2 people 1 to ferry a driver to a car in a loan car the other to drive it back , now only really use the revovery truck for cars that are immobile , i think this applys to most of the motor trade now so as companys can try and like recoup on costs

[Savvi]

A couple of mates of mine both had recovery businesses.

 

 

One of them has recently packed it in not making any money.

 

The other is just doing work for one customer locally, driving himself ...............after have 6 blokes and 4 or 5 recovery vehicles going full time including going abroad.

 

I would say not to bother doing this or anything else at the moment.

 

I've had my own business for about 5 years and this is the hardest i've found it since starting out.

[Cookie]

I have run a recovery truck for last 3 years, when i first started I got a fair amount of work from local garages who bought cars off ebay and a fair bit of work delivering cars i sold on Ebay.

 

Now I have had to all but stop selling cars on ebay due to even the cheapies not selling, and this year have had only one Ebay collection job fopr a m8 who bought a hot rod.

 

It's bloody hard work not knowing where the next bit of cash is coming from, If it was;nt for divesifying into other areas in the trade i would be dead in the water.

 

i have been in and around the motor trade since my first summer job in a garage in school at 14, and know a whole load of people, and now really is the quietest it's been in a long long time, it's like the quiet patch at xmas but obviousley we are bang in the middle of the year

[Rick]

id say its a useful tool for making a bit of cash on the side but dont think ud make a living

[Savvi]

id say its a useful tool for making a bit of cash on the side but dont think ud make a living

 

 

 

Totally agree.

 

I'm looking for, one at the moment.

I buy and sell quite a few cars and have to pick up "dead" cars for my business so i think it will be a worth while investment to have a cheap one sitting about ?