Have a van, and spare time, how do I earn money?
Have a van, and spare time, how do I earn money?
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lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
I am just about to buy a van for my business that involved mainly working on Sunday morning. So the rest of the week will be free.

Say I have a high top newish Transit, what is the best way to make money out of it in the week?

Open to all suggestions!

Lukeypoodle

64 posts

108 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
House clearances.

ghost83

5,640 posts

220 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
Yep, house clearances and removals

Also courier

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
House clearances, had not thought of that. I am probably best to get some kind of van insurance that is a bit more than just personal business then.

dudleybloke

20,553 posts

216 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
Put some "man with van" ads on Gumtree and Facebook.

anonymous-user

84 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
lost in espace said:
House clearances, had not thought of that. I am probably best to get some kind of van insurance that is a bit more than just personal business then.
In terms of insurance if you avoid courier work it's pretty affordable.

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
desolate said:
In terms of insurance if you avoid courier work it's pretty affordable.
Good thinking, I was thinking about getting into dog walking but the income seems to be a bit limited to 11-2 and the number of dogs you can walk.

I have seen a SWB Transit, I hired one the other week and kept catching the rear wheels on the kerb when turning. If I went for a MWB do you think I would learn to turn without doing this?

SantaBarbara

3,244 posts

138 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
Courier work?

anonymous-user

84 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
lost in espace said:
Good thinking, I was thinking about getting into dog walking but the income seems to be a bit limited to 11-2 and the number of dogs you can walk.

I have seen a SWB Transit, I hired one the other week and kept catching the rear wheels on the kerb when turning. If I went for a MWB do you think I would learn to turn without doing this?
No idea - I'm ok at insurance, not so hot on driving a van.

Some courier companies offer a full franchise so all you do is provide the van and yourself. Don't think you will get rich that way, but it will be an income.

Simpo Two

92,914 posts

295 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
If you clear a house you'll have to dump the stuff somewhere.

I'd suggest minor house removals and sofa moves.

Frimley111R

19,293 posts

264 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
Don't forget that with house clearances etc you'll be the one potentially lifting a lot of heavy stuff

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
House clearances are a bit of an issue with haulage insurance (necessary I am told) and waste carriers licences. So that is a no.

I have changed my mind slightly looks like a Transit rather than a Custom is on the cards. L2H2. The annual investment allowance makes a more expensive van look good value against a million mile 10 year old £4k one.

red_slr

20,824 posts

219 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
You can get a waste carriers licence in about 60 seconds so long as you are carrying inert waste, which it sounds like you will be.

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
red_slr said:
You can get a waste carriers licence in about 60 seconds so long as you are carrying inert waste, which it sounds like you will be.
Thanks will look into this...

V8mate

45,899 posts

219 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
Out of interest, what kind of business only requires a van on a Sunday morning?

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
V8mate said:
Out of interest, what kind of business only requires a van on a Sunday morning?
Mail sent.

Ted2

567 posts

108 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
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You won't make more than buttons doing 'man with van' work and courier work is about the same.

A recent 'man with van' example from myself : I needed to move the contents of a flat to another one 15 miles away and required some assistance with the larger stuff. Took around 45 mins at each end to load/unload and approx 35 mins drive between the 2 places. How much? £35. Other quotes were only £5-10 more.

48k

17,512 posts

178 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
You're buying a van for a business that only needs it one day a week?

That's either a very lucrative business, or a complete waste of money.

I'm assuming the latter, otherwise you wouldn't be asking how to generate an income from the van. Why does the business need to buy the van? Can it lease instead? Or better still, rent by the day? Surely that's the problem you need to be solving, not how to generate an income on the days the business doesn't need it?

21TonyK

13,351 posts

239 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
My B-I-L has a company with vans and drivers that are idle a % of the time. He has a contract with Howdens to do their deliveries, he has now leased a couple more vans just to cover them. They pay a stupid amount as I suspect others do as well. One example £90 to send a single kitchen door 40 miles which was in a van full of other deliveries for them and stuff of his own.

lost in espace

Original Poster:

6,613 posts

237 months

Sunday 5th November 2017
quotequote all
21TonyK said:
My B-I-L has a company with vans and drivers that are idle a % of the time. He has a contract with Howdens to do their deliveries, he has now leased a couple more vans just to cover them. They pay a stupid amount as I suspect others do as well. One example £90 to send a single kitchen door 40 miles which was in a van full of other deliveries for them and stuff of his own.
If I hire a van I have to drive, pick it up, leave my car on some sidestreet, drive home, load van, get to site, unload van, finish job, load van, unload into garage at home, drive to the hire place the next day and drop off, walk to vandelised car and drive home.

If I buy a "L2H2" van we can use it as a mobile office, keep the kit in it (maybe) and not forget anything when we go to site, and save myself about 2 weeks a year in picking up and unpacking the van. Crazy as it might seem, over 5 years it will earn its keep. And I keep dropping stuff like printers, my tent fell over and the table and laptop went with it, as opposed to arriving on site with all the kit in one place.

I get the AIA against my tax, and can claim the running expenses as well. I will be paying about £250 a month hiring vans, and that is just for a Caddy.