Car deliveries with a pick up and trailer
Car deliveries with a pick up and trailer
Author
Discussion

Farley81

Original Poster:

2 posts

59 months

Saturday 3rd October 2020
quotequote all
Hello everyone.

I'm in full time work as a contract supervisor for a grounds maintenance company. I have to towing from time to time moving ride-on mowers to sites around bexley.

A friend of mine said I should put my B-E towing license to good use and deliver cars from dealerships to the clients.

How would I go about this is it even a thing that is done? I have access to a car transport trailer and I have my own pick up truck so the setup cost would be minimal.

Would do you think the going rate to charge would be? Would it be a set rate for the amount of miles needed or per miles scheme like £2 per mile?

I'm sorry if they is a bunch of stupid questions

Thanks in advance ??

phil-sti

2,897 posts

196 months

Saturday 3rd October 2020
quotequote all
What’s the MPG of a pick up pulling a trailer with a car on, 17mpg? Quick fag packets math’s have it at 110 let of diesel so about £4.40 a gallon would be 26.2 ppm plus insurances plus depreciation of pick up and trailer.

Farley81

Original Poster:

2 posts

59 months

Monday 5th October 2020
quotequote all
So £26 per mile? So a 100 Mile journey would cost £2600 I'm not sure people would pay that would they?

Mammasaid

4,903 posts

114 months

Monday 5th October 2020
quotequote all
Farley81 said:
So £26 per mile? So a 100 Mile journey would cost £2600 I'm not sure people would pay that would they?
Pence per mile not pounds per mile!

t.boydy

240 posts

79 months

Monday 5th October 2020
quotequote all
Don't forget trade insurance....... Tacho fitting & training?!?

You can't just stick a trailer on your truck and start earning, hoops to jump through etc...

Tom

Muzzer79

12,264 posts

204 months

Monday 5th October 2020
quotequote all
I would calculate individual rates based on a cost per mile.

You need to account for:

Fuel
Maintenance/Wear and tear on your vehicle(s)
Depreciation
Insurance - both vehicle and liability
Road tax
Cost of income for the driver

amongst several other things no doubt.

If you get regular work, give them a fixed rate.

Your goal is to use the vehicle and trailer both ways. So, for example, if you have a job to deliver a car to a dealer in Cornwall, you want a return job to pick up a car locally or on the way back to get you home.
You will need some kind of outlet to enable you to find these jobs. Not sure if there's online job finders or similar for this.

48k

15,450 posts

165 months

Monday 5th October 2020
quotequote all
Don't forget tacho and monitoring your driving hours and breaks - you don't want to get in a position where your pocket money earner stops you doing your day job because you are out of hours for the week.

CornishRob

259 posts

151 months

Monday 5th October 2020
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Don’t you need the vehicle inspected every 6 weeks if you run a tacho?

iguana

7,205 posts

277 months

Wednesday 7th October 2020
quotequote all
Yes it's a thing, I've run a company transporting cars for 15 yrs.

Not easy, lots of folks doing it & rates are low, you only have to look at the bid for work sites to see how low, utterly amazes me at times, you'll need a niche.

So you'll need proper insurance, depending on what level of cover you want, from circa £1500 to £10k pa. Uk only & low cover levels at the low end, full EU & v high value stuff at the top end, or for multi car transporters.

You'll need a tachograph fitted & calibration done, depending on where you go & what vehicle £1k upwards & a modern vehicle is digital & you'll have to get a tacho card too, if '06 & older you can run a disc set up as it's analogue.

Depending on what type of pick up is a big thing ref O (operators) licence & you really don't want to go that route if you can help it.

It's not so much the cost, of £1k plus by the time its all sorted, but the need for a premises & 6 wk checks (can do longer if new vehicle & low pa miles) you'll need to find an external transport manager or do the transport manager course your self.

At least you are spared needing a driver cpc, with a pick up, but go over a 3.5t tow vehicle & you will.



Edited by iguana on Wednesday 7th October 21:15

Ussrcossack

799 posts

59 months

Saturday 10th October 2020
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Dealers are starting to do this in-house for new car delivery

Futureologist

211 posts

217 months

Sunday 11th October 2020
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Ussrcossack said:
Dealers are starting to do this in-house for new car delivery
A minority and certainly not the majority.

Large capex, resource etc...

thepeoplespal

1,690 posts

294 months

Sunday 11th October 2020
quotequote all
At the moment you are under the radar of officialdom and the reality of having an 'Operators Licence,' a Certicate of Professional Competence (I got that one in 1994) in Road Haulage, a tachograph in your truck, insurance etc etc makes the suggestion of doing it part time pretty unattractive.

I'd stick to being under the radar doing the odd machinery move on the quiet.