I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver?

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Cheman
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:37 am

I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver?

Post by Cheman »

Hi, i have a question.
I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can i expect to make if i find a driver (i won't be driving the trucks)
Also, what would be the optimum number of trucks to purchase to start getting decent returns?
Lastly, how hard is it to find contracts and work if i want to just get a tractor units?
Thanks you for your help!
Last edited by Cheman on Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
marg
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2021 7:56 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can i expect to make if I find a driver

Post by marg »

£15.000 easy into your pockets
ovi
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2021 1:26 pm

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can i expect to make if I find a driver

Post by ovi »

marg wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:39 am £15.000 easy into your pockets
That’s about right, before tax
antor
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:41 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by antor »

If your buying 1 truck
You'll need to drive yourself
My theory
1 truck drive yourself
2 trucks youll start t see profite
3 trucks the profit on that will cover diesel/wages for 1 and 2
Your welcome
sereh
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:43 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by sereh »

I spoke to a guy years ago, told me he made £186k with one unit in one year.... I was amazed! He then told me.... £98k of that went straight into the fuel tank.... then had tax to pay, insurance, road tax, maintenance, a TM.... He didn't drive a fancy car or live in a big house.... didn't seem better off than your average driver working for a company.
holpa
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:48 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by holpa »

sereh wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:44 am I spoke to a guy years ago, told me he made £186k with one unit in one year.... I was amazed! He then told me.... £98k of that went straight into the fuel tank.... then had tax to pay, insurance, road tax, maintenance, a TM.... He didn't drive a fancy car or live in a big house.... didn't seem better off than your average driver working for a company.
true and actually worse.
sereh
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:43 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by sereh »

holpa wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:45 am true and actually worse.
Any input or figure you can divulge off the top of your head mate?
holpa
Posts: 56
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:48 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by holpa »

sereh wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:45 am Any input or figure you can divulge off the top of your head mate?
on lorry will bring next to nothing £30-£150/day.
If you do that "next to nothing" x10, then you have something.
But overall, per unit, the driver takes way much more that the boss.
So volume is the key!
ivailo95
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:16 pm

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by ivailo95 »

At the risk of sounding overly patronising, if you need to ask such fundamental questions you are bound to fail. The best contracts are based on strong relationships and the many pitfalls can only be avoided with experience. Get a job in a traffic office at a good company for a year or two at the very least and do a CPC course. Then siphon all the knowledge you can from those working alongside and above you. That at least would give you a fighting chance.
RMcGirr83
Posts: 52
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 12:57 pm

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by RMcGirr83 »

ivailo95 wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:48 am At the risk of sounding overly patronising, if you need to ask such fundamental questions you are bound to fail. The best contracts are based on strong relationships and the many pitfalls can only be avoided with experience. Get a job in a traffic office at a good company for a year or two at the very least and do a CPC course. Then siphon all the knowledge you can from those working alongside and above you. That at least would give you a fighting chance.
this is a good answer.
I started in the Police, went onto Road Traffic Division but then left, started effectively at the bottom in Transport, working as driver, 1 drop sameday to 30 or so drops multi drop, into office, went knocking on doors to get work for the firm built it up but did not get the rewards I had hoped for, went to DHL & TNT took a small sameday office from £1500 a week to over £10,000 a week (1 week 45,000 !) decided to leave and run my own firm. Very little money but lots of contacts, studied for CPC, my Police Training helped, now a successful ETM and Road Haulage Auditor, been to 5 PI's always to help firms retain their licence. So my life has been like a long apprenticeship and I am still learning.
So as John says get some experience first in all aspects of the job.
If you want a mentor and are prepared to give up some of your time you can come and shadow me, I have done this with several other people guys and ladies.
segran
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:51 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by segran »

It depends, problem that I see here is that you are not a driver (just the assumption) so your knowledge of this industry is below minimum.
Let's say you get a contract for £500/run(10-12h) and pay £200 out of it for a driver, so £300 left, now times it by 14 (24h wheels spinning) minus all of the costs that will gather to run 1 truck and you got the COMPANY PROFIT NOT YOURS. You do the math. Your wage is your business how much you gonna pay yourself.
Try it, and see it for yourself, I understand people trying to lecture you, but there is also a lot of naysayers, just keep in mind this a business and there is no friends in that field.
pawlshepherd
Posts: 51
Joined: Mon May 31, 2021 9:58 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by pawlshepherd »

With one truck and paying a driver. Unless you’ve got a solid contract already it’s unlikely you will make much if anything mate
kulinar
Posts: 92
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2021 3:01 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by kulinar »

profit margins are reportedly somewhere between 1-3%
ovi
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Aug 14, 2021 1:26 pm

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by ovi »

You’d need 5 trucks to make a decent living without driving one.
1 works but you would still need a full time job as well. This is exactly what I have
Jphammer
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 1:51 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by Jphammer »

ovi wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:55 am You’d need 5 trucks to make a decent living without driving one.
1 works but you would still need a full time job as well. This is exactly what I have
i agree if you have a second income but if you are hoping to make a good living with one truck, without a second income you won’t have much to live on, and if you get a big bill one trucks profit can soon disappear. The OP doesn’t suggest they are planning on having a second income as such by the time you have paid out for a TM, drivers (and look at how fast their wages are shooting up) the truck, fuel, insurance you won’t have much left with just one truck. Mathematically is you say haulage contractors make 1-3% let’s average a 2%. Now let’s say they want to earn £25k a year that means the company needs a turnover of £1,250,000 a year or just over £104,166 a month which works out at just over £24,000 a week, 5 days a week that’s just over £4,800 a day including when the driver is on holiday or off sick. I don’t know about you but I am betting most don’t have that as a day rate.
Jphammer
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jun 03, 2021 1:51 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by Jphammer »

I would think you need 5 trucks to make a modest living if you are not driving. Why buy rather than lease?
Do you have enough money to meet the requirements of the TC, just two vehicles and you need £12500 sat in a bank or credit option to that value. Finding contracts isn’t easy if you have no experience in the industry how do you plan to look for work? How are you planning to price jobs, unless you have the qualifications you will need a transport manager as well as a driver. It’s not impossible people do it but trying to jump in at management level with no experience is risky. If you had two trucks and drove one then maybe you could make it work but one truck you are unlikely to make a living from it. Maybe a second income but to find work you will need time that could distract from a second job.
rotoj
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2021 11:57 am

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by rotoj »

You need a CPC National & International Road Transport Certificate.
reefcrazed
Posts: 17
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:37 pm

Re: I want to start a Haulage company and want to buy one truck. How much profit can I expect to make if I find a driver

Post by reefcrazed »

I Imagine at the moment many operators would lease you a truck and give you work.
Probably need yourself and another driver to work it 24/7. First thing is a good accountant with transport experience. Margins are low, need some luck.
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