Advice Needed Please

Good stuff, like i said im open to criticism.

I wont be diving in unless i have guaranteed work. I've worked as a Stevedore for 7 years. Spoken to ALOT of truckies in my time, and watched them make huge dollars. And also watched the owner make Millions.
All the truckies i know over here, are on well over $120k a year for long hauls, $110k local Mon-Fri, or $80k town based.

Have to pay big or they all go to the mines.

I've indentified a niche market, and with a road train you wouldnt make enough money. But with a rigid, your costs are well under 1/4 to run. Dont need as much freight either way, so more chances of a full load, and the bigger companies are too busy catering for the mines. Why should the public have to pay gargantuous freight costs, just because the resources industry does.

The best thing is, all my services will be door to door. And i only need to do 2 trips per month to make the money i plan to. If i have to wait a day or two for a load, no sweat. Got 2 weeks to wait.

Also due to the remoteness and inaccessibilty of some places, the rigid is perfect and preferred. It also is perfect size as i doubt it will ever be full on some runs, but will be very close. And for what i can charge , i will still make decent money.

I have had some interest from a couple of big companies, minor interest from mining companies, and huge interest from a freight broker and car carrier.

I have a meeting this week, in regards to finance, finishing business plan and getting some more support in regards to the feasability of it all.

Also have a few calls to make to some consultants for advice, and a few more emails to send off to other potential clients.

I dont want to make millions, or even hundreds of thousands. Just enough for the missus to quit her job and work from home.

She could also do consultancy work from home, or just drop to 2-3 days a week. We dont want to be rich, or famous. Just make an honest living, off our own backs.

I understand fully though abouts whats been said. Its good because its all been covered in my business plan.

I am green when it comes to road freight, but have dealt with sea freight for years. The route ill be travelling ive driven may times. I know all the stops, all the ins and outs .

The bigger companies, of which there are probably 3 here, are busy carting chiller/frozen, construction or large mining gear.

I wont be carting either.

None of the local businesses enjoy paying the mining rates, neither do the larger corporate ones either. No locals like paying it either. The two local companies that i know of here, which 1 has gone from having 1-2 old trucks (6years ago) to a brand new fleet of Macks and Wettern Stars(about . Plus cranes, graders, 40T fork you name it. And they only cater to Oil and Gas.

The other company only does one route also, still small scale but with triples and newer trucks now. They service were i wont be going.

One of the biggest companies that service WA, told me they dont cart here, as its a pain in the ass. They go straight past. Rental rates are sky high, looking at over $5-6k a month for a yard for a road train to fit in, plus labour here for managers/yardies/reception is too high also. If you want a yard with a shed and office, etc etc well bidget around $10k. a month or fork out about 5 million. They cart an extra 1000kms and make nearly twice the money they said. I wont incorporate any of those costs. They gave a few more reasons too but cant remember them.

But like i said, if i cant get a good amount of interest then i wont try pulling it off. But i do believe that once i get some advice and a few things sorted, it should attract some more interest.

Thank christ that worked, computer froze when i hit send.

Mate ,After reading that i think your doomed to fail .No one is going to wait up to 2 weeks for you to fill your truck full before you head off . Freight is about service .

does the bussiness plan include Rose coloured glasses ..

Have a look at adding some value in via a contract with a soild base.
Aussie Post put tenders out every 2 or 3 years for some remote locations,
Most contractors use these as their base income and add freight on top for extra $$$$$

Good luck

Snaws

Hi,

If you have a plan run with it, but it sounds like your only listining to how many $$$ they have made, you have not mentioned how may $$$$ is is costing to keep running and in reality if they are making $120 K a year, it's money in the bank to use for running cost, rego, living, repairs and maintenance, having someone do their book work and everything that goes with trying to earn a living owning a truck. You will note that the guys making millions are not driving trusks, they are driving a business. You mentioned that some work Mon to Fri for good $$, ask them how many hours are they attached to the truck, how many hours attached to running aroung chasing payments, doing book work. You need to get a job driving for someone and use that as an exercise to work out real cost and time, time is money.
I know guys on both sides owner driver, and driver on wages, running the two trucks, the driver on wages works just as many hours as the owner and goes home to his famaily with a less amount of $$$$. The owner driver goes home, services the trucks, sits up late doing his book work, fueling up and organising work, he employs a person to take phone calls and make necessary bookings for loads, chasing payments, paying for consumables, paying truck instalments, etc.
Need to compare the incoming with the out going and see what is left to enjoy life.

You should have a go while your young at least a year and if it works out that would be good, but watch out for others already in the game cause you may be taking their cream and could get pushed out.

cheers

EzyLivin ol, mate , I don't want to sound negative BUT , by the sounds of it you are new to the transport game . If you have had no experience as a driver in this transport game then DON'T even think about investing in any trucks or gear - it won't work ! I don't know how many blokes I have said this too - if there is so much money to be made by buying a truck and going for it , then , why hasn't someone else done it ? Simple , as ol'mate chocs has stated correctly the grass is always greener , unfortunately by the time you have made the jump the grass is already dead .
I have been in the transport game all my life - and driven almost everything - 20 years ago I would have had a dip as an owner operator but not now . The job on interstate is just too hard for a profitable dividend especially with ever increasing charges . Even if you do obtain a well paying contract - you won't have it for long especially with all the big boys running around now who can afford to cut rates because of their economies of scale ie : a heap of trucks and trailers .
I would suggest you need to spend a couple of years working for a small transport firm to gain an insight into how the real transport environment works - not rush in and loose everything in a couple of years . I can assure you it is not a glamorous lifestyle - real hard work , very long hours , lack of sleep , nowhere decent to grab something to eat - never home - lack of sleep again and constant hassles on the road - idiots in cars and constant dramas from policing authorities , cheers Clarke .

Clarke I couldn't agree with you more.

a old farmer probably makes more profit in his $2K bedford selling pumpkins on the side of the road . . . and thats without eating into his profits

G'Day,

Wel I have to say you certinaly got some help here, free no BS and from the heart, use it to the best of your ability, because I say your ambition is greater than your ability is you are already a partly set up business, you siould have been already out there.

If you want your wife to stop work and work from home I wouldn'i call that stop working cause it will be more stress on both of you. What has she got to say about this venture?

As others have said, get out there and drive a truck but you will need to forget about the 38 hr week and more like 70 hrs per six days, and no two days will be the same.

let us know what your doing in three months time and how content you are.

We need truckies out there no matter what, you don't have to own the business to enjoy the profits and life style.

Good luck.

Mate ,After reading that i think your doomed to fail .No one is going to wait up to 2 weeks for you to fill your truck full before you head off . Freight is about service .

Was a joke mate.