Does anyone run their own grain lorry?

[ridger]

As mentioned a critical amount of work required to run 1 wagon. i try not to move our own grain more than 30 minuted from our store to its final destination although we are lucky to have 7/8 homes within that distance. We also have our own commercial store that we haul into at harvest and out of for the rest of the year.
Our set up works for us, youngest Truck is 6 years old, oldest is 14 years old, I have a band of retired drivers that happy to work if we need but also happy not to work when we have a quiet day etc. although on the flip side i also have a list of people looking for the odd day/evening driving when we are busy.

You will pick outside haulage work if you oil the relationship with some merchants although you need to be careful that you don’t just get the work no one else wants to do and that the rates they pay leave a small margin. As an example I have had 2 wagons moving Maize away from a boat in the local docks for the last fortnight.

in short running a wagon is doable but don’t underestimate the amount of work that goes into!

What are the rates like for dock work? It can get a bit boring, I done 70 loads of coal one day to help out a man, was moving it about 300 yards lol

 

[Spud]

There is more money in racehorses. Dont bother, haulage is an uphill struggle. Where spud will come into his own is his wages will be 20% less than ours as he is further north.
If you want to do it right, you are better off playing with shares and spread betting as you will see more return, cut corners and you will make a bit but be warned DVSA are there ready to strip you of your O licence.

Derkys right, don't bother. We ran seven of the things, building up from one 25yrs ago. While Dad was running it, working very hard for something he was passionate about, it just about made sense.
After he passed away 18months ago, try as we might, I couldn't find a way to get it to break even, never mind make money - simply because I'm too busy already to find the time to do it properly (and proper it must be) and paying someone else (great though he was) to run the day to day stuff just evaporated any potential margin.
Waiting to tip kills the job. There's a lot of waiting!!
Create a good relationship with a good local haulier, be loyal, pay him well and on time is my advice.
I considered all sorts of solutions, including running one for our own use.
Don't run any now.

 

[chaffcutter]

Agree with @Derky, and @Spud that’s just how it was with us, started with one to move our own grain to store when we were ‘between yards’ and only had a small store, then we were asked to do some local loads, then more and ended up with ten bulkers and some flat trailers on fert haul. Working for big merchants who paid on time it was great for cash flow, but repair bills, running empty for lack of enough back loads from the north west mills, and the big thing that a lot of owner drivers forget about, depreciation, killed the job.
Over the 12 years we were doing it the price of derv almost doubled. Grain and anything else you can carry in a TASCC registered trailer are the rock bottom rates too.

 

[quattro]

I know a few people running a truck and do their own work and quite happy just doing theit own, it’s when you buy something older and start wanting to run it full time
if you have time and can do maintenance yourself it’s not too bad to do

 

[Simon Chiles]

I cannot do links with my tablet, will have to wait till I get home
@Simon Chiles will be able to do it

Here’s the link you want

Using rebated fuels in vehicles and machines (Excise Notice 75)

Find out when you can use rebated diesel, biodiesel or kerosene in vehicles and other machinery.

www.gov.uk

You are correct in stating that you can only haul your own produce 15 miles radius. Personally I think it’s always better to read the actual legislation rather than some journalists interpretation, more than once I’ve read articles that have mistakes in them.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Here’s the link you want

Using rebated fuels in vehicles and machines (Excise Notice 75)

Find out when you can use rebated diesel, biodiesel or kerosene in vehicles and other machinery.

www.gov.uk

You are correct in stating that you can only haul your own produce 15 miles radius. Personally I think it’s always better to read the actual legislation rather than some journalists interpretation, more than once I’ve read articles that have mistakes in them.

@michael N123

 

[Widgetone]

Would have thought if it was going to work anywhere in the UK it would be in Sussex/Kent as a premium area for grain haulage.

 

[ajd132]

Think @ajd132 run their own

That wasn’t ours, it was a camgrain lorry with our logo etc on it. A few other farms did it aswel.

 

[Hilly]

Tractor = no MOT, no road tax, no tests, cheap insurance

wagon= full MOT, expensive road tax, lots of tests, expensive insurance

Buy a nice truck fir 10k how much fir a ni e fastrac ? 80k ?

 

[Against_the_grain]

It wont be long before we are all shoehorned into running our own trucks. The rates are so thin for hauliers that they just wont bother with bulk anymore. We started to see it here this summer where trucks were in very short supply. Going forward I can see that most farmers will have their own trucks but will do it for feck all as usual so wont be money to be made but it might be the only way to get grain shifted. The real scandal is the waiting time at end destination. Its criminal and how anybody deals with it is beyond me. I think we would run our own truck(s) if it wasnt foe the horror stories your hear about waiting to tip

 

[Oscar]

Due to crap internet until recently, bit late to the U Tube party but I ve recently started to view American farmer videos like Millennium Farmer,Wilker Farms and Fastag . All seem to run 3 or more artics but intrestingly the units all seem to be late 90 s in age but not sure if it's a case of no outside hauliers available in the area or just an old tradition of running their own trucks ?
All of these farms are quite big , 3000 ac plus so not sure what the 640 ac ( section) farmers do or even if farms are that small in those areas.
As a side, in this country it staggers me the difference between firms that come on farm . I arrange my own transport and use a firm from Cullompton (Wains)who is very prompt, runs around 12 trucks, couple new ones every 18 months or so and has expanded and seems to be doing well. However, I let out a store to a neighbour and get all sorts of firms in, both local and from away, and all I hear is crap rates, old trucks and trailers, doom and gloom and a general feeling that the firm is going to pack it in . Both doing the same job but two completely different stories!!

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

I arrange my own transport and use a firm from Cullompton (Wains)who is very prompt, runs around 12 trucks, couple new ones every 18 months or so and has expanded and seems to be doing well. However, I let out a store to a neighbour and get all sorts of firms in, both local and from away, and all I hear is crap rates, old trucks and trailers, doom and gloom and a general feeling that the firm is going to pack it in . Both doing the same job but two completely different stories!!

Very common with farmers that one to

 

[Brisel]

Due to crap internet until recently, bit late to the U Tube party but I ve recently started to view American farmer videos like Millennium Farmer,Wilker Farms and Fastag . All seem to run 3 or more artics but intrestingly the units all seem to be late 90 s in age but not sure if it's a case of no outside hauliers available in the area or just an old tradition of running their own trucks ?
All of these farms are quite big , 3000 ac plus so not sure what the 640 ac ( section) farmers do or even if farms are that small in those areas.
As a side, in this country it staggers me the difference between firms that come on farm . I arrange my own transport and use a firm from Cullompton (Wains)who is very prompt, runs around 12 trucks, couple new ones every 18 months or so and has expanded and seems to be doing well. However, I let out a store to a neighbour and get all sorts of firms in, both local and from away, and all I hear is crap rates, old trucks and trailers, doom and gloom and a general feeling that the firm is going to pack it in . Both doing the same job but two completely different stories!!

There are some very good hauliers around. Wains is one of them. Rode is another.

 

[Spud]

Buy a nice truck fir 10k how much fir a ni e fastrac ? 80k ?

Buy a nice truck fir 10k how much fir a ni e fastrac ? 80k ?

I'll post a set of running costs for a £10k wagon later... cheaper hp to buy, yes, not cheap to run at all.....

 

[Hilly]

I'll post a set of running costs for a £10k wagon later... cheaper hp to buy, yes, not cheap to run at all.....

Neither are fastrac s I’ve two I know, nothing is cheap.

 

[kiwi pom]

It wont be long before we are all shoehorned into running our own trucks. The rates are so thin for hauliers that they just wont bother with bulk anymore. We started to see it here this summer where trucks were in very short supply. Going forward I can see that most farmers will have their own trucks but will do it for feck all as usual so wont be money to be made but it might be the only way to get grain shifted. The real scandal is the waiting time at end destination. Its criminal and how anybody deals with it is beyond me. I think we would run our own truck(s) if it wasnt foe the horror stories your hear about waiting to tip

Loading/unloading waiting times are pretty bad with any form of transport, its just the way it is I'm afraid.
Its possible that if enough companies got together and refused to move freight until waiting times (and conditions for drivers that aren't even allowed in their trucks at some places) improved then something may get done.
Getting them to stick together is as likely as getting farmers to work together.

 

[kiwi pom]

Due to crap internet until recently, bit late to the U Tube party but I ve recently started to view American farmer videos like Millennium Farmer,Wilker Farms and Fastag . All seem to run 3 or more artics but intrestingly the units all seem to be late 90 s in age but not sure if it's a case of no outside hauliers available in the area or just an old tradition of running their own trucks ?
All of these farms are quite big , 3000 ac plus so not sure what the 640 ac ( section) farmers do or even if farms are that small in those areas.
As a side, in this country it staggers me the difference between firms that come on farm . I arrange my own transport and use a firm from Cullompton (Wains)who is very prompt, runs around 12 trucks, couple new ones every 18 months or so and has expanded and seems to be doing well. However, I let out a store to a neighbour and get all sorts of firms in, both local and from away, and all I hear is crap rates, old trucks and trailers, doom and gloom and a general feeling that the firm is going to pack it in . Both doing the same job but two completely different stories!!

I think the simple answer to that is Trucks do transport, tractors are for field work. Its always been that way so a truck is just accepted as another tool. UK farmers use tractors for transport and probably already have one tractor on the fleet they could do away with if they used a truck.
Silage, straw, grain, muck, fertiliser, lime, etc all hauled and often spread by trucks. Its just a different way of doing things, largely down to time/cost/distance and available alternatives.
Same story here although 50KPH+ tractors and trailers/tankers/spreaders are unfortunately creeping in, mainly due to the fact you don't need a class 5 licence to drive them.

 

[sahara]

I arrange my own transport and use a firm from Cullompton (Wains)

We sometimes get them in, usually its Dave Pollard from Crediton, or Wookeys, It was always Patten Bros when they were still running. Avoid the orange coloured ones though!

 

[Steevo]

We sometimes get them in, usually its Dave Pollard from Crediton, or Wookeys, It was always Patten Bros when they were still running. Avoid the orange coloured ones though!

Not the Way to go about it....?

 

[sahara]

Yes, those ones!