A few questions about 3.5t horsebox costs

T_K

T_K

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My OH said he would consider buying me a box if I also used it to run a business, horsebox hire and transport. I need to put together a business plan but have no idea about the costs involved
crazy.gif
not a good start.

Could anyone give me ballpark figures for the following, the box would be less than 3 years old if that matters;
Insurance for any driver;
Tax;
Service & MOT;
Any other costs involved?

Also, what is the 'DEFRA Approval' and how would I get it?

Any info appreciated, thanks.
 
I am no expert, but I believe that if you are going to rent your box out it has to go through 12 weekly service checks in order to keep the DEFRA approval. It is not a cheap game and it may well not work out economically. Maybe talk to a LGV garage as they would be able to give you an indication of 12 weekly service costs, but I believe they are like a MOT, just every 3 months. As most rental companies round here appear to charge about £100/day I suppose that is an indication of what they have to charge to cover their costs + profit. Also call DEFRA, they can give you more info.
 
I think you need to get your professional transporter's license which includes a test and has to be renewed each year. Not sure exactly what it involves as it does not apply to individual leisure use, but if you do a search on H&H there have been quite a few articles.

Insurance for the vehicle will also be a lot more substantial than for leisure use but if you call up an insurance company they should be able to give you a quote direct.

I suspect you will also need some kind of public liability insurance with respect to the business as well.
 
You do not require a operators licence for vehicles under 3.5t GVW that is the total weight of the vehicle loaded.

If vehicle is stopped and is found to be overweight both you as the owner and whoever is driving will be subject to a fine which can be big bucks depending how much vehicle is overweight.

You should have hire and reward insurance for the vehicle
You should also have third party liability insurance

If you are doing the transport you should also have transit insurance called CCC (Care Custody and Control)

Vehicle has to be inspected as to suitabilty and a certificate of approval issued usual cost is £150+VAT renewable every 5 years.

If you are doing transport you also require a certificate of competence in Horse Transport, again course is about £150.00p lasts for life.

All movements over 65km have to have DEFRA authorisation a blanket authorisation is obtainable from Animal Welfare Dept, this saves you having to apply for each journey, but you must keep paper records of all journeys for 6 months, again this is renewable every 5 years, no charge at the moment but they are looking to charging in the future.
 
That's really interesting!

Just out of curiocity, can you have a 3.5 tonne total loaded weight horsebox with anything other than a small pony in?

My grey in the sig weighs 760 kilos alone!
 
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