Horsebox Transport Business for 3.5 Tonne advice needed.

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H.K.D

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Dear all,

I would appreciate if anyone with experience or knowledge could advise me as to the procedures needed to start up a very small business transporting horses with a 3.5 tonne horsebox.

Also costs involved.
What should be charged.
Everything really.

I have done my own research but it is always great to get others advice.

This is for a family member who will purchase a good quality 3.5 tonne horsebox, with a weight certificate to prove it has a good payload. To do both local and long distance trips.


Thanks!

ps: this would be in the New Forest area of Hampshire and by a 50 year old lady extremely knowledgeable ex eventer.
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ITA - just read the post properly (doh!) and realised it is to transport horses rather than self drive hire (which I have wrote a lengthy post about)
 
Im not an expert but have looked tentatively into this, you would need a type 1 or 2 transporter certificate look up this Welfare in Transport (AHVLA) [Welfare.inTransport@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk]. They will tell you the governing bodies that you can do this with.
You will need hire and reward insurance which is roughly £500 ish a year when I got a quote which is double what my normal insurance is.
If you are only using a 3.5tonne then its much easier than using a heavier vehicle but even if you have a weight certificate carrying 2 horses will be tricky as the best payload will be 1.2t and with 2 horses and a passenger, diesel etc you are on the mark. Vosa told me that they give you a 5% leeway if you are pulled in a weighed on the whole amount so 5% of 3.5t is 175kg extra allowance but anything over then you are looking at a hefty fine.
Roughly when I asked I think £100 a day plus diesel and waiting time was reasonable.
Oh just wanted to add I only looked into doing hire with me as the driver, the complications that go with self drive seemed like waaayyy too much aggro!
 
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dont charge £100 a day + because its rediculous!...

hence why people will ask their friends (illegally) rather than a transporter...

thats probably a can of worms though :D

i refuse to use transporters as the pricese are so stupid.... £70ish a day is fine... £100 a day + is madness!
 
Even £100 per day is on the low side. It includes road tax ,Road insurance ,goods in transit insurance ,tyres ,admin and maintenance .It also includes fixed costs such as depreciation on the vehicle.If you run it as a business you are not there to subsidise other peoples hobby.
 
Try playing with these figures Noodle and then see why transporters charge what they do and we ran a 9 horse lorry before we retired this year

Insurance for vehicle, goods in transit insurance, Public Liability £2,500
Tax 280 (Particulates Certificate Exemption) otherwise is should be £680
Tyres (6) 2,100
Wages for driver only per week £450 x52 23,400
Licences 1350

All this before the lorry even leaves the yard making an average of £570 a week Now add in the fuel that will be used and you wonder why you can't find a legal licenced transporter to sit at a show for your pleasure for less than £100 plus a day.

Yes we run a business but we also have to live
 
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Lynette said:
Try playing with these figures Noodle and then see why transporters charge what they do and we ran a 9 horse lorry before we retired this year

Insurance for vehicle, goods in transit insurance, Public Liability £2,500
Tax 280 (Particulates Certificate Exemption) otherwise is should be £680
Tyres (6) 2,100
Wages for driver only per week £450 x52 23,400
Licences 1350

All this before the lorry even leaves the yard making an average of £570 a week Now add in the fuel that will be used and you wonder why you can't find a legal licenced transporter to sit at a show for your pleasure for less than £100 plus a day.

Yes we run a business but we also have to live
Click to expand...

Totally agree! I think the only people that can think £100+ a day is madness are the ones who have never had to fork out the huge costs of buying and maintaining a half decent lorry!
 
Lynette said:
Try playing with these figures Noodle and then see why transporters charge what they do and we ran a 9 horse lorry before we retired this year

Insurance for vehicle, goods in transit insurance, Public Liability £2,500
Tax 280 (Particulates Certificate Exemption) otherwise is should be £680
Tyres (6) 2,100
Wages for driver only per week £450 x52 23,400
Licences 1350

All this before the lorry even leaves the yard making an average of £570 a week Now add in the fuel that will be used and you wonder why you can't find a legal licenced transporter to sit at a show for your pleasure for less than £100 plus a day.

Yes we run a business but we also have to live
Click to expand...

I take it this is a HGV?
 
The local 3.5t transport sevice I've used charged £80 per half day. The furtherst I've went is 15miles one way. Full day (and for her to wait at show etc) is £160

I'm guessing if it's quite a far distance the prices will go up.
 
noodle_ said:
dont charge £100 a day + because its rediculous!...

hence why people will ask their friends (illegally) rather than a transporter...

thats probably a can of worms though :D

i refuse to use transporters as the pricese are so stupid.... £70ish a day is fine... £100 a day + is madness!
Click to expand...

You have obviously never had to fork out to run a lorry!
 
lynette thats fair enough you have to make a living but i wouldnt pay over £100 a day for it.

Id rather hire a trailer for £40 a day or give my friends upto £50 a day for taking me to a show/clinic etc

probably not legal from the laws eyes but id rather do that than feel ripped off tbh.!
 
So you would rather drop your friends in it and invalidate their insurance just so that you can save a few quid for your own pleasure.

However you hire a trailer for £40 a day then you have the cost of diesel or petrol for the towing vehicle plus I hope you also inform your insurance company who otherwise will not cover the trailer as you have hired it and your insurance on your car will be for Private and Social use only. They will only cover a trailer if they are informed.
Believe me Insurance Companies love a get out clause

Yes Pale Rider those costs were for an HGV. You would save on the Licences as far as a 3.5 tonne went and the tyres and tax would also be cheaper. However you would still need the WAT Certificates.

Believe me we are not trying to rip anyone off. In actual fact the last job I did was for £135 but due to one person not paying her livery bill so the yard not releasing the horses I ended up putting £150 into the lorry for diesel just to be able to deliver 1 horse
 
Lynette said:
So you would rather drop your friends in it and invalidate their insurance just so that you can save a few quid for your own pleasure.

However you hire a trailer for £40 a day then you have the cost of diesel or petrol for the towing vehicle plus I hope you also inform your insurance company who otherwise will not cover the trailer as you have hired it and your insurance on your car will be for Private and Social use only. They will only cover a trailer if they are informed.
Believe me Insurance Companies love a get out clause

Yes Pale Rider those costs were for an HGV. You would save on the Licences as far as a 3.5 tonne went and the tyres and tax would also be cheaper. However you would still need the WAT Certificates.

Believe me we are not trying to rip anyone off. In actual fact the last job I did was for £135 but due to one person not paying her livery bill so the yard not releasing the horses I ended up putting £150 into the lorry for diesel just to be able to deliver 1 horse
Click to expand...

Not suggesting that you are ripping anyone off, far from it. I noticed that your waggon carried 9 so I assumed that it was a big vehicle. I was wondring how the figures stack up if you have a 7.5t, 3.5t seems a bit small for a commercial venture, thats it.
 
I hire a lorry with driver for shows and pay £100 + day depending on waiting time. I think this is reasonable considering the cost to buy and maintain a lorry plus paying the driver a decent wage for their time.

Others must think it is reasonable as she is booked out for the whole summer and it is really impossible to get a Sunday, luckily I can do some evening SJ instead.

She also does quite a few emergency vet runs plus collecting horses that are on lorries that have broken down.
 
Mike007 said:
Even £100 per day is on the low side. It includes road tax ,Road insurance ,goods in transit insurance ,tyres ,admin and maintenance .It also includes fixed costs such as depreciation on the vehicle.If you run it as a business you are not there to subsidise other peoples hobby.
Click to expand...
Yes and the sad point is there seems to be a endless amount of MONGS who have the idea oh lets go self employed so they
go in feet first no costings and charges guesed stay in bussiness untill the redundency money runs out or they go bust!!! in the mean time propper well run bussiness are destroyed when the mong bussines's undercuts them driving down rates to
below cost... personaly i think there is little point with having the hassle of books and overheads to clear less than £100 profit a day minimum.. and if people wont pay a decent rate for work stuff them its not worth it.... IMHO ...
 
I think £100 a day is fair to hire a lorry. I have a trailer for hire and i have done costings, it has breakdown cover on it for trailer and horse and i charge £45 per day and you must insure the trailer for the day for theft etc NOT just via the towing vehicle. As purchasers of lorrys and trailers it does cost to buy them and maintain them etc. If you pay friends to take you not only are you invalidating insurance as it becomes hire and reward but if you get caught by VOSA then the fines are hefty. I know as i work with them on roadside stops and we do pull in horseboxes and we have also taught them how to inspect passports. people would rather pay peanuts and put thier horse in a death trap it seems.
 
I'm looking into joining www.Myrentalhorsebox.com which is a network for owners looking to make a bit extra off their lorries.
Possibly a happy medium? The owners are incurring the costs anyway as they want their lorry regardless of profit or not, but are still happy for the extra income so can do it for a bit less, maybe...
I do agree however that £100 per day not unreasonable.....just for the hassle. Cost a blooming fortune to run a lorry! :eek:

Can't do driver hire with them however as tonnes of regulation to overcome.
 
Have a read of the interview with Paul Tapner in last weeks HH. It detailed all the licences and certificates you need for transporting horses.
 
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