Lorry Lending... sore subject - What are your views?

[Winklepoker]

Do you/ Have you/ Would you... lend your lorry out?

I totally understand the uninsurable damage that can be done by horses but if a contract was drawn up for the borrower to be fully responsible for the repair of any damages caused whilst in their care - would you be more inclined?

People put their HORSES out on loan and have sharers... surely what goes in the lorry is far more valuable to the owner than the actual vehicle?? If you can loan or share your horse to help with finances, why not your lorry?

Also I find a lot of my contacts in the industry have their lorries going unused for more than 90% of the year... as long as the cost of depreciation and excess mileage was covered by the borrower... what would be the ultimate problem, providing the driver was insured.

 

[smiffyimp]

No No and Thrice No!
Well meaning people lend boxes/trailers only to be dumped on by the people doing the borrowing, they promise the world and never cough up. In my time I have seen (not mine I might add) broken partitions, broken clutch cables - twice (£1000 to fix) ripped rubber - and thats to name a few all of which costs £'00's to repair.

I would only lend my transport in an emergency - ie vet life or death.
Having said that, I wouldnt loan a horse out either - im a very synical person!

 

[4faults]

Same as above I'm afraid

 

[iconique]

I'm a no, have lent out in the past and will never do again. If someone is desperate I take them and drive.

Every time I've lent a trailer/lorry or even car its come back not as it was sent out, dirty, less fuel, damaged where the horse has done something, scratched, you get the gist.

I've thought about having a sharer because yes, my lorry most of the time sits parked up, I've found overall with wear and tear that it actually works out cheaper in the long run. Thats how it will stay.

I'd also prefer to sell a horse rather than loan it, as every time I have had a horse out on loan there's been a problem and a large vet bill for me to pay.

(you might be lucky and find someone who actually cares and does treat it like their own, but beware!)

 

[becca1305]

this company does some interesting options regarding this which would likely protect the horse box owner more in terms of insurance than an individually agreed arrangement http://www.myrentalhorsebox.com/
Im not sure I'd do it personally, mainly because of issues such as nervous/ new drivers causing excessive clutch wear etc which wouldn't necessarily show up immediately but the clutch would be worn out faster than it should be creating a cost that I presume the owner would have to absorb as no way of knowing/proving who did it! (If on a short term share/loan arrangement). Things like that put me off . And also minor damage, superficial paint scratches etc, and having to continually inspect the interior of the box for minor damage to rubber flooring in horse area etc which may start as a little hole but then if caught again cause a problem/need replacing etc again at significant cost. I know my horses could also do damage to the horse area but at least then its my responsibility and I don't have to wonder if someone is not taking enough care with the box. Too much like hard work IMO!

 

[CBFan]

Well I've had friends damage my new trailer without so much as an apology so...

I think until you have worked bleddy hard to afford such a vehicle you can't appreciate the dissapointment when it is returned damaged and or needs costly 'routine' work done on it in order to keep it in working order.

 

[Annagain]

I have lent my trailer to a very good friend in the past and would do again, but only because I know she's a very careful driver, her horse is an angel and unlikely to cause any damage and she would be mortified if there was any damage and would insist on paying for it. I don't think I'd lend it to anyone else, and I don't think I'd lend it to her for anything other than a day trip. Asking her to be responsible for it while it's parked up overnight somewhere isn't really fair to anyone.

 

[AmyMay]

No I wouldn't lend out either I'm afraid.

 

[PaddyMonty]

Has hell frozen over yet? Nope?
Then my lorry is not being lent out.

Lent trailer to a friend once. Trailer got written off and not a penny came my way despite their insurance company paying them for it. Never again.

 

[ihatework]

Over the years, especially when I didn't have the funds, good friends have either given me lifts or lent me their vehicles. For this I was always very grateful and did my utmost to look after their property.

I'd like to think that now I am lucky enough to have my own lorry that I can repay the favour. I would lend my lorry to a select few of my good friends without hesitation, and the lorry is insured for such.

However unless it was a life and death situation I wouldn't lend the lorry out to regular fellow liveries, but would be happy to offer the spare space to comps.

At the end of the day it's just a hunk of metal, and I do believe in Karma to some extent.

 

[be positive]

I think kerrelli has a horror story of her lorry engine being ruined while lent to a friend costing many thousands to fix, this is uninsurable unlike a horse, not that I would loan a horse either.

 

[Winklepoker]

Im not sure what I expected really, maybe I am on my own here - I had a lorry which we have recently sold, that I would lend out as long as they covered the damages and fuel - I really dont know what the problem would be if a binding contract was in place - all the reasons give above would be covered, surely?

 

[MrsMozart]

No. Other than to a very close friend.

I've lent it out before to a passing friend and it came back minus fuel and not cleaned out.

If someone is in need, I'd take them in my lorry (when I had one!). I'd not accept anything for fuel or time as my insurance would have been invalid if I had. Even then some people left me to clean it out! Blinking rude. Then they wondered why I wouldn't take them again

 

[SpottedCat]

Over the years, especially when I didn't have the funds, good friends have either given me lifts or lent me their vehicles. For this I was always very grateful and did my utmost to look after their property.

I'd like to think that now I am lucky enough to have my own lorry that I can repay the favour. I would lend my lorry to a select few of my good friends without hesitation, and the lorry is insured for such.

However unless it was a life and death situation I wouldn't lend the lorry out to regular fellow liveries, but would be happy to offer the spare space to comps.

At the end of the day it's just a hunk of metal, and I do believe in Karma to some extent.

Pretty much this - I used to lend the older lorry I had out to trusted friends without hesitation.

My new lorry I would be more circumspect with (though frankly recently my horses and my stupidity have caused more damage than anything anyone ever did whilst borrowing the old lorry!!) - mainly because I love it and use it a lot!

I do, however, take people places as much as I am able to, because I remember being that person who had no transport, and I remember people I knew driving either past where I kept the horse or past me on the road hacking places, and never being offered a lift. I vowed then a) never to get another horse until I could afford transport, and b) never to be those people. It is hateful not having transport if you want to get out and about, and if there is space in the lorry, I will always offer it up.

 

[MrsMozart]

But do you find people actually clean it out?!

I was always happy to take people out and about and still do. Now it's usually just Friend's horses, but I know she will clean it out afterwards.

I don't mind the loaning, it's the being taken for granted/a chauffer service that hacks me off ('scuse the pun ).

 

[SpottedCat]

Never had anyone not clean it out! In fact they usually do a better job than I would (and I'm pretty tidy) - case in point, took a friend's horse to/from vets - she wanted me to back it up to the hose so she could scrub out the horse area. I told her not to be so daft! It has an aluminium floor and her horse did 2 poos in it - she'd have been scrubbing out the mess my horse makes! I usually give it a good clean once a year in the summer.

They have also always either covered fuel or split the cost (and contrary to popular belief that is not hire or reward and therefore does not invalidate any insurance), and I've usually had a gift at an appropriate celebration to say thanks as well!

 

[YasandCrystal]

Im not sure what I expected really, maybe I am on my own here - I had a lorry which we have recently sold, that I would lend out as long as they covered the damages and fuel - I really dont know what the problem would be if a binding contract was in place - all the reasons give above would be covered, surely?

If you loan your lorry/trailer out for ANY kind of reward your insurance is void!

So it would seem rather OTT to me to draw up a formal contract for a friend to borrow your lorry/trailer. Why not just let them hire one like most people do. imo it's not worth the possible argument. In cases of emergency I would drive friend's horse to vet's but there it ends. I wouldn't want to lend my car out so why would I my trailer? Also what if it breaks down? Any breakdown cover again will likely be void if the owner is not with the lorry/trailer.

 

[MrsMozart]

Never had anyone not clean it out! In fact they usually do a better job than I would (and I'm pretty tidy) - case in point, took a friend's horse to/from vets - she wanted me to back it up to the hose so she could scrub out the horse area. I told her not to be so daft! It has an aluminium floor and her horse did 2 poos in it - she'd have been scrubbing out the mess my horse makes! I usually give it a good clean once a year in the summer.

They have also always either covered fuel or split the cost (and contrary to popular belief that is not hire or reward and therefore does not invalidate any insurance), and I've usually had a gift at an appropriate celebration to say thanks as well!

You know nicer people than me

 

[Brandy]

This is really difficult as I have often been given lifts to places, and one of mine is a sod travelling - kicks out behind him. He once took down the rubber flap from the bottom of the partition - which of course if offered to have fixed/pay to have fixed, although the owner said she wouldn;t bother as it was a bit surplus anyway.

One of my other friends is not at all concerned at my pony kicking the ramp of her new lovely trailer. She travels a lot of different horses though and may be used to this sort of thing! I'm not sure i could feel that way if it were someone elses horse kicking my lovely new trailer!! Saying that, her dad bought it for her, maybe she would feel differently if she had paid for it herself?

I woudl be worried if I borrowed someones vehicle that this particular pony would damage it and cost a fortune to repair - which of course I would stump up for but even so.

 

[Jesstickle]

I have a couple of people who very kindly let me borrow from them. I always clean it out and would always pay for any damage

When I buy a trailer I have already told my friend that she can use it when ever she likes if I'm not using it.

I lend my car to people all the time if they're insured. I don't really see much difference.

Lorries need to be used, much better to lend it out if you don't use it regularly than have it sit and rot surely?

Perhaps I'm very naive.

ETS: I lend my horse out though so no point being precious over a vehicle! lol

 

[stencilface]

I let my bf borrow ours to go to her first 3 day event last year.

I joined her at the weekend and aside from the general mess around of rugs etc, everything was kept really tidy, she also returned it really clean and with slightly more fuel than it went with. I stayed away with her previously in the summer, and had pressure washed the back and hoovered and cleaned the living to within an inch of its life before we went away there. Luckily my friend works with horses for a living, and is freakishly tidy about these things

She is hoping to do her first 2* this year so no doubt will be letting her borrow it again, as long as it doesn't clash with any shows me/my sister might be doing.

We have borrowed boxes in the past and always returned in a similar/better state to when we picked them up

 

[SpottedCat]

If you loan your lorry/trailer out for ANY kind of reward your insurance is void!

Myth. It is entirely fine to split the costs of fuel, or for someone to fill the lorry with the fuel they have used.

 

[MissTyc]

I am quite precious about mine, but I have lent it out on the odd occasion e.g. to a friend who was going to a show but whose trailer floor died the same week ... and in case of emergency I'll give the key to anyone if I can't do a transport to the horsepital myself. I know people would do the same for me.

But emergencies are thankfully rare, so I try to avoid lending it out or in fact even letting anyone else near it LOL

 

[Super_Kat]

I lend mine out to very good friends only. There are a small handful of friends who have needed it in an emergency and I've told them to just get the keys and take it (we're talking a 60k truck here), it's insured for anybody over the age of 21 to drive. Last time I lent it out to the mate who's had a bad run of rushing various polo ponies to the vets badly bent the rear spray guard (about £300 worth of damage) about a month ago, he's still apologising and will pay to repair.
I'd lend it out to other less close friends if they needed it but I'd want to be there while they used it. Everybody who puts a horse in it knows they pay for any damage.

 

[susie2193]

I only insure my lorry for myself, my husband and one very good friend. That way it the answer is always easy, "Your're not insured", and being on a big yard I get asked a lot. My usual answer is, "if I'm free I'll take you for fuel". Although that has caused problems in the past where we agreed a price per mile, (which is genuine and what it costs me and the same for everyone), and they then decided it couldn't possibly cost that much, and tried to give me significantly less. Needless to say they are walking in future. The one friend I have insured has lent me his lorry in the past and when I return it there is always more fuel in the tank than when I picked it up, and a bottle of wine on the seat, and this works both ways.

The other one I have found is when I am going somewhere and someone else wants a lift, and then doesn't see why they should pay half the diesel as "I was going anyway".

On saying that most people I give lifts to are more than grateful and I enjoy a day out, it is only the odd one or two who only ever get one lift.

 

[Orangehorse]

Someone tried to start a business doing this - horsebox owner hire out their box when they weren't using it, and the business provided a contract and set charges, etc. Don't know what happened to. In theory it sounds a good idea, but if you get people like some of the above - damage not paid for/no fuel/returned dirty - then it isn't an attractive idea.

One very kind friend once drove me and my horse in her lorrry for a weekend stay, was picked up by her boyfriend and then came back to drive it home. I wanted to fill up the lorry for her, but she would only put in what it had taken. I was very grateful for that, but I wouldn't expect it again.

 

[skint1]

I've let people borrow my trailer and/or 4x4, guess I have been lucky never had any damage done to it. Mind, both are pretty old and I am not fussy, though I might be if someone burnt out my clutch and never told me

 

[HashRouge]

I don't have a lorry/ trailer to lend, but I have borrowed a trailer in an emergency. My mare had an accident and ended up needing to be transferred asap to the nearest equine hospital, which was over 1 hour away. Unfortunately, we had no transport and the only trailer on our yard needed the floor replacing. We tried to get hold of a number of local transporters with no look, and eventually my mother took herself to the local equestrian centre, found a man securing his trailer for the night and asked if we could borrow it (we had a woman with a landrover who was willing to tow a trailer, hers was the trailer that needed the floor sorting). To my eternal amazement this guy said yes! The trailer was returned clean and in good order, and he has my eternal gratitude (we also took him a bottle of wine and some choccies to say than you!).

 

[Carefreegirl]

Only to my YO and if not her then it would be only in life or death situation.

 

[hollyandivy123]

i use to have a lorry sharer. i had the larger money stack in it

i could only use it if she didn't need it, i even found her loading her horse on a day i was going to use it, she had it the next day. when i confronted her i was informed i could use it tomorrow as she drove of.

the final straw came when i found out she was drink driving, when she told me what she was doing i said this was not on etc and got told it as the lorry didn't go that fast and i was being ridiculus


i now do not have a sharer

unless it is an emergency then i will never go down this route again!