Rough Estimate please...cost of running a lorry!

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cidermillcottage1

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Hi all,

Would really appreicate some views on the cost of running a lorry..mot, plates etc i don't really understand wots involved!!!

I am running a trailer at the mo with a 4x4 and a little car for work as do lots of milage and 4 x4 is too expensive to run everyday! Was wondering if a lorry and small car would be any cheaper costs wise??

Any opinions would be great! thanks x
 
I've done a bit of research into this. But, I can't give a definitive answer.

However, things you should be aware of include:

- Vehicles with old diesel engines may soon face heavy taxes/road charges. From Feb next year, lorries that have diesel engines that pollute over a certain threshold (nominally those older than 10 years old) will be subject to a £100 a day charge if the enter the London Low Emmision Zone (LEZ). This is effectivly all roads within the M25. 4x4s and vans will be included at a later date. So I think it would be a folly to buy an old diesel.

- You could consider a non-4x4 tow car.... People carriers or panel vans would be quite useful. They offer more space, and good stability and towing ability at a more reasonable rate of fuel consumption than 4x4s, whist trawling on the web, I found that the German police use vans to tow police horses around:

NSReiteranhMS.jpg


NSReiterT4MS.jpg


You could also use a it as a camper van - so you have living too!

(does having these pictures make me a bit of a trainspotter? Or, indeed, a horsebox spotter?)
 
Insurance about £200 fully comp
Tax £165/year
Mot £50

And then it depends on how good a lorry you buy and how reliable it is.

I've had mine 10 years and I can't have spent more than a grand on it, but then other people spend that every year.
 
bought a loovely old lorry not too long ago (feb i think). cost us £50 for a bit of welding to the exaust. Insurance is £300 a year for any driver over 25 + me (learner hgv person who is 22) including breakdown recovery etc.
tax £165
MOT £ 120 but we get a guy in who takes it, prepares it for the MOT, takes it for the MOT and arranges everything if it fails the MOT and brings it back if it passes all we have to do is hand him the keys of the lorry the day before the test. It passed its test with only one small adjustment (size of a reflector of all things) this time round

Im on the look out for a more modern box though as a friend of mine has said she would go halves with me!

Anouther friend of mine bought a fairly modern box (were not talking new here but about 10 years old) and has had no end of trouble from it and has spent over 2000 on it in the last year (needed a new gear box, new brakes and a new brake master cylinder). so i think it all depends on the lorry you get! you can get good ones and bad ones just like cars
 
my lorry is in at the moment having general maintenance work done for its MOT, new brakes disc all round, replacement of a king pin etc ,total so far for that and everything else is close on a grand..
im seriously considering downgrading to a trailer
 
My little 3.5t costs me:
£263 ins per year
£200 tax a year
£50 mot per year and obviously diesel when needed, its pretty self sufficient in that it hasnt needed anything in trher - er month and a half Ive had it lol wouldnt be without it though!!
 
Its the labour charging costs that up lorry maintenance unfortunately.

I've just had my MOT at a cost of £39, cheaper than my cars mot, i needed 1 new brake pipe and a couple of other little things, parts costs £68

Total bill £332 !!!!! £225 labour charge and that's not a rip off garage either.
 
Boysy my nice mr lorry man charges £21 per hour labour, some others in the area charge £45. all depends on where you get it done!
my friend just had the brake master cylinder replaced for less labour charges (part was more expensive)
 
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