Sharing my lorry, being fair with costs!

SpottyTB

SpottyTB

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A friend of mine had to sell her trailer because of money problems, she asked us if she could go on our insurance on our lorry, we said this would be fine as long as she realised that she couldnt have say over using it.

The only cost she has paid/is paying for the lorry is the £30 for an extra driver on the insurance and she tops the fuel up as and when she uses it, but nothing for maintenance or actually using it.

Would it be reasonable to asking a little each time she uses it or some money towards maintenance?

I just feel that she's getting it for nothing and when i hear that she's been claiming it as her own and being a bit over possessive about us using it i just feel i should perhaps ask for some money.

Any thoughts/feelings/idea's welcome, i really don't want to be un reasonable nor do i want to be taken for a mug!
 
I'm now planning to buy my own lorry but when my friend offered a share in her lorry the deal was going to be to pay the extra insurance for me to be added, obviously always pay for the fuel I use, but I was also going to pay for a 3rd (or there abouts) of servicing/MOT and for new tires. The 3rd was because there were 2 of them (mother and daughter) and only one of me at the time - though I now have 2 horses....we never actually went ahead with it but if we had I would also have offered to chip in for all maintenance costs....and still even then I'd never have claimed it as my own!
 
The bit that would piss me off, would be the fact that she is claiming it is her own.

It's all very well paying the extra insurance, but if her horse trashes the inside, will she pay? What is her kid (if she had one) sat in the cab and spilled it's drink all over, would she pay to have the seats cleaned?

I only say this as it happened to me, and I was never paid for the repairs or the cleaning bill to remove the sticky mess left on the seats....

She has no right at all to be possessive, in fact, she should be kissing your feet!

Sure, you can ask for extra, but then you go down that old path of 'operators licences' and all the rest of it...if you are hiring for reward, blah blah blah...

Personally, I feel you are too generous.

Give her a lift from time to time, but don't let her loose with the keys....a lorry is a precious bit of kit as far as your horse and your enjoyment goes!
 
I used to share my friends lorry and I paid half the insurance, half the roadside recovery and half the tax plus any diesel I used. Did this for two years. Our arrangement worked so well she has just sold her lorry and we have bought a new one between us, that way we both have capital invested ;)
I would feel really cheeky 'sharing' someones lorry and not splitting the cost fairly!
 
Yeah i think asking for a bit each time would be a little bit ott, i think its the fact that she uses it triple the amount that i use it and for two ponies and goes further away. She always moans about it being a piece of **** and it makes me feel like she doesn't appreciate us trying to help her out! I asked the other day if she would do me a favor and drive me somewhere (as my driver was really ill) and she turned around and said if i take you i cant take my kids and that i cant expect her to take me all the time - i asked once!!

Its all so silly but like i said in the original post, i dont want to be taken for a mug and if im honest i do feel like i am being taken for one!
 
She does sound like she is taking the piss entirely to be honest - her attitude would really annoy me, where does she get off being unwilling to do you a favour? I think I would say if it is such a piece of sh** then she doesn't need to use it and can buy her own!

If you do want to keep the arrangement going though, I'd ask her to pay half the tax and MOT costs for it, if she's using it that much!
 
I would speak to her about her attitute - remind her that it is your lorry and you are doing her a favour by letting her use it. If it were me I would also add that if I ever heard her say it was her lorry again, she wouldn't be using it ever again!
 
Cheeky mare!! I wouldn't let her use it all!!! I have a couple of friends who use my lorry, they have paid for insurance/fuel, I make it clear to anyone that uses it that if they damage it (or their horses do) they will be paying for it.

Any hint of being ungrateful and they can stuff it!!!!
 
Reminds me of a time years before the lorry even, when I was with the ex....

I had an old estate, and an old trailer. Both good condition and did for me!

Did a friend a favour by taking him to shows while his truck was off the road and he had to save up to have it repaired...

He paid for the fuel, and I got a day out, didn't mind....

But oneday, for some reason, when another friend came along for the ride, we got to the show and someone commented (who he hadn't seen for a while) on 'what the hell are you in??' (next to their big flash lorry) and he then began to slag off my precious car and trailer to the ground.

I said nowt, just got his horse and his kit out, and he asked what I was doing....

'...seeing as my car and trailer are so s***....I'm leaving you here and off home, my transport is no longer available!'...

HUGE apologies after that from him...and I relented and stayed, but NEVER took him anywhere again after that...

:D

I loved that car and trailer, took me and my lil horse all over the place, and no-one was gonna call them names!
 
DragonSlayer said:
Reminds me of a time years before the lorry even, when I was with the ex....

I had an old estate, and an old trailer. Both good condition and did for me!

Did a friend a favour by taking him to shows while his truck was off the road and he had to save up to have it repaired...

He paid for the fuel, and I got a day out, didn't mind....

But oneday, for some reason, when another friend came along for the ride, we got to the show and someone commented (who he hadn't seen for a while) on 'what the hell are you in??' (next to their big flash lorry) and he then began to slag off my precious car and trailer to the ground.

I said nowt, just got his horse and his kit out, and he asked what I was doing....

'...seeing as my car and trailer are so s***....I'm leaving you here and off home, my transport is no longer available!'...

HUGE apologies after that from him...and I relented and stayed, but NEVER took him anywhere again after that...

:D

I loved that car and trailer, took me and my lil horse all over the place, and no-one was gonna call them names!
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Wow thats pretty rude of him! They dont have to be really posh and expensive its the sentimental value!! My lorry was bought with the money my great grandmother left us and it has great sentimental value to us, i really had to bite my lip the day she said it was a load of ****!!!

Think we're going to have to have a little chat with her about costs, think i will ask for half mot and half tax plus topping up the fuel or perhaps as another option i could ask her to do the occasional favor for me seeing as i cant drive it myself and my driver is not always available or well enough and then perhaps chip in a few pounds towards mot/tax/upkeep... sound good?

Using it tomorrow to take my mare to the vets for her jabs, havent actually looked at the horse part since her pony went wild inside when the vet gave her an injection last week! Hoping everything is still in one piece!!! :confused:
 
SpottyTB said:
, havent actually looked at the horse part since her pony went wild inside when the vet gave her an injection last week! Hoping everything is still in one piece!!! :confused:
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That, in itself, is a recipe for disaster. You need to check it over before it goes out to her and when it comes back.

Another way of doing it would be to work out what it cost you for maintenance per mile last year and charge her that for the mileage she does - check it when you check the lorry - on top of her share of the insurance and her replacing the diesel. Keep the records for this year too and if the maintenance per mile cost changes significantly change what you charge her.
 
Oh, bin her off, the rude so and so! :eek: £30 for adding miles and wear and tear to your lorry, and an attitude like that? She can kiss your......
 
Seeing as she uses it more than you and goes further, I'd want a percentage of all running costs.

And with the attitude you describe, I'd be telling her she couldn't use it all anymore as you don't feel she appreciates the gestuer nor pays enough to toward it's upkeep.

You wouldn't treat a horse as you are doing your lorry - i'd bite someones hand of to use their lorry and pay a percentage/half of the costs!
 
Yeah i totally agree with what you all are saying, i suppose i've been thinking it and not saying it! I mean if im honest she does clean it from top to bottom:D:D every time she uses it and is always very thankful but its just the little things she says about it etc that niggles at me, i think i'm just going to have to have a chat with her and be brutally honest about the situation!

thanks to all!
:D :D :D :D
 
I'd tell her to get lost if I were you! Lorries are expensive and precious!

I have a car and a trailer and I get fed up with people asing for lifts, 1. because we had to struggle to find the money to buy it and we didn't buy it to take other people's horses places, and 2. they start to expect to be offered a lift when you're going somewhere and don't always treat your precious trailer with the care that you do after saving so hard to buy it!

I am at a livery yard with lots of people who like competing but don't have transport and get fed up of being made to feel guilty for not taking people places! Buy your own bloody transport!

Sorry, didn't mean to hi jack your post for a mini rant, but I'd tell your friend to get lost, especially if she is slagging your lorry off!
x
 
This situation happens regularly when people start either sharing a lory or let people borrow it.

I have a lorry & I have never lent it to anyone. I don't make exceptions, that way everyone knows what the situation with it is. If you waiver from this & lend to one person or take someone to a venue then arguements can start with "You took that person to a show, or you lent the lorry to them, why won't you lend it to me?" That's why I don't go there. I saved up & bought my lorry, it isn't a Rolls Royce but it does us fine.

Friends however do know that if their horse was ever ill & needed transporting somewhere then I would be the first person to drop everything & transport them. :)
 
The fact that you will have to bring the matter up re extra costs speaks volumes - your friend must be aware that, tax, plating, maintenance etc all costs money. You shouldn't have to ask.

It sounds like you are being extremely generous in lending out your lorry which lets face it are expensive to maintain and run at the best of times.

We decided that we wouldn't lend out our lorry - once bitten, twice shy .... took someone on a previous vehicle whose horse misbehaved - tore the rubber on the ramp - didn't offer to make good (or funds for such) and then couldn't understand why no further lifts were forthcoming.

Needless to say though if any animal is ill and needs urgent veterinary attention, wouldn't hesitate to drive them at any time of the day/night.
 
I'd tell her to begger off!!!! She is getting an amazingly cushy deal and sounds like she is being an arse with it! If someone isn't willing to help you out (with a smile on their face!) when you are being so generous with your property then they really don't deserve it.

The trailer and truck I have are unavailable to anyone (ignoring a vet emergency obv!), they are so expensive and important to be able to safely transport our mares that I just wouldn't risk opening the can of worms that is travelling someone elses horse or lending it out.

OH co-owned a lorry with someone for a while - the deal was that they each paid half of maintenence/tax/insurance etc and put in the diesel they used. Other party totally took the p and OH barely got to use it despite paying his share!
 
If she gets an equal share in whether or not she can use it that weekend/the use is split straight down the middle-then share maintenance costs down the middle.
If she is limited by what you are doing and you are out and about a lot/this actually restricts her then I think you would be unrealistic to ask her to contribute as you still want final say, although a pro rata for her approximate level of self control over lorry would be fair.
I always think owners should expect to pay a bit more as they have final say and responsibility
 
Id expect to pay half towards all costs after all, you bought the lorry, so its your money invested in it. She is taking the P.
Id tell her you want half towards all the running costs and you also have the first say in using it. She hasnt had to lay out to buy it so I think thats more than fair.
Id also say any damage caused by her horse has to be put right by her.

I once lent my trailer out to someone as they had taken me to events before I had one of my own and their horse ripped the lining on the sides and bent the back section of the partition. It was perfectly useable afterwards but it was my pride and joy and Id looked after it. They never said anything to me.
I learnt a lesson and never leant it to anyone again.
 
I occasionally hand over the keys to my lorry ... it takes a lot of begging, promises of cookies, a full tank afterwards and a few months of gratitude + several favours! (I'm only half joking, btw ... when people ask, I say NO, then I let them talk me round. Keeps the playing field biased in my favour!) ...

Now one day a friend was taking her small pony to a championship class. The clutch died. Completely trashed. **** happens, right. She'd hardly left her yard, had driven it twice before (months earlier and again the night before to take it home) .. the clutch would have died regardless of who was driving and the mileage is 99% mine. No problem. She was so upset, tried to offer me money. I refused, as it's an old lorry and these thintgs happen. £480 repairs. Ok. My lorry.
HOWEVER if she had been driving it more regularly, I would definitely have expected a contribution since the mileage would also have been hers! You can't have your cake and eat it! I have the cake, occasionally others get to eat it. Simples.

If I were you, I'd keep a flat battery for a laugh and exchange them the day before she'd due to go somewhere. I can be childish like that!!
 
Its sooo stressful!! Insurance is due in may, i think its going to be rule time then, there is some talk of her getting a trailer - so fingers crossed!

Whats really bothers me is that my driver is long sufferer of cancer so obviously has his good days and bad days, if i have a show planned and he's not well that week i ask if she could drive for me and offer the other space to her for her child - plus i pay petrol and a bit towards her time! The one time i asked she turned around and said i cant expect her to take me and if she takes me only one of her kids can go. She later went on to say the same thing to a friend behind my back!

She books all her events in months beforehand, i work on a saturday so i cant do any events on that day. but she's kicked up a small fuss because all her events are on a sunday. Naturally i feel guilty but why should I !! Whenever she goes to an event i offer to groom for her, or if by any chance we go to the same event i always help her kids walk the course (they are only little'ens!) I'd hate for our friendship to become sour but it is just SO frustrating! I'm not being un reasonable really am i?
:confused:
:mad:
 
Also - I've only used it 6 times for events (i've owned it 7 months now, and she's been insured on it for 5 months) - she's used it at least twice a week, some of those times i have wanted to use it and cant have because she's claimed to have booked it with my gran- which she hasnt!
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
'Unbook' it all now, from your last posts it sounds like you have had enough - so tell her, tonight or tomorrow: 'Regretfully MY lorry is no longer able to be borrowed/loaned'

end of..........
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Unfortunetly going to have to let her occasionally borrow it till may - she's paid insurance till then! But yes definitely, enoughs enough!


Thanks guys!
 
There are some great tips on here! I've got a 3.5t van conversion - some people call them tin cans, I call it my horsebox - it does as it says on the tin - carries the horse! Anyway, at a previous yard, someone kept telling me that they would never travel a horse in one of those, they are dangerous etc etc.......when the floor dropped out of their far superior one, they asked if they could take mine to an event - I *******ing think not! after all you've said! After all if they're so dangerous, why would you want to risk your precious horse in mine!
 
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