Becoming An Owner Driver: Getting Started As A Courier

Getting started as an owner driver is easy, and hasowner drivers need to sort out their taxes with the
the advantage of potentially becoming profitableInland Revenue and arrange any credits they may be
pretty quickly due to the lack of overheads.entitled to. At this point it may be worth hiring an
However, there are some things to consider as youaccountant who will know how to save you money
start, and this guide hopes to show you the kind ofby understanding what expenses you can claim.
things you will need and the pitfalls to avoid whenAlternatively, if you know book keeping, there is
going freelance and becoming an owner driver.nothing to stop you from managing your own
What You Need:finances, if you're not too busy with all the owner
Firstly, you need a vehicle. This is pretty damndriver jobs you hope to be inundated with!
obvious for anyone getting started as an ownerGetting Your Name Out There
driver, but it is still worth stating. The vehicle shouldSo, now that your finances are all (hopefully!) sorted
be no more than six years old and can actually be ofout, how do you go about finding your first owner
any size really - though if you're serious about makingdriver jobs? Well the first step is getting yourself
this work, then investing in a larger van (as opposedlisted in local directories - the Yellow Pages and
to using a hatchback car) will allow you to transportThomson Local directory are a good start, as is
larger loads, and thus charge more.putting an advert in the local newspaper. It's also
Secondly a mobile phone is all important for newworth joining a freight exchange like ours, as this can
owner drivers. These days, people who don't ownhelp you get owner driver jobs and backloads as well
one are something of a rarity, so this shouldn't be anas keeping your running costs down. Some freight
issue: All the same, it's important to be able to keepexchanges also provide a helpful community if you
in touch with others from the road, so getting holdneed help or advice.
of such an 'unusual' and 'exotic' device is all important.Print some professional looking business cards, and
Finally, owner driver insurance is all important. Thedon't be shy about handing them out - you never
array of options can be confusing, but there areknow when you might get an owner driver job from
three types of insurance you need to look into,them!
which I shall deal with now:One unusual way of getting business is to contact
Get Insuredother couriers in your area. At first this may sound
Courier insurance is all important for new ownerlike an unlikely solution, but the truth is that if your
drivers. There are three types of insurance you needrivals can't complete all their work in one day, then
to look into:they will be happy to have your help, rather than risk
Vehicle Insurancelosing their reputation for timely deliveries. If you can
Any vehicle on the road must be insured - that's aget on the sub-contraction books of a few local
legal requirement which most people are aware of!couriers, you may find this provides a steady stream
When you contact the insurance company, aof 'one-off' owner driver jobs to keep things ticking
common temptation is to say your vehicle is forover nicely.
business use - but actually be sure to specify thatA web presence is useful as well, but in the early
you need it for courier use. The difference is thatdays of your operation you may find the costs
you will be carrying goods for others for profit, andinvolved in setting up and maintaining your site are
this will affect your quote, and any subsequent claimsgoing to cost more than the traffic they bring in, so I
you need to make!would suggest you save this for when your business
Goods in Transit Insurancehas picked up a little.
It's worth stumping up the extra cash for 'Goods inGetting Paid
Transit' insurance as well. This will protect your cargoA tricky one to answer is the question of how much
against loss and damage, generally covering you foryou should be paid. Unfortunately, I'm not able to
goods up to a value of £10,000. Your maingive a definitive answer as to how much you should
insurance company might cover this, but if not, thencharge for each owner driver job, as it very much
it's very easy to get this from specialist courierdepends on the region you work in and the size of
insurance dealers. This is especially worth consideringyour vehicle.
for new owner drivers, as it makes you seem moreGenerally, owner drivers charge per mile on the
legitimate and people will be more comfortable dealingoutbound journey, and at a discounted rate on the
with you.return, but a good way of picking the right price for
Public Liabilityyou is to check out the cost of hiring your local rivals
This one may not be as necessary as the other two,and working from there.
but is still worth considering, especially for new ownerBecoming an owner driver can seem a little daunting
drivers with butter fingers! This will cover you forat first, but sticking to this basic framework should
incidents involving your customers, for example if youensure that the first few months run smoothly. This
drop their same-day-delivery box of anvils on theirshould give you the solid foundations you need to
foot...begin earning the type of money the profession can
While not strictly insurance, it's also worth mentioningoffer, and can potentially see you expanding your
at this point that as you'll be self employed, newoperation over the following years.