The Royspeed 'fleet'

[royspeed]

Thought it was time to put up pictures of my two vans, I did post pics of the Luton earlier, but this is the first time I have had them both next to each other for a while








BTW, if anyone is interested, the lwb panel van is up for sale, it is a 70ps Transit 100, good reliable engine, bodywork is a bit tatty. but it has a 2.5Di engine and comes with tax, MOT, and five almost new tyres

Roy.

[BigNeil]

how is business, the two vans used regularly or one at a time? just started my self and have a current fleet of one and a car. if/when business takes off will upgrade, do you find the luton useful?

Bigneil

[royspeed]

how is business, the two vans used regularly or one at a time? just started my self and have a current fleet of one and a car. if/when business takes off will upgrade, do you find the luton useful?

Bigneil

usually, I only use the panel van if I am doing a job for a local printers, they load pallets of printed material onto it with a forklift, so I don't fancy them driving all over my tail-lift
The Luton is used mostly for furniture and house moves, I have work from my local Big Yellow Storage place, and also from a removals firm based in Birmingham, they often get jobs moving stuff to international shippers to go abroad, so I pick up that type of stuff.
I am going OK at the moment, but hopefully, if I can get in with all of the local Estate agents, I can generate even more work, then perhaps I will be able to keep the panel van and employ a driver

Roy.

[FredTransit]

Employ a driver? Hmmmm, best of luck to you mate. Sometimes I think it was the only mistake we made, but no going back now. You can't be in three places at once.

[Nathan_Cardiff]

just out of intrest do you get a lot of work by doing what your doing? house moves etc. is it that good a wage?
If i was moving id prefer to hire my own luton and get mates to help out, im not being rude just inquizative (if thats spelt right)

cheers

[FredTransit]

just out of intrest do you get a lot of work by doing what your doing? house moves etc. is it that good a wage?
If i was moving id prefer to hire my own luton and get mates to help out, im not being rude just inquizative (if thats spelt right)

cheers

Some people can't drive, or wouldn't want to drive a large van (younger ones aren't qualified). You also need a clean license to rent from larger companies, which due to speed cameras some people don't have.

Removals are good money but hard work. Poeple (customers) can be a real pain and generally hard work. I have tipped out the water from washing up, and taken clothes from the wardrobe, such was the lack of preperation for a move.

[Nathan_Cardiff]

cheers fred, hadnt thought about the younger drivers. what sort of money would you charge to move someone out of a 2bed house to another 2 bed house within a 5 mile radius, and would you do all the lifting etc??

[MrMPuk]

Younger drivers can drive anything up to 3500kgs, the only transits over this are the really big 230s which are quite rare.

[FredTransit]

Younger drivers can drive anything up to 3500kgs, the only transits over this are the really big 230s which are quite rare.

Good point, but the rest is true, specially the bit about a clean licence. As for price, some people charge an hourly rate, some would price per job after coming to have a look. If you are paying for one or two people, in my book the one or two people would both work. Some also charge milage on top. In London prices range from £15-35 per hour (personally I would be dubious about the £15, but I have seen it advertised).

[BigNeil]

What about the insurance aspect, the ones i have done so far i have insisted they use an extension from their house insurance but quoted today on one that did not have house insurance. nearly quoted them then, remebered do not do that anymore. Does it cost more to put this extra on the van insurance.

(It may sound odd to ask but have never sold commercial insurance), just General easier to sell.

[transitgeoff]

i should think you would be moving into a new area in van insurance if you said "house moves" i did self drive hire and the insurance is a nightmare, the list of who they will and wont cover and for what purposes, if you read it all properly i think they could escape every claim if they chose to!

[FredTransit]

Seperate goods in transit insurance is the way to go, totally seperate from the road risks insurance (but through the same broker) it's the only way we have ever done it, but ours is more commercially based (I do know it excludes full loads of TVs, but not the odd one or two on a household remeoval).

[royspeed]

What about the insurance aspect, the ones i have done so far i have insisted they use an extension from their house insurance but quoted today on one that did not have house insurance. nearly quoted them then, remebered do not do that anymore. Does it cost more to put this extra on the van insurance.

(It may sound odd to ask but have never sold commercial insurance), just General easier to sell.

I have full Goods In transit and Public Liability Insurance, it is the minimum that I need to do my job, I am covered for up to £15K GIT, and up to 10 Million Public Liability.

Roy.

[royspeed]

cheers fred, hadnt thought about the younger drivers. what sort of money would you charge to move someone out of a 2bed house to another 2 bed house within a 5 mile radius, and would you do all the lifting etc??

It depends on where you are, if the job is outside the M25, I charge a rate of 75p per mile travel costs to get to the starting address, then a flat fee (for my services only) of £75 for the move. If I need to hire an assistant to lift heavy furniture, I would have to add £100 to the bill to cover his wages.
That is only a rough guide, there may also be other costs like if a customer asks me to supply packing boxes and bubblewrap, or do the packing for them, these would all have to be factored in.

Generally, I would agree with Fred, it is a reasonably good wage, but bloody hard work at times

Roy.