Gunners
Well-known member
Is that all you're charging Doob? I feel bad for undercutting you with my wacker plate now
Giles
Well-known member
Careful lads remember @hmrc is lurking and self assessment isn’t far off
Furniss
Well-known member
Nothing wrong with those rates as your bread and butter day rates as long as your getting some price work in to give it a lift 
R
Russell
Well-known member
Lol one firm over here said they pay £12 a hour.
Must have tickets for that too.
doobin
Well-known member
I bet Rory isn't on £400 a day driving for someone else.
F
fred
Well-known member
would need to be £500 a day surely to cover the cost of that not to mention the headache of low loader....
doobin
Well-known member
At a recent Engcon dig day there were people there looking to spend £20k+ on a tilty charging £380 a day for a 13 tonner.
Gunners
Well-known member
And I know someone with all the attachments INCLUDING fuel, cheaper than that in our area Doob.... But it does look good on Instagram...
Giles
Well-known member
Plenty of idiots racing to the bottom
S
Smiffy
Well-known member
Only have to look through FB to see what some people are prepared to do, god knows how they think they will ever get a mortgage round here
I would love to be an owner operator. It's why I joined this forum as was looking to buy a machine, but I couldn't bring myself to do it when I'm paye on more than what they are going out for kitted up.
I get training and everything paid for. I earn the same no matter what goes wrong or what I break. It just doesn't add up
Storrsy
Well-known member
I run my own machines- I'd sooner be driving other people's most of the time- do a tidy job, go home, no hassle.
GazCro
Well-known member
The thing is there's a difference between being an owner op and running your own show. I think some people think buy a digger and turn out for x amount per hour is it. Same as trades who go self employed and then subbie back to same outfit who was employing them without realising that when you take away holiday pay, sick pay, no pension no van they are actually worse off yet employer is making more off them. Reality is you've got to put so much more into it to gain from it. And if you think working for a boss is bad wait until the customer is the boss!
Gunners
Well-known member
I quite often think exactly the same... Not sure I'll do it forever to be honest but its earning well at the moment and I'm young enough to still have the fight in me to keep going.
Possibly one of the most accurate things that's been said on this topic on this forum.
JD450A
Feral as Fk 🐾
Right, pitfalls and realities.
As a basic route, you've either got the small machine route that requires as a minimum -
Van/4x4 and towhitch (You'll need a B+E License that you can't currently take)
Trailer
Digger
Reality is that with the digger most will expect you to have access to a breaker.... Then you also need a C.A.T, and soon it snowballs.
Option 2 is to smoke crack and decide you can make it with a bigger digger.... I'm not even going down this explanation..... Ring Lynch/Flannerys/TruPlant and see what suicidal rate they will send you a machine and driver for..... whilst your at it ask them what rates there little diggers are......
There is good money to make in the specialist, and contacts are king.
Ultimately though your own ability is the product your selling..... I can and regularly do turn up with something pulled out of a hedge.... it earns the same as a new one.
As a basic route, you've either got the small machine route that requires as a minimum -
Van/4x4 and towhitch (You'll need a B+E License that you can't currently take)
Trailer
Digger
Reality is that with the digger most will expect you to have access to a breaker.... Then you also need a C.A.T, and soon it snowballs.
Option 2 is to smoke crack and decide you can make it with a bigger digger.... I'm not even going down this explanation..... Ring Lynch/Flannerys/TruPlant and see what suicidal rate they will send you a machine and driver for..... whilst your at it ask them what rates there little diggers are......
There is good money to make in the specialist, and contacts are king.
Ultimately though your own ability is the product your selling..... I can and regularly do turn up with something pulled out of a hedge.... it earns the same as a new one.
Furniss
Well-known member
Specialize
I dont suppose it's easy to find your niche and more often than not it ends up you arrive there without trying in particular,but since we became more specialized and built a reputation for doing it well then things have become easier - work tends to come to you by recommendation- gets rid of those winging it so less competition - tasks that are repetitive give you the chance to become efficient and so more profitable - less varied materials and buying relatively large ammounts from fewer suppliers gives you more leverage - easier pricing as you can nearly price a job from looking at it and less risk of the unknown.
Sure it's not wise to have all your eggs in one basket in case it dries up but most people I know who do better than o.k have a main line of work - whether its horse arenas,water treatment,land drainage ... whatever.
I dont suppose it's easy to find your niche and more often than not it ends up you arrive there without trying in particular,but since we became more specialized and built a reputation for doing it well then things have become easier - work tends to come to you by recommendation- gets rid of those winging it so less competition - tasks that are repetitive give you the chance to become efficient and so more profitable - less varied materials and buying relatively large ammounts from fewer suppliers gives you more leverage - easier pricing as you can nearly price a job from looking at it and less risk of the unknown.
Sure it's not wise to have all your eggs in one basket in case it dries up but most people I know who do better than o.k have a main line of work - whether its horse arenas,water treatment,land drainage ... whatever.
V8Druid
do it as well as you can,but learn to do it better
absolutely ... no such thing as 'self employed' just employed by a thousand different bosses
GazCro
Well-known member
And with regards to the customer is always right.......no they are not but they are paying! You've got to find a way sometimes to make them see the error in what they are wanting to do before you get too far into a major f'up and then show them the right way. You are only as good as you're last job and even if the balls up wasn't your fault it won't be what the customer tells everyone they speak to (potentially you're next 12 months of work).
Hg2702
Well-known member
Should of charged you more for that rake
D
DaveDCB
Well-known member
Ultimately being a owner operator/self employed is bloody hard graft most of the time, it’s either in you or it isn’t. I sure as hell couldn’t work for another company no matter how tempting it may be at times!
Anyone thinking they can go out for £400 a day(don’t care what size machine your bringing to the party at that!) and not be sh*t hot in the seat will soon be shown the way off site!
Anyone thinking they can go out for £400 a day(don’t care what size machine your bringing to the party at that!) and not be sh*t hot in the seat will soon be shown the way off site!
Gunners
Well-known member
Oh come on, Rorys not that bad Dave - its harder to do a nice job with worn pins in that old kit he runs
Doobin has no excuse with all that shiny new kit
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