What do you subbies all drive for work ?

[Sharpend]

Perhaps you ought to look at lease hire, although you have a monthly payment to contexts with then.
Speak to a hire company and see if they can do a long term hire deal? Some independent hirers do this.

 

[Tony Soprano]

Perhaps you ought to look at lease hire, although you have a monthly payment to contexts with then.
Speak to a hire company and see if they can do a long term hire deal? Some independent hirers do this.

I’ll look at all options. But I want it to be as cheap as possible

 

[Sharpend]

OK so cheap as chips,

https://www.berghofftoys.co.uk/kijana-mini-cargo-bike-black?

 

[Tony Soprano]

OK so cheap as chips,

https://www.berghofftoys.co.uk/kijana-mini-cargo-bike-black?

Could get a decent berlingo van for 3000 couple of years back. Low miles and reliable. Looking at double that now for same van. It’s disappointing to say the least.

 

[Sharpend]

How long you been in the game now Tony?

 

[Tony Soprano]

How long you been in the game now Tony?

20 years cards in and 2.5 years subbying

 

[Sharpend]

So fair amount of experience then, so do you advertise yourself or solely rely on subbying and agencies?

 

[Tony Soprano]

So fair amount of experience then, so do you advertise yourself or solely rely on subbying and agencies?

No I don’t advertise mate. I just wana be on site. I just like being on big jobs and getting stuck in. I’m not interested in running a business. I only really kept to what I’m doing to keep local. I have lots of experience yes. Mainly commercial.

 

[Sharpend]

I guess you only want local work now then?

 

[Tony Soprano]

I guess you only want local work now then?

Pretty much bud. I did like 20 years on and off away. Working in hospitals mainly but doing all sorts. I’ve done loads of different stuff. You know how it is. Kids are home and all that. Puts a strain on family being away. I would do the odd month if needed still. But not months and months on end. Only me working too for various personal reasons.I won’t go into that on here. Only the one wage.

 

[Barx]

I'm a bit like you work wise. Subbed to same complany now for 4 years. 3 years ago I bought a 11 plate combo van for £1800. Speant a few hundred quid straight away changing 2 front legs and discs and pads all round. Been driving it round since. Done about 35k in it, I service it once a year and then just an oil and filter change on the 6 months. Had a clutch and flywheel last april and 6 tyres in all through that time. As it stands, it owes me nothing, been a great van. The space can be a little tight at times, but 90% of time, it's ok so can't really justify a size upgrade to then have higher running costs.

BUT, been working in sheffield for last 12 months and there is probably at least a couple of years left there too. Sheffield are starting their Low emissions zone at end of feb this year, which is a bit gutting. I will mostly likely have to pay £10 a day to drive around the jobs. Difficult to avoid the ULEZ zone without knowing the area like to back of your hand (I don't). So I'm now in the predicament of do I look at spending £10 - 12k on a newer Euro 6 van to avoid paying £10 a day or potentially (worst case scenario) pay about £2.5k per year I work in the city?
I have asked the contractor if they can look at paying the ULEZ or ask the council if they do exemptions. I'm told neither are possible. Frustrating as the work we do is for the council.

 

[Tony Soprano]

I'm a bit like you work wise. Subbed to same complany now for 4 years. 3 years ago I bought a 11 plate combo van for £1800. Speant a few hundred quid straight away changing 2 front legs and discs and pads all round. Been driving it round since. Done about 35k in it, I service it once a year and then just an oil and filter change on the 6 months. Had a clutch and flywheel last april and 6 tyres in all through that time. As it stands, it owes me nothing, been a great van. The space can be a little tight at times, but 90% of time, it's ok so can't really justify a size upgrade to then have higher running costs.

BUT, been working in sheffield for last 12 months and there is probably at least a couple of years left there too. Sheffield are starting their Low emissions zone at end of feb this year, which is a bit gutting. I will mostly likely have to pay £10 a day to drive around the jobs. Difficult to avoid the ULEZ zone without knowing the area like to back of your hand (I don't). So I'm now in the predicament of do I look at spending £10 - 12k on a newer Euro 6 van to avoid paying £10 a day or potentially (worst case scenario) pay about £2.5k per year I work in the city?
I have asked the contractor if they can look at paying the ULEZ or ask the council if they do exemptions. I'm told neither are possible. Frustrating as the work we do is for the council.

Could you not go cards in and get a van included? I guess it wouldn’t pay as much like. I don’t have savings and I’m not sure I’m prepared to go into debt. So if I stayed self employed I would have to try and save as much as I can as quick as I can. And hope my car will keep running on the mean time.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

The big problem with your question is trying to find a like-for-like comparison with your personal circumstances...?

To my perspective its more a question of evaluating numerous factors.. such as.. {in no particular order}

(1) What do you need to carry?
(2) What control do you have over what you may need to carry in the future?
(3) Are you personally marketing, selling, advertising your services direct to the customers who pay you?
(4) Are you just a sub-contracting link-in-the-chain doing work on behalf of someone else who has secured a contract of work?
(5) If you are working on behalf of a third party do they have any preferred standards for appearance of workwear and/or vehicles?
(6) If you have any half-decent swanky van, do you have a secure place to park it overnight, and/or to move any valuable tools out of it overnight? (As almost any type of van, plain or sign-written, is a magnet for low-life scum to try and open it looking for valuable kit to sell for drugs etc..)
(7) If you are working for yourself do you need the expense of running two vehicles, (e.g. van+car), or could a decent people carrier / estate car combine your essential work and personal transportation satisfactorily?
(8) If the majority of the time you only have to carry your own personal tools and test gear, then they will probably all fit comfortably into the boot of the average family car?
(9) If the majority of the time you are mostly doing only domestic related work, and/or fault finding, or EICR's requiring just a few tools and test gear, then they will probably all fit comfortably into the boot of the average family car?
(10) If you are doing significant amounts of industrial/commercial work where you also have to collect materials for the job then a decent van is an essential tool.. No options, or you will be loosing out on almost every job!?
(11) etc..
(12) etc..
(13) brain freeze as TOO much incoholic affluence...


Side note....
We are Midlands based and our 2016 reg, 1600 diesel family car... (used for towing caravan)..
is exempt for the congestion charge in B/Ham city centre.. and is only £30 car tax per year...

So I am Just guessing that an equivalent sized, 2016 van engine, would also be exempt from any congestion charges?

 

[Tony Soprano]

The big problem with your question is trying to find a like-for-like comparison with your personal circumstances...?

To my perspective its more a question of evaluating numerous factors.. such as.. {in no particular order}

(1) What do you need to carry?
(2) What control do you have over what you may need to carry in the future?
(3) Are you personally marketing, selling, advertising your services direct to the customers who pay you?
(4) Are you just a sub-contracting link-in-the-chain doing work on behalf of someone else who has secured a contract of work?
(5) If you are working on behalf of a third party do they have any preferred standards for appearance of workwear and/or vehicles?
(6) If you have any half-decent swanky van, do you have a secure place to park it overnight, and/or to move any valuable tools out of it overnight? (As almost any type of van, plain or sign-written, is a magnet for low-life scum to try and open it looking for valuable kit to sell for drugs etc..)
(7) If you are working for yourself do you need the expense of running two vehicles, (e.g. van+car), or could a decent people carrier / estate car combine your essential work and personal transportation satisfactorily?
(8) If the majority of the time you only have to carry your own personal tools and test gear, then they will probably all fit comfortably into the boot of the average family car?
(9) If the majority of the time you are mostly doing only domestic related work, and/or fault finding, or EICR's requiring just a few tools and test gear, then they will probably all fit comfortably into the boot of the average family car?
(10) If you are doing significant amounts of industrial/commercial work where you also have to collect materials for the job then a decent van is an essential tool.. No options, or you will be loosing out on almost every job!?
(11) etc..
(12) etc..
(13) brain freeze as TOO much incoholic affluence...


Side note....
We are Midlands based and our 2016 reg, 1600 diesel family car... (used for towing caravan)..
is exempt for the congestion charge in B/Ham city centre.. and is only £30 car tax per year...

So I am Just guessing that an equivalent sized, 2016 van engine, would also be exempt from any congestion charges?

I just sub to agencies or companies cis. Trying to keep local bud.

 

[Barx]

Could you not go cards in and get a van included? I guess it wouldn’t pay as much like. I don’t have savings and I’m not sure I’m prepared to go into debt. So if I stayed self employed I would have to try and save as much as I can as quick as I can. And hope my car will keep running on the mean time.

They don't have anyone on the cards mate, just subbies.
Another option for me is to get a 'car'. Something like the 'car' of a berlingo / partner and try set it up like a van. Basically a sneaky van as personal cars are exempt from this ULEZ.

I personally don't like the idea of lease / finance. At least if you own and things go a bit slack work wise, you still own it and have half a chase of recovering.

 

[Tony Soprano]

They don't have anyone on the cards mate, just subbies.
Another option for me is to get a 'car'. Something like the 'car' of a berlingo / partner and try set it up like a van. Basically a sneaky van as personal cars are exempt from this ULEZ.

I personally don't like the idea of lease / finance. At least if you own and things go a bit slack work wise, you still own it and have half a chase of recovering.

I won’t go down finance route either. I don’t feel like my earnings are high enough to justify it. Not when there’s only my wage coming in and cost of everything else has shot up. It’s a tough one pal. Plus like you say if work dries up your stuck with a finance bill to pay. It’s questionable whether or not I would have enough spare cash per month for finance anyway.

 

[Murdoch]

Have you got kids ?

 

[Sharpend]

They don't have anyone on the cards mate, just subbies.
Another option for me is to get a 'car'. Something like the 'car' of a berlingo / partner and try set it up like a van. Basically a sneaky van as personal cars are exempt from this ULEZ.

I personally don't like the idea of lease / finance. At least if you own and things go a bit slack work wise, you still own it and have half a chase of recovering.

@Barx please enlighten me to this personal cars being exempt? Who do you contact for that? I thought it was any vehicle not compliant was subject to Ulez charge?

 

[Tony Soprano]

Have you got kids ?

I have 2 kids yes. One of which is disabled. So a lot going on at home.

 

[Murdoch]

I have 2 kids yes. One of which is disabled. So a lot going on at home.

So a van isn't really an option then