Nibletz Staff
American truck speeding on freeway at sunset, motion blurred.
When it comes to running a startup, a haulage company is one which requires a keen eye for efficiency and logistics. Haulage requires transporting goods over long distances. With the amount of demand for goods increasing, it stands to reason that the amount of demand for transportation of these goods will increase too. If you are looking into starting a haulage firm, there are things that you need to take into account in comparison to a standard office-based setup. So, you can make sure it starts before it stops.
PERSONAL SKILLS
The personal skills of running a haulage company are various. The main one has a keen eye for efficiency. There is increasing competition in the marketplace. And there is a rise in continental companies that are offering lower rates for service. This means that new haulage companies must both operate as efficiently as possible and make themselves different from the regular haulage companies if they want to gain a sizeable share of the market.
If you have limited experience in the haulage industry, then it’s recommended that be your first port of call. Learning about developments in the industry and keeping your ear to the ground for upcoming changes can keep you ahead of the fleet. If you need to gain more experience, working for a haulage company is an ideal place to begin. That way, you can learn about the pros and cons of the industry, and you can decide on how best to approach running a haulage firm.
When it comes to running an organization, there are different strands to keep an eye on. Such as the accounts, the vehicle maintenance, and the drivers themselves. With long-haul truck driving comes long days and nights, lack of sleep and challenges on the road. So it is essential to make sure that your staff is looked after adequately so they can perform at their best. With issues such as mental health being discussed more and more, having an open door policy will be beneficial for staff. This is so they can feel that they can come to you if they have a problem. If you aren’t approachable and have a business hat on constantly, it doesn’t make for a happy and productive workforce.
BUSINESS ESSENTIALS
When it comes to deciding how best to market yourself in a world of haulage companies, you need to figure out what your niche is. The more individual your niche, the likelier the chance of getting contracts and being offered specialist work. Some examples of typical haulage include:
- General haulage
- Parcel delivery
- Warehousing and distribution
- Waste disposals
- Vehicle transport
- Animals and livestock
Once you have settled on a type, you can begin to build your company around that.
Business Location
With regards to where your business is located, you need to take into account the road access issues. If you are using vehicles larger than 3.5 tons it can cause problems with regards to size and fit under bridges. You need to be based on a main road that gives you maximum access to the important road routes, as your fleet will be primarily be using them. Having a strategic location will be vital to the efficiency of the business.
The Size Of The Fleet
This will depend greatly on your cost. The larger the fleets, the greater the overheads. If the overheads are high then you will need a lot more work to turn a profit. With the environment at the forefront of conversation when it comes to vehicles and haulage, are you going to take the environmentally friendly approach? The shape of the fleets is another factor to take into account. Vehicles can be a rigid or an articulated shape. So you need to make sure that the shape and size of the fleets are suitable for the services you will be offering.
The Documents
Insurance for your vehicles are compulsory, so you may wish to approach a specialist insurer who can offer policies to best suit your needs. Public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance are also essential. Once you hire workers you will need employer’s liability insurance.
In addition to this you will also need to have documents to ensure your drivers do not work longer in certain time periods than is allowed by law. If these rules are broken it can result in severe penalties. So it’s important to install the necessary equipment to monitor this in the vehicles.
Is your haulage company is transporting specialist items, like livestock? If so, then a knowledge of the compliance of specific rules and regulations needs to be had.
The Costs
When it comes to costs, the money side is very important. You need to ensure all services are profitable. And you need to be able to consider how commodity costs, like fuel prices. This will impact the ability of your company to turn a profit.
The common overheads when it comes to running a haulage company is:
Fuel: Depending on what type and the cost of the fuel at the time.
Vehicle Purchase: Buying or leasing vehicles can be costly. Looking at companies like New Truck Finance can give you an idea of what the costs can be.
Vehicle Maintenance: Keeping the vehicle up to date with stringent safety checks can be quite a hefty cost. As well as that, vehicle parts and vehicle servicing costs need to be factored in.
Insurance: Depending on what the size of the vehicle is can come with gradually increasing insurance costs.
Warehouse Rent: Depending on how many vehicles you have in your haulage company will affect your costs.
Vehicle Cleaning: Many different drivers use the same vehicle. So, hiring a professional cleaner to keep the vehicle clean will be another cost.
Running a haulage company doesn’t need to be a difficult haul. There are many things you need to consider when starting a business. With all the different factors to take into account, you will be able to know if your business is a short-hop journey or a long haul business!
