Horse transport company - thinking of starting one. What do i need to know?

[IcarusGirl]

We're thinking of selling our trailer, buying a two horse 3.5tn box that i can drive for myself, and putting it up for hire, with my dad as the driver.

There are a couple of local businesses that do it around here and they are always fully booked so there is obviously still room in the market for another one.

Now, i know we need to contact DEFRA, thats on the list of things to do. Would a 3.5tn box with a payload of 1200kg take your average 'two horses under 16.2'? Obviously i need to think about weight of tack/people/extras as well...

This is all theoretical at the moment. But as we're paying out for a nice shiney posh horse box, it might be a nice way of getting some income from it. Plus my dads just retired and he's looking for something to do part-time.

Any insight? Good or bad idea?

[BEX101]

you'll need to look up driving hours regulations.

[CityLights]

Driving regulations as there is certain hours resctirting drivng now, and also you need to do a DEFRA course on transporting horses, either long (8+hours) or short distance its dead easy, think its called something like certifacte of compentacy but im not 100% ages since i did mine

[nic]

Now, i know we need to contact DEFRA, thats on the list of things to do. Would a 3.5tn box with a payload of 1200kg take your average 'two horses under 16.2'? Obviously i need to think about weight of tack/people/extras as well...



No, on average a horse weighs half a ton...ie 500kg + A full tank of diesel + water + passengers + Tack etc etc etc.
A 3.5t lorry will, just about, carry 1 horse legally. Unless you are transporting shetlands, then it will carry many.

If you are looking at doing horse transportation you would be better off doing your HGV and being able to drive a 7.5t lorry...youd get a bigger market.

as CL says there are laws on hours driven now, something along the lines of your Dad works full time he probably wouldnt be able to drive the lorry as a job because he must have a full 24 hours off a week or something....alot of the driving laws for lorries can be found on VOSA, dont bother with DVLA as they are pants.

[eeek]

The other problem with a 3.5T is that the centre of gravity is very high in many of them. Also they are especially expensive to buy because anybody can drive one.

7.5T might be the way to go. Does anybody know how difficult it is to pass an HGV test because I'm going to need to at some point?

[fell lover]

7.5T might be the way to go. Does anybody know how difficult it is to pass an HGV test because I'm going to need to at some point?

Larger vehicles are often easier to drive than smaller ones Liz - you will be fine x

[chance encounter]

I do believe that there are too many restrictions with having a 7.5t and it is a very costly affair. A few years ago I bought my first 7.5t from a transport company who were just starting out. DEFRA had just changed the laws and they couldnt afford to keep the 7.5t and sold it and bought a 3.5t and continued with their business.

I also have a friend here in Cheshire who has just started her business as a horse transporter with a 3.5t lorry. I can ask her what she had to do before she could start if you like.

[IcarusGirl]

CE that would be fab if you could ask your friend. To be honest, my dad has got his heart set on buying a horsebox, it would just be nice to get a bit of extra money from it if possible, now my dad's retired he'd like something to do!

[IcarusGirl]

Oh and a 7.5 lorry wouldnt fit down most of the lanes or into most of the local venues gates in our area! :lol:

[mad horse 3]

I thought about this.
But realistically you can only get one 'horse' in a 3.5t, 2 ponies maybe but they'd have to be fairly small to stop you going over your load.

Seems pointless they are ever classed as 2x15.2 or 2x16.2 as you can't legally carry that!!

[IcarusGirl]

I thought about this.
But realistically you can only get one 'horse' in a 3.5t, 2 ponies maybe but they'd have to be fairly small to stop you going over your load.

Seems pointless they are ever classed as 2x15.2 or 2x16.2 as you can't legally carry that!!

True, but this is the main point. I cant drive the trailer because i havent taken my trailer test. I could drive a small box on my license. At the moment, every time i want to take Icarus to a show or lesson (which is 4 or 5 times a month) i have to ask whether my dad can take us.

So, we are going to buy a small box anyway so i can ferry myself about. We thought about getting an older one for myself, but then dad said as he's retired now, happy to drive the box, and gets bored at home doing nothing, we may as well get a nicer, newer one and offer to transport people about. Obviously he will charge a set amount to hire the box (say £50) , then say £1 per mile on top of that for fuel, and £10 an hour for waiting at shows etc, regardless of whether there is one horse or two ponies.

Its an initial expense to buy the box, but at least the box willl be making a little bit of pocket money to perhaps cover the insurance and tax for the year and partially cover my fuel costs. We arent hoping to become millionaires from it or anything, but more to help the box pay for itself and perhaps make a little bit of money back.

My dad knows exactly what a 3.5 box will carry, and will ask whoever wants to book it what type of horse/pony they have. If he only carries one horse rather than two, he will still be charging the initial booking fee and fuel money, so he wont be losing anything. It stops him being bored at home, and hopefully will earn him a little bit of extra money in his retirement.

The best bit (for my dad) is that he can keep his diary however he wants it, so if he doesnt feel like working that day, he wont!:lol:

[loubylou]

I found a scheme advertised somewhere (cant think for the life of me where!) a scheme you can sign up to if you own a horse box which hires private horse boxes out across the country on a self drive hire scheme. You pay a subscription to the company and they then advertise and find you people close to home, and cover your insurance etc. They also put people in a small area in contact who can then reguarly share horse boxes etc. Can't think for the life of me what it was called just remember reading it and thinking 'that sounds like a good idea:

[loubylou]

wooo found it- its called, wait for it...

'my rental horse box' hahaha catchy! from the website:

My Rental Horsebox – Horsebox Hire

MyRentalHorsebox.com is a unique service allowing horsebox owners to profit from their horseboxes by making them available for self-drive horsebox hire.
We have two offerings:

1) Our standard Horsebox Rental Scheme - This allows horsebox owners to make their horsebox available for hire to anyone in the UK who is looking for horsebox hire, by listing it on our website for £150 per year. We take care of all your horsebox hire marketing, booking and payments and cover your horsebox for self-drive hire under our policy in exchange for 25% of your horsebox hire income.

2) Our Horsebox Share Scheme - This service puts horsebox owners in touch with a small group of local people who would like to pay you for the use of your horsebox on a regular basis.

[IcarusGirl]

Ooh that does sound like a good idea, though i'm not sure i'd want to lend someone my sparkley new horse box and let them bump into things with it! At least if myself or my dad dent it or scratch it we'll know we were trying to drive carefully - accidents do happen after all!

[BEX101]

Some of the bigger transport companies have private individuals or small transport businesses on their books so if they are mega busy they can still bid for work and then contact it out to someone else.

[lil_legs]

Just look a bit more carefully into the 3.5t boxes, as I heard from my friends OH who has just done his MOT test that one of the things that popped up was about the new craze in 3.5t horseboxes and that something is supposed to be changing that means basically they aren't legal.

Not much help I know, I just remember him saying something about it which basically means there is no such thing as the 3.5t box because by the time everything is in it, i.e diesel people and horse never mind anything else unless you have small ponies you are virtually always over your weight.

I shall try and get hold of him and ask him what it is exactly.

[My Crazy Clan]

I had a addy on facebook about horse box hire, was it you?

[IcarusGirl]

I had a addy on facebook about horse box hire, was it you?

Nope, wasnt me!