Anyone started their own tool truck round?

[dutchgray]

US pro and bergen?

Can you tell us anything about those brands? Never heard of them. What is their business model?

Cheap import tools. I know a lot of mechanics that use both of those brands.
We don't really have big box home improvement stores here, with decent house brand tool offerings, we have DIY stores but their own brand tools are mostly very bad, and they sell more well known brands as well usually, there is Halford's who are partly a motor factors and their house brand tools are ok, but there is not a whole lot of choice for cheap easily available functional tools from big retailers, so you get these smaller brands who import their tools and distribute them on to whoever, van sellers, motor factors, bearing shops, farm supply, garden equipment sellers etc.

 

[dutchgray]

3.5 tons? Interesting. My pickups weigh about that empty. ~10 tons loaded.

It *****, you can barely do anything with out being right up at the weight limit. There is a reason why the biggest pick up you can buy here are Ford Ranger sized
Yet you can drive a tractor with a trailer and be at 25 ton legally, on **** brakes.

 

[Odd-job]

Congrats to the OP for staying in the game and surviving, ie hopefully making the business worthwhile for themselves. Sounds like adapting and tailoring to their customer base was the key. Doesn't sound like the OP could have done that under the current US tool truck franchise model (admittedly am not sure if that model is different in the UK).

There is a reason why the biggest pick up you can buy here are Ford Ranger sized

Always upsides and downsides to this one. Everyone here seems to be in a race to make things heavier and/or bigger. Houses, cars, body mass, etc. It is almost to the point that I won't consider a vehicle under 4000 lbs due to law of physics and decreased survivability vs a larger car. Autonomous driving can't get here soon enough. Also as a pedestrian I much rather get hit by a Ford Ranger than an F350

 

[Snapped-off]

Got any current pics of the setup?

 

[Mr_B]

Some of the stuff from werkzueg and us pro/bergen is half decent for prices could be had off eBay with vouchers .
got be very selective though, A clever retailer could filter out the total **** from these brands.
Mix in Toptul for screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches and chrome sockets and you could have fairly good usable tools for very little money .
Stahlwille always good choice in europe and fairly cheap at times, Carlyle was selling in UK cheap via eBay and lot of motor factors trade linked with NAPA .

 

[dutchgray]

Always upsides and downsides to this one. Everyone here seems to be in a race to make things heavier and/or bigger. Houses, cars, body mass, etc. It is almost to the point that I won't consider a vehicle under 4000 lbs due to law of physics and decreased survivability vs a larger car. Autonomous driving can't get here soon enough. Also as a pedestrian I much rather get hit by a Ford Ranger than an F350

They haven't made roads wider or parking spaces any bigger since the 60's, many larger cars already fill UK parking spaces to the point you struggle to get out the vehicle, a standard UK garage as supplied with new housing (if your lucky enough to even get one) isn't really big enough to fit cars in either, being often 8' by 16' with a 7' door.
Doesn't help that nowadays a large proportion of drivers are distracted by their phones and not paying anywhere near enough attention to the road.

 

[f121]

In the UK you're only allowed a maximum 3.5 ton gross weight on a car licence (if you're old enough you were allowed to drive 7.5 ton light goods vehicles as well) so to go heavier you need the extra licence, but then if you are operating commercially you have to have a tachograph and abide by the driving hours regulations, which would really limit a tool van drivers working day, and be a load of extra paperwork and costs.
So tool vans are mostly based on large vans and they stuff as much in as they can.

My snap on guy drives a 5.5ton van, which is the standard size snap on van in the UK, which looks something like this:


There are a small handful of drivers that are doing very well and have bigger trucks like this:


In most cases big American pickups and vans simply won't fit in UK roads - they were built 2000 years ago for a horse and haven't really been improved since. Particularly where the OP lives in deepest darkest Wales.

 

[nickjj]

Nice to hear it, online is not the place for a small business selling common hand tools, unless you had an exclusive deal on something so you could corner the market on it. Its too easy to price shop on the internet and the lazy order everything through Amazon anyway.

No money in selling it online, face to face much better, and I've ended up with some really sound new friends.

Best thing I've ever done tbh.

 

[Mr_B]

^
that's good to here ...
you think similar independent tool trucks have good potential throughout UK .
Seems to me like a missed opportunity by bigger chain motor factors .

 

[nickjj]

US pro and bergen?

Can you tell us anything about those brands? Never heard of them. What is their business model?

Bergen no longer exists, USpro midrange brand, mostly Taiwan socket and ratchet wise, good solid tools, and cheap enough so that losing them isn't a disaster.

 

[nickjj]

^
that's good to here ...
you think similar independent tool trucks have good potential throughout UK .
Seems to me like a missed opportunity by bigger chain motor factors .

There's loads out there already, especially in rural areas where mac and snap-on aren't so keen to drive around.

 

[nickjj]

That little thing is your tool truck?

Around here they are medium duty 8 or 10 wheelers with ~8x20ft boxes for the "showroom"

Big truck big diesel bill, plus access can be a nightmare.

 

[nickjj]

Got any current pics of the setup?

 

[Mr_B]

There's loads out there already, especially in rural areas where mac and snap-on aren't so keen to drive around.

so do you have much competition in your area ?

 

[nickjj]

so do you have much competition in your area ?

Not so much now, lockdown saw an awful lot simply give up, biggest problem now is wholesale costs going crazy

 

[CGarage]

It’s a doable business but you need to be an amazing buyer and have relationships with the manufacturers so you can buy at a rock bottom price. You need a manner in which to offer credit safely to your customers that will not impact you if they default. If you do not have the relationships with the manufacturers or suppliers and are not in an area dense with techs / tool users, forget it.

 

[Sumboodie]

It *****, you can barely do anything with out being right up at the weight limit. There is a reason why the biggest pick up you can buy here are Ford Ranger sized
Yet you can drive a tractor with a trailer and be at 25 ton legally, on **** brakes.

Interesting. My trucks are a F450 and Dodge 5500

Big truck big diesel bill, plus access can be a nightmare.

I can't think of any place it wouldn't fit here.

I get a similar sized dumptruck to fit in places meant for cars.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I think what may work in UK may not here. Not sure how relevant our Yank posts are for you.

 

[Sumboodie]

I think what may work in UK may not here. Not sure how relevant our Yank posts are for you.

I had no idea it was a post for the English.
Would be nice if we had "location" showing up.

 

[slowtwitch73]

I can see locations fine...

 

[Ton ton]

QUOTE="slowtwitch73, post: 9399096, member: 377349"]
I can see locations fine...
[/QUOTE]
Where is Hellgate?

 

[nickjj]

It’s a doable business but you need to be an amazing buyer and have relationships with the manufacturers so you can buy at a rock bottom price. You need a manner in which to offer credit safely to your customers that will not impact you if they default. If you do not have the relationships with the manufacturers or suppliers and are not in an area dense with techs / tool users, forget it.

I've never offered credit, or have any plans to do so, there's various buy now pay later plans you can offer, but I've resisted that.

 

[toolenthusiast]

I had no idea it was a post for the English.
Would be nice if we had "location" showing up.

It’s all over the thread. Read the thread.

 

[Sumboodie]

It’s all over the thread. Read the thread.

Maybe it shows on a computer? It doesn't show location on my.phone or tablet.

 

[landrover bodger]

Maybe it shows on a computer? It doesn't show location on my.phone or tablet.

it shows your location as AK

 

[CGarage]

I've never offered credit, or have any plans to do so, there's various buy now pay later plans you can offer, but I've resisted that.

Respectfully, not having a credit facility negatively impacts your sales potential tremendously.

You need to figure out a way to offer this in the future as it will increase your business. Especially if terms are reasonable. Just make sure you are not the underwriter for it!

 

[Sumboodie]

it shows your location as AK

Where? This is what I see...

it shows your location as AK

 

[f121]

Where? This is what I see...

On iphone, tap on the users name and this appears:


On ipad and PC it shows under the username.

 

[Greg5OH]

4 years later and I'm still surviving.

And still resisted the urge to sell online.

This is great to hear. Typically if you make it past the 1 year mark...you should be ok. Heres to many more years of success.

 

[toolenthusiast]

Maybe it shows on a computer? It doesn't show location on my.phone or tablet.

It’s discussed in the thread. Like, read. Then comment.

 

[CB350F]

LOL...Anyhow...great post, I have enjoyed the read.

 

[Snapped-off]

Don't even have to read the thread. Just look at the pictures. Peugeot van? Tool brands you probably haven't seen in the US? Prices listed in £ Pounds?

 

[nickjj]

Respectfully, not having a credit facility negatively impacts your sales potential tremendously.

You need to figure out a way to offer this in the future as it will increase your business. Especially if terms are reasonable. Just make sure you are not the underwriter for it!

I'm at the bottom end of the market, most expensive thing I sell other than tool chests is trolley jacks at around $190

 

[nickjj]

Some of the roads I have to cope with...

 

[CGarage]

I'm at the bottom end of the market, most expensive thing I sell other than tool chests is trolley jacks at around $190

Doesn’t matter. You will sell more if you take and offer credit.

 

[f121]

Some of the roads I have to cope with...

Looks like home

Glad it’s worked out well for you, seems like a decent model. Did you move, or was I hallucinating that you’re in wales?

 

[dutchgray]

Doesn’t matter. You will sell more if you take and offer credit.

Doubt he would make any more money, would just end up with a load of disappearing acts who he would never see again and never get the money from. These tools are at a price level that if you cant afford to pay outright then you can't afford to make payments on them either.

 

[Ton ton]

Nick J, glad to hear that you are still in business. Just for curiousities' sake , I measured a former Mac Tools truck @ a junkyard here in Virginia. 23 feet to the front bumper and 86 inches wide.

 

[CGarage]

Doubt he would make any more money, would just end up with a load of disappearing acts who he would never see again and never get the money from. These tools are at a price level that if you cant afford to pay outright then you can't afford to make payments on them either.

Did you miss my earlier posts on this exact subject???? I addressed this earlier and told him to offer a credit facility that did not involve him being the underwriter (meaning a third party holds the liability).

 

[CGarage]

Doubt he would make any more money,

Business 101: When credit is accepted and or made available, customers spend significantly more. Just be smart about how you offer this to limit your liability.