Becoming a self-employed truck driver in 3 steps
Set your own hours. Decide for yourself which routes you do and don’t drive. As a self-employed worker in the transport sector, you have a great deal of freedom. But you also have to meet a number of requirements before you can work for yourself and while you’re working. How does it work? How can you become a self-employed truck driver?
Can I become a self-employed truck driver too?
Absolutely! In principle, almost anyone can become a self-employed truck driver. For example, you can get started as soon as you leave school, but you can also retrain as a truck driver later in life and start your own business. The advantage is that you’ll already have some life experience. And maybe your children will have moved out by then too!
How can you become a self-employed truck driver?
To become a self-employed truck driver, you need to take a number of steps:
- Register with the Chamber of Commerce
As a self-employed person, you’re basically running a business. A small sole proprietorship, but still. Like any other entrepreneur, you therefore need to register with the Chamber of Commerce. This is mandatory. It means you’re officially registered as an entrepreneur. Customers can see that you’re running a real business. What’s more, as an entrepreneur you can also benefit from tax advantages!
- Complete your training
Of course, you can’t just get into your truck and hit the road. In fact, if you want to become a self-employed truck driver, you need to meet a number of specific training requirements. You must have passed your truck theory test, and of course you need a category C or C1(E) heavy vehicle driving licence. But as an entrepreneur in freight transport, you also have to take a number of additional exams:
- Personnel management (even if you’re self-employed!)
- Business Management
- Financial Management
- Road Freight Transport 1
- Goods Road Transport 2
- Cost Calculation
Have you passed all those exams? You’ll then receive the professional diploma in freight transport, which you’ll need to obtain your NIWO certificate. Please note: if you also want to transport dangerous goods or waste, you’ll need additional certificates!
- Get a NIWO licence
A NIWO licence is a mandatory transport licence that you need if you transport goods belonging to another party, are paid by a client, and drive a vehicle with a payload capacity of more than 500 kg. There’s a good chance you’ll need one as a self-employed driver. You also need to meet a number of requirements to apply for this licence:
- Genuine establishment
Your business must be genuinely established. This means you need to be registered with the Chamber of Commerce, as well as have business premises and at least one vehicle. - Professional competence
You must be able to demonstrate your professional competence. You can do this with the recognised professional diploma in road freight transport entrepreneurship (see above). - Reliability
You must provide a Certificate of Conduct (VOG). - Financial capacity
You must have sufficient financial resources when starting your business. For one vehicle, this is at least €9.000. You can demonstrate that you have this capital with your opening balance sheet and an auditor’s statement. Tip: you will probably need start-up capital to buy a truck when you start working as a self-employed truck driver. Most people don’t have that kind of money readily available, so you’ll need to write a business plan to obtain financing from a bank!
Good to know
There you go. In principle, you’ve taken care of everything you need to become a self-employed truck driver. But there are still a number of things to bear in mind, such as insurance. As an entrepreneur, you also need to keep administrative and accounting records. And you still need to find clients. That’s easier said than done, especially when you consider that the transport sector is subject to regulations:
- you may only be hired if the transport is ‘own-account transport’. A transport company may not hire you to transport goods for a third party.
- if you are doing temporary agency work or are hired through another transport company, you must officially be employed by the agency or the transport company concerned
Would you like to become a self-employed truck driver too?
Would you like to become a self-employed truck driver too? We’d be happy to help! We offer courses for both your truck theory test and all the CBR exams you need to pass to obtain your NIWO diploma. Sign up here!
