advice for loss of liscence & business! help from all please!! :)

[Sterling]

looking for different peoples opinions on my situation...

i run a small business guaranteeing only about $500-$1200ish per week,

plently of clients and growing,

have a 2007 BF wagon, Financed by the NAB bank, (work vehicle)

have about $1000odd in payments for advertising still standing (small installments as offered by them, ie $250 every 3 months for a 12 month ad etc)

but due to my driving personality, and the MASSIVE amount of driving i do for work, being a mobile business,

(racked up about 10,000 - 15,000ks in about 3-4 months)

and now i have indeed figured, i may have lost my liscence,

my mum received a letter in the mail informing me i have NO remaining points, and that i have to notify vicroads to make a decision,

that was 12 months with no fines, or give up my liscence for 6 months, then get all my points back,

now mum got this letter about a week ago and only just told me yesterday,

she has now received ANOTHER letter, saying i got yet ANOTHER speeding fine (going less than 10ks over the limit but more than 5ks over) somewhere in dandenong. the time of the offence was like tuesday/wednesday from memory.

havent contacted vicroads yet.

so am i right to assume my liscence is gone??

if so what should i do with the business?? should i make offers with other detailers to take on my clients? should i just try to sell the business outright??

should i cop in the chin, the fact that my income may not be steady enough for anyone to really get excited about and therefore have no market value??

is there something i can do to try and keep my liscence?? work related??

help please i cant see anyone's answer/opinion to this, be a bad one!

thankyou!!

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by Sterling

looking for different peoples opinions on my situation...

i run a small business guaranteeing only about $500-$1200ish per week,

plently of clients and growing,

have a 2007 BF wagon, Financed by the NAB bank, (work vehicle)

have about $1000odd in payments for advertising still standing (small installments as offered by them, ie $250 every 3 months for a 12 month ad etc)

but due to my driving personality, and the MASSIVE amount of driving i do for work, being a mobile business,

(racked up about 10,000 - 15,000ks in about 3-4 months)

and now i have indeed figured, i may have lost my liscence,

my mum received a letter in the mail informing me i have NO remaining points, and that i have to notify vicroads to make a decision,

that was 12 months with no fines, or give up my liscence for 6 months, then get all my points back,

now mum got this letter about a week ago and only just told me yesterday,

she has now received ANOTHER letter, saying i got yet ANOTHER speeding fine (going less than 10ks over the limit but more than 5ks over) somewhere in dandenong. the time of the offence was like tuesday/wednesday from memory.

havent contacted vicroads yet.

so am i right to assume my liscence is gone??

if so what should i do with the business?? should i make offers with other detailers to take on my clients? should i just try to sell the business outright??

should i cop in the chin, the fact that my income may not be steady enough for anyone to really get excited about and therefore have no market value??

is there something i can do to try and keep my liscence?? work related??

help please i cant see anyone's answer/opinion to this, be a bad one!

thankyou!!

Ring VIC Roads and find out exactly what the issue is, and in the mean time, lose some weight in your right foot.

Unless you know exactly what the issue is, you can't really go about fixing it can you?

[Sterling]

yeah i know, definately going to contact them first thing in the morning.

but more so looking for advice on the fact if i DO lose my liscence, what to do about the work situation and what possibilities are there with the business?

[GreenR]

Depending on your age and situation eg are you on full open license. I would suggest going with the option of having no demerit points or fines for the next (insert number) of months. Be it 3 months or 6 months etc. That way you will continue your job and will just have to accept that you need to alter a few things in your driving.

[Sterling]

in on Green P's so only 5 points. the loss of liscence is just from speeding fines, not hooning or drink driving etc so it will probably be 6 months suspension.. but then again could be 12....

[GreenR]

Should be less than that. I have a few friends who have lost their license for speeding. They had a choice of lose license for a few months or keep it but cannot have a demerit point for the next 12 months

[SEZ213]

Originally Posted by Sterling

yeah i know, definately going to contact them first thing in the morning.

but more so looking for advice on the fact if i DO lose my liscence, what to do about the work situation and what possibilities are there with the business?

Depends on what sort of business you have as to what the possibilities are. Mobile businesses are usually fairly 'saleable' but it does depend on what the business is first...

There are some avenues you may be able to explore regarding work permits, personally I've not had any experience with them so can't really comment as to the pros and cons of them...

[WMD351]

I doubt the numbers will stack up, but can you look at taking someone on?
Someone to help out, but mainly just drive you around...

Not my brightest idea, but just a thought.

[StrokedXT]

You should still be able to go On probation, same happened to me as long as the latest fine came before your suspension commenced.

[Franco Cozzo]

Go one point option and put fines on a payment plan, then wear a lighter shoe on your right foot.

[PhantomBa]

Originally Posted by Sterling

looking for different peoples opinions on my situation...


but due to my driving personality, and the MASSIVE amount of driving i do for work, being a mobile business,

(racked up about 10,000 - 15,000ks in about 3-4 months)

is there something i can do to try and keep my liscence?? work related??


thankyou!!

Sounds like you will need more points on your licence than 1

I'm not sure if this is still an option, but 8 or 9 years ago I got the good behaviour driving option , went to Qld, surrendered Victorian licence and got a Qld licence with no points accumulated on it , while on the Qld licence, the good driving option for the victorian licence kept ticking down.

Bear in mind, if the police pull you over and you have the wrong states licence, you better have a good reason for them

[Tuddy200]

This is not good moral advice, and should serve to do the same as I am learning, cruise control!

Get 'someone' to take the lastest fine, as it's only one point, and you pay it. You then go on the 12 month option and DO NOT speed or do anything wrong. It's hard but the consquences are worse.

In Victoria there is no such option as a "Work Permit" to drive for work purposes if your license is suspended.

From memory, the 12 months is started from when you call the choose said option, any fines incurred from the accumlation of the 5th point to the start of 12 month period is simply applied after the 12 months when you are back to 0 points againist your name.

Can confirm with VICROADS but this means you have three options;

1) Sell the business and take the loss of license.
2) Take the 12 months and transfer the latest fine to someone else.
3) Take the 12 months and (check with VICROADS) that the points will be accumlated at the end of the 12 months for the latest fine.

[gtfpv]

were you driving the car everytime you went through a radar ?
another option is to seek a good lawyer and ask him your questions .
i dont know if the courts like putting people out of work over minor fines . the judge maybe able to negotiate a lawful outcome . best seek legal advice , or revert to the 1st line .

[Brent]

Firstly, get yourself some legal advice. You will probably have to go to court. A decent legal rep should be able to put a case to the Magistrate regarding the need for your car for your business etc. Yes, it will cost you some coin, but it sounds like you've spent plenty already on fines, so add it to the tally.

Without wanting to ask the obvious, err, how many fines have you got BEFORE you got the letter that you were out of points? You didn't see it coming?

Normally I wouldn't care less but your income is inextricably linked to your business. Its your livelihood mate. Get real. A lifetime career in the financial services sector has taught me many things, and believe me, when you call your local business banking manager telling him or her that you can't meet your loan obligations because you've been a tool and lost your licence, well, it won't bode well. The Bank probably won't chase you for a few thousand $$$ but you stand an even chance of having a default lodged on your name. If so, good luck in getting finance anywhere else. If it were me, I wouldn't lend it to you. Understand?

Get some professional advice. Now.

[Geez Louise]

I can not believe some of the less than "legal" advice that is being offered on here.

You best option is to talk to Vic Roads. Get all your options and then you can make a decision. Talking to a free legal service is another option that is open to you.

Best of luck!

Cheers
Col

[kyro_02]

I know someone who got the option letter, chose 12 month option, got another fine(from before the last fine, but after he chose the option) and he lost his license for 6 months..

[Sterling]

well its confirmed, gotta hand in my liscence at the 8th of august.

im out for only 3 months...

thanks for all the help guys, i wont bother posting my solution business wise, ive got half a plan going. trying to take advantage of this situation.. yes there are advantages....not going to say much more though.

lets see if the wagon ends up on the market or not?? i might end up just letting it sleep for a while, or it could be on the market in a fortnight.

im going to go out with a bang though. if i do sell the wagon, i will return with another car,

-another ford. "of course"

thanks for everything!!

[nuthin' fancy]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

I can not believe some of the less than "legal" advice that is being offered on here.

You best option is to talk to Vic Roads. Get all your options and then you can make a decision. Talking to a free legal service is another option that is open to you.

Best of luck!

Cheers
Col

It is an option, though.

I presume a couple of things:

• self employed car detailer - all your income will be declared but you are happy to pay additional tax through speeding fines
• Your car has cruise control but you haven't worked out how to use it
• You have a little learning to do. Going 10km/h faster does not save you time, it just costs you money.

Good luck.

[IronFalcon]

I don't mean to sound insulting, but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't drive. Whatever you do RESIST the temptation.

I catch far too many people who were "just going to the shops" or "just dropping the kids off at school". No excuse is good enough if you're driving whilst suspended.

[Sterling]

i know, i know, definately wont be happening

[bingoTE50]

Time to expand your business. Put on a offsider who can assist and also drive. Maybe you can double your volume to compensate for the added costs.
Maybe use them three days a week ,but work longer to keep the turnover happening.
At the very least keep it running at a slight loss or break even. Don't give it up now you will regret it and invariably need a licence to work elsewhere .

[FGII-XR6]

not an option now points transfer asking for legal advice on here is not really a good option too many arm chair lawyers who watch american TV shows and know it all

Originally Posted by PhantomBa

Sounds like you will need more points on your licence than 1

I'm not sure if this is still an option, but 8 or 9 years ago I got the good behaviour driving option , went to Qld, surrendered Victorian licence and got a Qld licence with no points accumulated on it , while on the Qld licence, the good driving option for the victorian licence kept ticking down.

Bear in mind, if the police pull you over and you have the wrong states licence, you better have a good reason for them

[PhantomBa]

Originally Posted by au3xr6

not an option now points transfer asking for legal advice on here is not really a good option too many arm chair lawyers who watch american TV shows and know it all

Good to know, I figured the loophole would be closed up eventually, just wasnt sure if it had been done yet.

It's a shame to hear your closing up shop, hopefully you dont end up regretting it later on in life and that your plan works out for you, whatever it is

[NudgE^SIKBRO]

I too rely on my licence for work, truck driver, you dont need to be told this but geez mate, slow down, I and most other on here manage to keep the points at 0. I havent recieved a point in 5 nearly 6 years and am on the road 10-15 hours perday...

I guess this means I will no longer be seing you on the way to work either...

[Sterling]

haha thought i spotted ya a couple times on frankston-dandy road

[Sterling]

Originally Posted by bingoTE50

Time to expand your business. Put on a offsider who can assist and also drive. Maybe you can double your volume to compensate for the added costs.
Maybe use them three days a week ,but work longer to keep the turnover happening.
At the very least keep it running at a slight loss or break even. Don't give it up now you will regret it and invariably need a licence to work elsewhere .

this is pretty much my plan!! dont want to post publicly how exactly im going to be expanding because that will open up another jar of worms and get everyone elses opinions! lol.

but yes, i will be putting on a young bloke to assist in on-site work, theoretically making each job take 1/2 to 3/4 of the usual time needed, but main purpose intended to be a driver, keep the business flowing.

in 3 months when i get my liscence back (cross fingers for no complications) i wont necessarily throw the kid away, but if they turn out to be making quite the extra work done in the 6 days timeframe, then of course, keep them going for who knows how long.

might even throw a franchise there way in the longrun, but thats a long way to go...

[05_ENFORCER]

For the future, you could register the vehicle in a company name IE: Sterling Pty Ltd
Therefore the fines would be the responsibility of the company.


.

[XESP351]

Is it possible to find another detailer that's willing to take on your customers for the three months period and give you a percentage of the income (since they are your leads). That way the other detailer makes money, you make money (and keep the customers) and it's a win win for everybody imo.

EDIT: I see you have something worked out...

Problem with losing license also is that not many insurance companies will touch you once you get your license back, and if they do they will charge accordingly.

[Sterling]

yeah selling my clients to another detailing mob did go through my head,

and yeah all my friends have told me about the insurance problem...

how will the insurance companies find out that ive lost my liscence? if i keep a hush hush about it?? or do they get notified somehow??

[GreenR]

Well I would assume they are allowed/you must consent to them accessing that information from VicRoads etc