Overlandtrucksharing - a new approach to international Overlanding

[Gunnar]

Hi Overlanders,

I would like to share the idea of overlandtrucksharing.com with the community. This is not a business yet and I permission from @Corrie to ask the mighty overland bound community for feedback, interest and questions on the project.

Our goal is to make overland travel more accessible, safe and affordable: made possible by vehicle co-ownership.
Simply explained co-ownership is: 1 vehicle (a purpose build full kitted out 4x4 truck) gets owned by 5 - 10 co-owners.
You own a share of a vehicle in one location but you can access all trucks in all locations around the world.

A bit of backstory:

We had overlanding Australia on our bucket list for quite a while and when we worked out the budget, we allowed about half of the money for the vehicle. In our case, that was not enough for a new 4x4 and we did not want to spent any more money on the vehicle, so we could travel longer... We bought a 10 year old Nissan Navara pickup and a camper and off we went. After a few month of travelling with thousands of kilometers of dirt and sand tracks (towing the almost 2 ton trailer) the age of the vehicle got apparent and the reliability of our rig went down ... not what you want in outback Western Australia. We had to spent quite some money to keep the truck reliable and us travelling safely through these remote wilderness areas. Needless to say, we had to cut our amazingly adventurous trip short.

Renting a 4x4 camper would have been an option, but that would have total blown our budget, for the length of the trip we wanted to do. Also they don't let you tow trailers and restrict on where you can and can not go.

This made me thinking of other ways of owning overland trucks and the idea of Overlandtrucksharing took shape.

Can you relate to our travel story?

Check out our website here overlandtrucksharing.com

Please let me know your thoughts, ask questions and comments.

Also let me know where you would want to travel and what vehicle you would want to use?

Appreciate it.

Thanks and have a great festive season.
Gunnar

 

[El-Dracho]

Hi Gunnar,

Welcome to Overland Bound.

This is an interesting approach that is often practiced privately in the travelling scene since quite some time or that others have already tried more or less professionaly in some regions. Especially in the boating area you see those concepts of co ownership since decades.

Of course, the whole thing has its pitfalls. Because in many great destinations where we global travelers like to travel, the vehicle is on a TIP and the person who temporarily imports it cannot leave the country without the vehicle (or only at great effort with a lot of red tape involved). Often the vehicle is not even on a TIP in the country, even with a CdP, with the corresponding consequences. I can also tell you from experience that in many countries it is not even that easy to legally store your vehicle for a longer period of time and often only in custom storage, again with red tape efforts. If you buy the rigs locally this might be different of course but still at least a lot of paperwork involved when buying and registering as a foreigner. Costs and effort should not be underestimated.

I also looked at your rudimentary cost calculation on the website. Yes, you can of course approach something like this in different ways. In my opinion, the approach shown there is more like calculating the cost of a vehicle from a company fleet that will be used there for perhaps 2 or 3 years and will have to be amortized during this time. An overlanding rig is a different matter. Many overlanders own their rigs for 10, 15, 20 years or even longer, so the loss in value (on short term) is more or less irrelevant. Often, due to the make/ model of vehicle, the equipment, very good maintenance and continuous renewal, it is even very stable in many cases. And you only suffer an actual loss when you sell the vehicle.

But thanks for sharing your ideas here - in some destinations this is certainly an idea that seems worth exploring.

Personally, I wouldn't use this option for another reason. Just as I cannot imagine buying a rig somewhere and selling it again after a trip lasting several months, which would also be a good option in principle. For a very simple but obvious reason I would not do a sharing: I want to travel with a rig that I know well, that I have maintained or taken care of myself and I know that it is in perfect condition and exactly meets my needs.

By the way, if you would like to introduce yourself to the community here, you are welcome to do so here:

Member Introductions *NEW MEMBERS INTRODUCE YOURSELF* | OVERLAND BOUND COMMUNITY

And if you have any questions about the use of the forum or other questions about OB, please shoot me a message, I will be happy to help.

Bjoern

 

[Gunnar]

Hi Bjoern,

thanks for your thoughts. Appreciate it.
I totally get this concept of travelling is not for everyone. Each to their own. And yes you are right, this is not a new concept, it is used in the flying community, with boats as you mentioned and there is a company offering co-ownership for supercars.
Also, I know about groups of people sharing the ownership of a overland vehicles. But this is not for everyone.
I guess this is aimed at people, who would also consider renting a vehicle and not insisting on travelling in their own, sole owned truck. And people/ families who don't have the budget to have a dedicated truck for travelling, which can be shipped everywhere around the world.
And yes the vehicles will get registered and build at the destination, I am working with local experts (currently in Namibia and Australia) on setting up the vehicles. In both cases long term vehicle storage is not a problem, there are even purpose built facilities offering everything around looking after (trickle charging batteries, organize required repairs etc) and maintaining the vehicle while in storage. The vehicles would also stay in (or will need to returned to) a certain region/ storage facility for that exact legal reason (Carnet) you are mentioning. But happy to learn if I am not getting your point. ;-) Also, co-owners have the benefit of being able to use all vehicles in all locations, no matter which vehicle they are deciding to buy in... :-)

In terms of vehicle depreciation... the plan is to sell the vehicles every 2-3 years, when the milage gets to certain point and the cost of keeping the vehicle reliable keeps climbing. This is what rental companies do too and obviously quite a different approach one would take with a privately owned vehicle. And only after selling the vehicle the co-owners get the financial compensation to be more cost effective than renting or sole ownership. Supercar sharing in Switzerland have a way more sophisticated calculation on their website, based on the years experience they have gained offering co-ownership for supercars. Same principles apply.

I am going to look at introducing myself to the members, like you are suggesting, thanks.

Cheers Gunnar

 

[Tundracamper]

I don’t know. Sounds like a logistical management nightmare and something folks will try and then realize they aren’t getting their money’s worth. Just sounds overly complicated, though I have no idea how one would make it simpler. How many people really overland overseas that regularly? Perhaps not being one of those, I’m not the target customer either.

 

[Gunnar]

Hi Steve, thanks for your thoughts.
to give you an example: We as a family travel internationally at least once a year, 2023 we have done Australia for 7 month, (unusually long) with a vehicle we have bought over there and we have booked Costa Rica for February and March next year with a rental vehicle. We are meeting a lot of people/ families doing the same every year. My contact in Namibia, stores about 40 overland trucks long term (mainly Europeans) and the vehicles get used once or twice a year. And judging by the amount of safari rental companies in Africa and rental 4x4 camper companies elsewhere, there are quite a few people travelling regularly.

As for the logistical management (nightmare) you are mentioning? All the logistics are managed by overlandtrucksharing providing a hassle free experience for the co-owners. Not more hassle like renting a vehicle somewhere but more cost effective and a higher quality vehicle.

Happy festive season. Gunnar

 

[Gunnar]

Hi fellow overlanders,

we are just back from our 4 week trip to Costa Rica. I can only say... if you have not been, put it on your bucket list. This middle American country is an overlanders dream, if you like tropic temperatures, exotic animals, bumpy gravel roads with water crossings and wild camping on the beach. (wild camping in Costa Rica is completely legal)

Behind the scenes of overlandtrucksharing.com, we have been working to get funding for the Namibia vehicle. The new 2024 Landcruiser stock has arrived in Southern Africa. We have about 5 people seriously interested, we need 10 people to get this truck build and ready for the 2024 game viewing season.

Our goal is to make overland travel more accessible, safe and affordable: made possible by vehicle co-ownership. Simply explained co-ownership is: 1 vehicle (a purpose build full kitted out 4x4 truck) gets owned by 5 - 10 co-owners.

The share price will be 11000Euros for the vehicle and the running costs will be around 1000Euros per year (insurance, storage, licensing, etc.) This means we are achieving one of our goals to be more cost effective than an equivalent rental truck.



Pm me for more infos and to express your interest.

Get your shares now!

Cheers Gunnar