Skip loader finance
Skip lorries are bought alongside a fleet of skips, and funding the truck without planning for the bins is the mistake most new operators make.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a skip loader?
Yes. A skip loader funds as a commercial vehicle with the skip gear treated as mounted equipment, and the skips themselves can be funded as a separate asset fleet. Used skip lorries fund well — the waste sector buys them steadily and residuals are predictable. The trap is cash flow at start-up: a new skip operator needs a truck and enough skips to keep bins earning while the lorry is out on other jobs, and funding only the vehicle leaves the business short of the very thing that generates the revenue. Plan both together.
Used kit: Yes — used skip lorries are funded widely, often up to around ten years old, with the skip gear and rams inspected as closely as the chassis.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
What would a skip loader cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat it
Skip loaders sit with the same specialist desks as hook loaders and behave similarly on resale — the market is national, demand is constant and the gear from Hyva, Boughton or Telehoist holds its value. What differentiates the assessment is that skip operators are frequently small limited companies or sole traders with short trading histories, so funders look hard at the personal covenant, homeowner status and whether the applicant has run a waste round before. Waste carrier registration and a valid transfer station or disposal arrangement are checked, because without somewhere to tip, the truck cannot complete a job. Skips themselves are readily funded as a fleet and are viewed as durable, slow-depreciating assets. New-start applications with no registration and no disposal route are the usual decline.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| DAF LF 220 skip loader | Twelve tonne skip lorry for builders waste |
| Volvo FL 280 skiploader | Sixteen tonne skip with good visibility |
| Iveco Eurocargo 180E skip | Eighteen tonne skip lorry |
| MAN TGM 18.250 skip | Strong chassis for daily skip work |
| Mercedes-Benz Atego 1824 skip | Comfortable cab for long skip rounds |
| Scania P280 6x2 skip | Six-wheel skip for heavier loads |
| Boughton skip gear | British skip loading equipment |
| Hyva Skiploader 14-55 | Widely fitted skip lifting gear |
| Telehoist skip loader gear | Skip gear with extending arms |
| Palfinger skip loaders | Skip units with sheeting systems |
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Who buys one
Independent waste carriers, builders running their own muck disposal, and operators buying a first lorry after years of subcontracting skip hire out. The common trigger is a builder realising the skip hire bill across a year would have bought a truck, or an established carrier adding a second vehicle because the round has outgrown one driver. A few are hire firms adding a second chassis so one lorry can keep running while the other is in for test.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Skip loader finance questions
Can I finance the skips as well as the lorry?
Yes, and it is worth doing. Skips are a substantial spend and a new round needs a working stock of them to keep bins earning while the lorry is elsewhere. Many funders will write the skip fleet as its own facility, which also lets you add more as the round grows rather than buying them out of cash flow.
Can I get a skip lorry on finance as a new waste business?
It is possible but expect scrutiny. Funders will want the waste carrier registration, a confirmed disposal or transfer station arrangement, the O-licence position and evidence you have worked in the trade. A new start with none of those in place is a decline almost anywhere. With them, several funders will look, underwritten largely on the individual behind the business.
What size skip lorry should I start with?
Most independents start with a 7.5 tonne or an 18 tonne skip loader depending on the skip sizes their customers want and where they are working. Smaller chassis reach tighter domestic streets; larger ones carry more weight per load. The choice affects what work you can quote for, so decide it before arranging finance rather than after.
Is skip gear funded separately from the chassis?
It can be. Where a dealer supplies a complete skip lorry there is one invoice and one facility. Where you buy a chassis and have gear fitted, there are two invoices and the funding is usually staged — chassis on delivery, gear on completion. Either works; the key is telling the funder which route you are taking up front.
Do lenders treat waste operators as higher risk?
Not as a rule. Waste income is recurring and contracted, which funders generally prefer to project-driven construction work. The caution around waste applications is about new entrants without permits or disposal routes, not about the sector. An established carrier with registration, disposal arrangements and a trading record is a comfortable proposition.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
Also in HGV and truck finance
- HGV tractor unit finance
- Rigid truck finance
- 7.5 tonne truck finance
- 18 tonne truck finance
- 26 tonne truck finance
- Tipper truck finance
- Grab lorry finance
- Hook loader finance
- Curtainsider truck finance
- Curtainside trailer finance
- Flatbed truck finance
- Dropside truck finance
- Box truck finance
- Refrigerated truck finance
- Refrigerated trailer finance
- Car transporter finance
- Recovery truck finance
- Beavertail truck finance
- Low loader finance
- Concrete mixer truck finance
- Tanker finance
- Bulk tipper trailer finance
- Walking floor trailer finance
- Double deck trailer finance
- Crane lorry finance
- Road sweeper finance
- Refuse truck finance
- Livestock lorry finance
- Electric truck finance
See everything we fund in HGV and truck finance →
Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Get your quote
Tell us what you’re looking to fund and Conor will come back to you personally — usually the same day.
Prefer to talk? Call 0333 772 4864 · serving Leeds, York, Harrogate, Wakefield, Selby, Tadcaster & across North & West Yorkshire.