Yep, the big players are usually the low payers!
I worked for Downton for a year, now am at WST, so I’m not approaching this from a “I wouldn’t get out of bed for less than £25ph” type attitude! 
What I mean is that your nights out and meal allowance aren’t guaranteed- you should get 4 nights out, but you might not. You might get your fuel bonus, or you might spend too much time being run into big cities.
You’ll find that you come across plenty of drivers who absolutely need all the additions to the basic wage, and that route is very stressful.
If I end up, via some bad luck, spending all week on locals and home every night, it’s not a problem - I don’t need the night out money. I want it, but I don’t have to stress about whether I need to pick up a days overtime etc etc.
The expectation of a 6th day every second week is the killer for me in your example. That’s completely unreasonable to my mind. Everyone has their own line in the sand, and that one is mine. I don’t mind long hours during the week, but I want my two days off.