Agencies, well you either love em or hate them. I’ve met a couple of drivers that’s been on them for years and others just a couple of days here and there.
The agency i was with i beleive had several major problems that i know to are a problem for almost every agency.
the favourites - these are people that have been there for time and even though they may not be of a reliable nature, they still have priority whatever the situation. (who you know and not what you know kinda thing)
Cancellation of jobs - on numerous occaisions, i would have jobs cancelled at the last minute, i’d hear “Sorry they’ve cancelled your run” only to find out at a later date that they were actually giving the work to another driver.
Contracted as a class 1 driver - this basically means you drive whatever but at class 1 rates. Sorry, but i didn’t get my licence to drive something i can already drive on a car licence already (7.5t). Money isn’t everything to me.
Pay - whilst the pay may be good, you can guarantee that the muppet doing the wages is just incompetant at making sure everything is correct beforehand.
No doubt there are alot more situations that i haven’t covered or not come accross, i can honestly say i am glad i’m off the agency. And if the treatment i’m getting from my future employers are anything to go by, then i would imagine i’m gunna be a very happy bunny at my full time job.
I couldn’t stand their two faced attitude. The average phone call from them offering me work, would start off all nice and turn to patronising sarcasm when I tried to say no (the jobs were either too far away or 3.5t/7.5t at lower rates).
They semi-blackmailed me into doing jobs using my inexperience as a Class 2 driver (started with them as a 3.5t driver), even though I’d said I’d rather have the day off and they should only phone me when they’ve got something suitable.
After I’d passed my Class 2 they said they’d have to ‘try me out’ on 7.5t before they’d offer me Class 2 work, I wasn’t happy as the 7.5t rate was only slightly above the 3.5t rate and I’d just spent well over a thousand quid on my licence. However this didn’t happen and they gave me some Class 2 work straight away so I was happy and I did it without any problems.
However when they started to come unstuck for the lower paid work, I got veiled threats and mutterings about inexperience to try and force me to work ■■■■ jobs for ■■■■ money.
In short I was clear about what work I wanted to do for them and was quite happy not to work if they didn’t have anything (I live with my parents so I don’t need to earn loads and loads right now). They however wanted to play politics with me and it ended with me behaving rather unprofessionally and doing something I regret.
Just seems to me no matter how many ‘favours’ you do them, doing the ■■■■ work, it’s all forgotten the next time and you’re still made to feel that you’re lucky to have any work.
They can muck you around all day, call you at 5am offering 7.5t work starting at 7am 50 miles away and whine when you say no. It’s not on…it’s not the nature of casual/temp work.
“He who pays the piper, calls the tune” only applies when the piper is on the books and guarenteed a weekly wage.
Several years back I worked for an agency & after saying yes I would take one more weeks work on class 2 multi drop, but this would be the last time I would do multi drop, or a full week on class 2, I got the call the following week they are asking for you again, so I said I had told them that I would not do it & got the nothing else for you reply, so I said OK thats fine I’ll take a week off, never heard from them again.
I know another driver who worked for them who told them she did not want another week on sewage tankers as the smell made her feel sick & guess what, yes they put her on it again & then when she was sick & had to go home they stopped offering her work.
I did try another agency but after being sent 60 miles for a guaranteed 15 hour day I only did & got paid for an 8 hour day so I took another job & just did not turn up & when they phoned to ask why I told them & said I hoped it had cost them as much as my 8 hour day had cost me.
IMOHO I think the large agencys are the worst, especially if they are a franchise set up.
daxi:
IMOHO I think the large agencys are the worst, especially if they are a franchise set up.
I very much agree, they expect you to jump through far more hoops and deliver less…
Not that the smaller independents are much better, they’re all out for themselves but as long as you understand that you can play them at the same games.
Contact agency, tell them what you want, if they say they can deliver sign up. This often gets you what you want, initially, normal practice I’ve found is that after a few weeks this soon changes. Argue the toss, remind them what you wanted and stick to it, within reason. If they still don’t deliver find another agency and start again. I often found, if you’re any good, those agencies soon come back with the work you want and it’s so refreshing to tell them they’re too late…
Yeah I know that trouble too Daxi, I worked really hard on a 3.5t luton job doing 20-25 drops a day delivering for a wholesaler of electrical apppliances…unloading half a dozen large appliances at once in Cromer or Sheringham in August…etc, etc, real fun!!!
It was right after I’d done my Class 2 and like a fool I did them a ‘favour’, saying it would be my last 3.5t work for them. I did the job no problems for two weeks in the end. Did it get me in their good books with offers of Class 2 work, all it got me was the offer of two more weeks of it! I declined.
I hate the way agencies expect you to lie for them.
I hadn’t been told that I should be going to a particular client, apparently I should have been 'phoned the night before as the other agency driver had 'phoned in sick. I turned up an hour and a half late as I had got a call at 9, the time I should have been there, and was told to say my car had broken down (I didn’t, I did my usual and said the agency were useless). I know the agency probably told the client that I was useless and turned up late, cos it’s never their fault.
tell you what try and get a reference out of them i worked for a big franchise agency for 3 months and they wont even say i worked for them…strange as i have all my payslips with there name in the top corner…maybe as i turned down a days work when thay rang me at 4 am and expected me to be 20 miles away by 5 am
I can not really comment as I only signed up with two agencies
last week. One is checking out my references
and the other is only ringing me to be a drivers mate and
I have seen them advertising for class 2 skip drivers where
I live but for the minimum wage. I would have took that job
just to get class 2 driving experience. I don’t even get offered
driving 3.5 ton vans and I have over 8 years experience with
them. I have a few interviews this week so hoping they go
well.
I think I must’ve been lucky every time i’ve had the need to use an agency.
I have always tried to give them a ‘bit extra’ first i.e. help them out with a short notice job, do a bit of handball when i’m only ‘the driver’ etc but that is to show willing and that I am a fleixable assett. If it ever got to the stage of them taking the p15s then there are lots of agencies in the Yellow Pages.
I have only ever complained about 2 jobs, one of which I walked out on but only because they were trying to trick me into working illeagal. I still got my minimum day (8 hrs) even though I left after 2hrs. The agency (supposidly) dropped them from their client list.
I now just do agency work during my holidays (I get too much time off in this job! 6 weeks plus bank holidays etc) when I travel back to UK for a few weeks. I call the same girl at the same agency every time I am on my way back to UK and by the time I get home and have had a kip she has work for me. I haven’t had a bad job from this agency in the last 3½ years. I am no more than a part time agency worker and wouldn’t see me as one of their favourites but I did give ‘that bit extra’ when I first worked for them.
Like I said, maybe i’ve just been lucky. If anyone wants the contact details for the above agency (W. Yorks) PM me for the details.
Seeing the number of posts that complain about or slag off the agencies I’m sure there are people about, probably on here, that could do a better job. Any takers??
If you have to use numbers to get it past the word censor, then it’s not allowed. This permutation has now been added as well. L.
Sorry Lucy, it’s the ‘cheeky little chancer’ in me that looks for new combinations! I see you’ve just about got them all though…
Ok, I’ve been to clients where I’ve given “that bit extra.” Done all that, my level best for them and ended up sitting at home 'cause one agency were trying to bully me into making a round trip of 2 hours 'cause they needed to fill a contract and they thought I’d eventually crack if they kept upping the hourly rate. Needless to say, I eventually slung my hook when I worked out what was going on and am working for another agency who I’m quite happy with . This one, as agencies go, are pretty ok. They actually ring you and tell you if they’ve got no work for at about 13-00, rather than just leve you sitting their in the vein hope. It’s only happened once and they seem to be doing their level best to keep me in work through the quiet times - in fact, bar that day, I’ve worked every day I’ve wanted to since I joined them mid Febuary.
I agree about the lieing, cheating two faced bit though, the last lot were terrible for it, to the point of me having union solicitors chase them for my P45 and unpaid holiday money .
I have to add, I feel absolutley no company loyalty to agencies and will use them as much as they use me. It’s sad really, but if that’s their game, then so be it . That is, of course, until I’ve been with a good one for a while.
I declined.