Hi again. Well a recent post I made.about new work got some good responses and a few mentioned agencies. Now I have never worked for a agency. I am asking what the cracks is with them. Can I be working 5 days a week every week? Are they dodgy? Do I need to self employed?
Literally any tips and tricks and the general how agencies work will be greatly apprecited. I have ALWAS been employed full time. So I literally know nothing about them. All I know is you can make a good whack on them. And then you have self employed, ltd and all this. I was just a simple Army ■■■■;)
Draw some lines in the sand that you won’t cross… Eg, “Must be 40 hours per week regular” or “must be over £■■ ph” or “don’t want to commute more than 20 miles” etc etc.
If you wander in there, saying you’ll do “anything” - then you’ll just get the dross - regardless of headline hourly rates, self-employed or no…
I’ve been working for agencies for years. The main ones are Driver Hire and Best Connection. There are other, more localised ones. How they are depends on which branch you’re registered at (you can only register with one BC branch, but as many DH branches as you like, because of the different franchise structures). A few agencies are dishonest; for example one company repeatedly lied about the nature of work and deliberately booked me into a company I said I didn’t want to work for again because of abuse and health and safety issues.
No, you don’t have to be self-employed but DH in particular uses an umbrella company arrangement (some other agencies also do this, particularly small ones). They can either pay you by PAYE or into your named company, or directly. It’s unlikely that they’ll keep you working solidly but sometimes they’ll come up with temp-to-perm or on-going work. It’s down to luck but also if you perform well you’ll likely get more work, depending on the state of the job market obviously. They may cancel a job when you’re on your way to it, but often won’t take it in good grace when you cancel on them.
over 30 years ago I worked for an agency. They kept me working. When there was no work they pulled me into the office to work (doss about till 5) But, as I said, that was 30 years ago
Jamiemufu:
Hi again. Well a recent post I made.about new work got some good responses and a few mentioned agencies. Now I have never worked for a agency. I am asking what the cracks is with them. Can I be working 5 days a week every week? Are they dodgy? Do I need to self employed?
Literally any tips and tricks and the general how agencies work will be greatly apprecited. I have ALWAS been employed full time. So I literally know nothing about them. All I know is you can make a good whack on them. And then you have self employed, ltd and all this. I was just a simple Army ■■■■;)
Excuse poor puncuation on [zb] phone
Practice your best bent over position and make sure to take plenty of lube with you.
There are some good and some poor agencies, you will have to get out there and make up your own mind, but as mentioned have some ground rules and stick to them. I set a pay figure in my head and stick to it, (non negotiable), if the agency keeps dropping you at last minute then make sure you do the same to them, they dont like it, but just wait for them to crawl back to you when they need a driver, make sure you are on plenty of agencies books, that way you can play one against the other, basically be clued up otherwise they will probably run rings around you. Oh and take a peg with you when you register, place it on your nose so you cant smell the bull crap you are told by the expert you see who couldnt tell the difference between a truck and a Boeing 747… Good Luck
Jamiemufu:
Hi again. Well a recent post I made.about new work got some good responses and a few mentioned agencies. Now I have never worked for a agency. I am asking what the cracks is with them. Can I be working 5 days a week every week? Are they dodgy? Do I need to self employed?
Literally any tips and tricks and the general how agencies work will be greatly apprecited. I have ALWAS been employed full time. So I literally know nothing about them. All I know is you can make a good whack on them. And then you have self employed, ltd and all this. I was just a simple Army ■■■■;)
Excuse poor puncuation on [zb] phone
Practice your best bent over position and make sure to take plenty of lube with you.
Bearing in mind this is a sit-down profession - you really don’t want to be taking it around the tradesmans entrance so much you can’t sit down for a week do ya?
You need to run it as a small business. First you need to create a Ltd company £15 (online) to £150 ( accountants charge) then take your incorporation certificate to a bank to setup a business bank account in the name of your company. You will also need public liability insurance through the ltd company as an hgv driver (about £130 for £1 million of cover per year from Blackfriars group)
Shop around the Agencies, you can nearly always negiate a better rate. Make sure you take your ltd co and bank account to sign up with agencies.
Best thing about being ltd is that you will have a ‘proper job’ where you are permenently employed for your limited company. You can borrow from the bank and If you have young children etc you can also claim family tax credits etc as an employee.
Remember, you are not self employed ( that’s a sole trader) but you are an employee of a limited company.
Top Tip. Don’t name the Ltd company after your own name because it will get complicated later on down the line.
Theres no such thing as guaranteed 40hrs/5days/top £ etc in the world of the agency driver.
The only thing that’s guaranteed is zero hrs & zero income, also youll be at the beck and call of the various agencies until you find your feet. Ive been at the agency game for a year or two (ok maybe much more ) and even I can occasionally find myself wanting work. However its taken me all this time for me to get the reputation/skills with the various “clients” I work for
peirre:
As previously stated, decide what hours/days you want to work, and what hours/days you dont want to work. Then also decide what type of work you do or dont want. dont be too picky and be a little flexible. But once youve figured out the above. Tell this to the agencies youve signed up to, and stand your ground. They will try to see how far they can bully you, you in return will kick back. youll have disagreements, but finally both parties will get the measure of each other, then you`ll settle in.
Finally a few wise words for ANYONE considering seeking full time work with the agencies, IF you need a regular income (ie: you MUST earn £500 take home) to pay for a fat mortgage, debts, or you have a young family, then its not for you. As theres never a guarantee of earning anything. Agency driving work IMO is predominately staffed by young/old singles, older drivers whos family have grown up and flown the nest, & anyone who is debt free. But more importantly… anyone who, if they dont earn £1+ for 1-2 weeks........ couldn't given a ■■■■. Because if theyre smart, they will have enough cash in the bank to see them through the lean times when work becomes scarce, the smart ones will possibly plan holidays and be on the beach during the bleak season drinking cold beer.
Dont bother setting up a Ltd Co unless you can make it pay, AND intend to do this work for several years. Running your own Ltd Co isnt a short term fix, it takes work
All the replies are spot on so far, especially the agency lying part!
when I first started with the agency I told them I’m happy to do most work except multi drop. Now if you start full time for a company doing multi drop work you are usually shown the ropes and go out with the experienced drivers who learn you the routes etc, not with agency, you turn up for a company, they shove a load of paperwork in your hand for 20 drops that you haven’t a clue are located, and they expect you to do it all on time
I’ll fell foul to this a couple of times hence my declaration to my then agency NO MORE MULTI-DROP WORK.
So about a week later they ring me up for a job, a nice easy job they say, just a couple of deliveries across Scotland (I lived there at the time)
I ask them 'it isn’t multi drop work is it?" and they assure me no, not at all, we know you don’t like that type of work.
Well ok then.
so I turns up the next morning for a company that delivers medical supplies, he hands me what looked like half a tree’s worth of paperwork and points to the truck I will be driving. I ask him what is all this paperwork for, and he replies, it’s for all your drops you have for the day! all 34 deliveries across Scotland’s central belt!
I look at him and handed his truck keys back to him, and told him you have the wrong man, then I promptly went home.
When an agents lips are moving they are lying … Don’t get suckered by the girls who will frequently call you babe and darling either (experience talking maybe). Always remember if you don’t work they dont earn. There will be times when they have an abundence of drivers and have the upper hand (Jan Feb) but you will get your day. Remember they are never your friend and will happily drop you to earn an extra 20p.
The way I see it agency drivers fit into one of 3 groups;
1 - 50%ish total idiots who work on agency because they cant get a job. Scruffy smelly laking in basic inteligence and common sense. Flipflop wearers are in this category too.
2 - 25% Good drivers who are looking for a job or just lost one through no fault of there own. Doing agency work to find a job.
3 - 25% Proffesional agency drivers who know the job and play the game because it suits them, and as has been mentioned have the flexibility in their life to stand the ups and downs in income and be flexible in approach. They set up as ltd and registar for vat to take the tax advantages offered.
If you want to be in 3 there are a few on here worth listening too, but beware there are a lot of employed drivers stuck in the past who hate what 3’s stand for and rubbish everything about them.
My approach is I set a figure of what i need to earn for the year (based on my known annual outgoings) after paying my reduced tax (Ltd and VAT registered). When I am running infornt of this amount i can be more selective on work or take time off. If i get behind I have to ■■■■ it and do a bit of work i dont fancy (for me retail work is the pits). Plan for low earnings in Jan Feb it’s not avoidable and a good time to take a holiday.
Be proffesional, smart clean tidy and look after a companies equipment. Deliver on time and don’t extract the urine over how long something takes because you are paid by the hour. Always fuel up, wash the unit and do all the things a good employee would do. Do this and the 50% of 1’s will make sure you will be asked for by name and get good long runs in work. Most things come to an end eventually but something always turns up. Don’t panic when work is thin, trust your own ability as a good driver and things will turn up.
calsdad:
When an agents lips are moving they are lying … Don’t get suckered by the girls who will frequently call you babe and darling either (experience talking maybe). Always remember if you don’t work they dont earn. There will be times when they have an abundence of drivers and have the upper hand (Jan Feb) but you will get your day. Remember they are never your friend and will happily drop you to earn an extra 20p.
The way I see it agency drivers fit into one of 3 groups;
1 - 50%ish total idiots who work on agency because they cant get a job. Scruffy smelly laking in basic inteligence and common sense. Flipflop wearers are in this category too.
2 - 25% Good drivers who are looking for a job or just lost one through no fault of there own. Doing agency work to find a job.
3 - 25% Proffesional agency drivers who know the job and play the game because it suits them, and as has been mentioned have the flexibility in their life to stand the ups and downs in income and be flexible in approach. They set up as ltd and registar for vat to take the tax advantages offered.
If you want to be in 3 there are a few on here worth listening too, but beware there are a lot of employed drivers stuck in the past who hate what 3’s stand for and rubbish everything about them.
My approach is I set a figure of what i need to earn for the year (based on my known annual outgoings) after paying my reduced tax (Ltd and VAT registered). When I am running infornt of this amount i can be more selective on work or take time off. If i get behind I have to ■■■■ it and do a bit of work i dont fancy (for me retail work is the pits). Plan for low earnings in Jan Feb it’s not avoidable and a good time to take a holiday.
Be proffesional, smart clean tidy and look after a companies equipment. Deliver on time and don’t extract the urine over how long something takes because you are paid by the hour. Always fuel up, wash the unit and do all the things a good employee would do. Do this and the 50% of 1’s will make sure you will be asked for by name and get good long runs in work. Most things come to an end eventually but something always turns up. Don’t panic when work is thin, trust your own ability as a good driver and things will turn up.
Good summary. As one who’s been both sides of the desk I’ll also add this; if you try to play the game with an agency and drop a job at the last minute because another agency has offered you something on a slightly better rate, don’t be too surprised if they don’t ring you again. Drivers can be just as disingenuous as consultants sometimes; and some of them forget that with the advent of digicards it’s now more likely that chancers will be found out. I had one driver used to do this trick regular, and he got caught out when I booked him into a client, then when I rang the client back to confirm the names they told me he was already booked in with another agency, a newish one who were trying to get a foot in the door; next phone call I got was from matey saying he couldn’t work because his grandmother/second cousin/cat (delete as appropriate) had just died.
Any agency worth their salt will try hard to keep good honest drivers working. One other thing; if you’re new to the game you might not get the top jobs straight off, but bear with it. Above all be honest with them; if a client is asking you to drive dodgy vehicles or go over the legal limits, tell the agency. Decent ones (and contrary to popular opinion there are some) don’t like dealing with customers like that; but do not walk off the job either unless you have no other option, and even then make absolutely sure the agency knows first.
Sidevalve:
Good summary. As one who’s been both sides of the desk I’ll also add this; if you try to play the game with an agency and drop a job at the last minute because another agency has offered you something on a slightly better rate, don’t be too surprised if they don’t ring you again.
Funny how agencies seem to think its acceptable to do it to drivers though and still expect them to play ball the next time they want their services. The worst I had was 5 minutes from the yard after I’d been woken up at 6am for an emergency job and travelled 30 miles/45 minutes to get there. “They don’t need you now”. Cheers and no compensation offered for the time and fuel I’d wasted.
Conor:
Funny how agencies seem to think its acceptable to do it to drivers though and still expect them to play ball the next time they want their services. The worst I had was 5 minutes from the yard after I’d been woken up at 6am for an emergency job and travelled 30 miles/45 minutes to get there. “They don’t need you now”. Cheers and no compensation offered for the time and fuel I’d wasted.
That shouldn’t be happening. You can bet your bollox that the agency are charging the client a cancellation fee, on the grounds that they could have been using you for a shift elsewhere. Part of that cancellation fee should be going to the driver.
As far as agency work is concerned, I am doing it just now. It suits my personal circumstances as I have a decent pension from a previous job; mortgage paid off etc. so no need or desire to work stupid hours. The hardest part is trying to get the agency to realise that I really only want 2 or 3 shifts per week. I have done 3 this week, and that has been 39.5 hours; more than enough! No way would I consider going to work full time for any haulage company who think they have you by the short and curlies and expect you to work 11 days out of 14, doing 15 hour shifts. That is NO life, IMHO…
Having never worked for an agency, I’m not an expert, so this is just an opinion. There seems to be a lot of agency work around at the moment, and a lot of advice on here about how to get the most out of it. Negotiate the highest rate you can, set boundaries and don’t go beyond them, play one agency off against another…all of which is great. However, if you do that, don’t be surprised if you’re the first driver that gets dropped when the work falls of. Agencies will always favour drivers that give the greatest profit margin - they aren’t charities.
We are using a lot of agency at the moment, and have hire vehicles for them to drive. I asked why, and was told there seems to be an upturn, but we’re being VERY cautious, so we would rather use agency and hire trucks in the short term. If the upturn looks permanent, we will take on staff and drop the agency.
Jamiemufu:
Hi again. Well a recent post I made.about new work got some good responses and a few mentioned agencies. Now I have never worked for a agency. I am asking what the cracks is with them. Can I be working 5 days a week every week? Are they dodgy? Do I need to self employed?
Literally any tips and tricks and the general how agencies work will be greatly apprecited. I have ALWAS been employed full time. So I literally know nothing about them. All I know is you can make a good whack on them. And then you have self employed, ltd and all this. I was just a simple Army ■■■■;)
Excuse poor puncuation on [zb] phone
Based in Newport you may get agency work in Magor for Tesco or Wilkinsons or Asda at Chepstow, it all happens at Avonmouth, Next ,Tesco , Asda, Royal Mail, Co-Op to name a few.
Try ADR, Backline, Staffline, or take a drive over, start at the Western Approach just past pinning off the old bridge and work your way down, the only down side is the organised villainy that is the tolls, this can be avoided with a motorcycle.
You don’t need to live in a tin box or drive anything for profit when you have a regional transport Mecca on your doorstep.
Don’t believe DH when they cancel your 5 day booking after 3 days citing “work’s dropped off.” They’ve given your last two days to someone else, to keep them sweet.
But, as I said, that was 30 years ago
) and even I can occasionally find myself wanting work. However its taken me all this time for me to get the reputation/skills with the various “clients” I work for