Sorry I need to get it off my chest! I’m ■■■■ ing sick of the way one agency in particular is treating me, I’d tell them to stick it but they’re the only one who’s got me any class 1 work and I need the experience - they’ve got me over a barrel and they know it
First day on class 1 I get a call from them; “because we’ve taken a chance and put you in a class 1, we want you to make yourself more available to us” In other words, we want you working for us, not the others you’re with. Erm, no, first come, first served - I can’t turn work down because you MIGHT have something for me (especially when you pay the least, for the worst jobs and give me the most hastle and no overtime rate). They’ve just asked me to do a real crap job in a poxy 10 tonner, 2am starts £6.50/hr flat rate - not really what I had in mind when I payed for my class 1 I don’t mind taking the rough with the smooth but f.f.s!?
Best not go into more detail, I’m just winding myself up! (sorry about the rant).
Someone on here’s been good enough to tip me off on a local job (waiting for them to get back to me), Anyone know of anything else going? Preferably class 1, dont really care where, especially if it’s tramping, not bothered about pay as long as it’s enough to live on but dont really want multidrop or supermarkets to start with. I just need to get away from this ■■■■!
To be honest sounds the other way round as if you have them over a barrel if they are demanding you only work for them, seems they are desperate for drivers, if they werent they wouldnt be trying to make demands on you they wouldnt care would just get someone else.
Agency never do you a favor, when they start claiming they are you know they are full of it, they are all about making money, you should be all about making money as well.
If i were you i’d play them at their own game, say sorry getting class 1 work off other agencies, not going to be doing class 2 work for you unless you are willing to pay me class 1 rates for it. When i first passed my class 1 did a lot of class 2 shifts but always got class 1 rates for it, with some agencies its part of your contract. Infact at times really enjoyed a nice blast from Glasgow to London in a transit van for class 1 money.
If the agency is desperate they will pay, wangled petrol money to get to places before because i claimed they were to far away.
I can’t stand them, or the rubbish they spout. I only use them when between jobs, and thankfully that’s not very often. I don’t understand why drivers work for them full time. The moneys not very good now either. I went to sign up with one last year, was filling out the form when a customer rings. Driver a is ok at 1400 but driver b at 1800 is cancelled. Agency rings driver a and says your run has been cancelled, one of theres is doing a double run, sorry. This is at 1300. Then they ring driver b, your runs been cancelled, I’ve got you in for 1400, don’t be late. I got up and walked out, saying i have a wife and 2 kids, I can’t afford to be at the bottom of the favourites list
Xmas is coming boys & girls…
As someone whos learned the hard way, saying no, never, I wont do it etc when they ring you, wont do you any favours, & youll just get you a bad rep, & down the list of people they call until they stop ringing.
Working for agencies has never been great, which is why theres so many gripes on here, bite your tongue for a while get your foot in the door now and prosper between now & the festive season.
Then start planning that sunshine break in the new year when the work drops off
darkseeker:
Sorry I need to get it off my chest! I’m [zb] ing sick of the way one agency in particular is treating me, I’d tell them to stick it but they’re the only one who’s got me any class 1 work and I need the experience - they’ve got me over a barrel and they know it
First day on class 1 I get a call from them; “because we’ve taken a chance and put you in a class 1, we want you to make yourself more available to us” In other words, we want you working for us, not the others you’re with. Erm, no, first come, first served - I can’t turn work down because you MIGHT have something for me (especially when you pay the least, for the worst jobs and give me the most hastle and no overtime rate). They’ve just asked me to do a real crap job in a poxy 10 tonner, 2am starts £6.50/hr flat rate - not really what I had in mind when I payed for my class 1 I don’t mind taking the rough with the smooth but f.f.s!?
Best not go into more detail, I’m just winding myself up! (sorry about the rant).
Someone on here’s been good enough to tip me off on a local job (waiting for them to get back to me), Anyone know of anything else going? Preferably class 1, dont really care where, especially if it’s tramping, not bothered about pay as long as it’s enough to live on but dont really want multidrop or supermarkets to start with. I just need to get away from this [zb]!
You’re not going to get much class 1 experience driving a 10 tonner on typical zb type agency work.Been there seen that.Tell the zb’s to shove it because with hindsight that’s what I should have done.
You gotta ask yourself what would happen if you stood your ground. They earn money every-time you work, so would they really not give you any more class 1 work if you refused something else? Why go to the trouble of getting you signed up and then refusing to make any money off your back? It’s probably a kind of compliment; they might be in danger of losing the client, or need to impress a new one, and want to put one of their good drivers in, but coz you’ve now got your class one they need to manipulate you to do it.
Rob K: Agencies are brill! Just got to know how to use them to your own advantage.
Agreed … you just have to be able to re-interpritate the BS, & use it to your advantage
OVLOV JAY:
a customer rings. Driver a is ok at 1400 but driver b at 1800 is cancelled. Agency rings driver a and says your run has been cancelled, one of theres is doing a double run, sorry. This is at 1300. Then they ring driver b, your runs been cancelled, I’ve got you in for 1400, don’t be late.
Also knowing the agreed cancellation rates is useful. On average cancellation >1hr prior to start time = 8hrs paid. >2hrs prior = 4hrs paid
Biscuits:
You gotta ask yourself what would happen if you stood your ground. They earn money every-time you work, so would they really not give you any more class 1 work if you refused something else? Why go to the trouble of getting you signed up and then refusing to make any money off your back? It’s probably a kind of compliment; they might be in danger of losing the client, or need to impress a new one, and want to put one of their good drivers in, but coz you’ve now got your class one they need to manipulate you to do it.
Or to put it another way most of the clients are firms doing local multi drop zb with small rigids who no sane driver with a class 1 would want to know about if they were looking to be directly employed so why would any driver want to change that view just because it’s an agency.If the agency wants to ‘impress’ a client doing local multi drop zb work with a 7.5 tonner or four wheeler rigid at class 3 rates then look for a driver suited to that type of zb work.Unless that is the class 1 driver is happy to take it in which case he’d be a fool to himself.
Dont get me wrong, I know I’m short on class 1 experience and dont mind taking a decent amount of crap in order to build a bit up, there’s more to it but I’m not going to post my life story - I just came off the phone fumeing and needed a bit of a rant really.
I think I’ll be using the “other agency” trick though, either that or telling them to stick it and biding my time with the other agencies.
The basics are; This agency has never given me what I consider to be a good job, pay started off good but then went from £8/hr to £6.50/hr and is now £6.50/hr flat rate, class 2 and £7.50/hr flat rate class 1, they’re forever on the phone whineing about something or other and don’t seem to understand I’ve worked the night (for them), I don’t want people ringing me at 11am for my hours for last night - which will be on the timesheet at the end of the week anyway
Another agency has only ever given me good jobs, pays £8/hr class 2 with time and a half at the usual times and treats me well (but has yet to get me in an artic, which seems to be £10/hr + time and a half) it’s a no-brainer really if it wasn’t for the class 1 experience.
darkseeker:
:lol: Dont get me wrong, I know I’m short on class 1 experience and dont mind taking a decent amount of crap in order to build a bit up, there’s more to it but I’m not going to post my life story - I just came off the phone fumeing and needed a bit of a rant really.
I think I’ll be using the “other agency” trick though, either that or telling them to stick it and biding my time with the other agencies.
The basics are; This agency has never given me what I consider to be a good job, pay started off good but then went from £8/hr to £6.50/hr and is now £6.50/hr flat rate, class 2 and £7.50/hr flat rate class 1, they’re forever on the phone whineing about something or other and don’t seem to understand I’ve worked the night (for them), I don’t want people ringing me at 11am for my hours for last night - which will be on the timesheet at the end of the week anyway
Another agency has only ever given me good jobs, pays £8/hr class 2 with time and a half at the usual times and treats me well (but has yet to get me in an artic, which seems to be £10/hr + time and a half) it’s a no-brainer really if it wasn’t for the class 1 experience.
You’re not going to get the class 1 experience unless you do the job.Don’t let them use that as a carrot to put you on a class 3 job.But in my experience it’s always been a case of agencies just using the experience issue as a carrot and a stick to their own advantage in providing firms with drivers who can’t get drivers to do their zb type of class 3 work on a direct basis.It’s nothing new and it was as bad,or worse, 30 years ago as it is today.
darkseeker:
Sorry I need to get it off my chest! I’m [zb] ing sick of the way one agency in particular is treating me, I’d tell them to stick it but they’re the only one who’s got me any class 1 work and I need the experience - they’ve got me over a barrel and they know it
First day on class 1 I get a call from them; “because we’ve taken a chance and put you in a class 1, we want you to make yourself more available to us” In other words, we want you working for us, not the others you’re with. Erm, no, first come, first served - I can’t turn work down because you MIGHT have something for me (especially when you pay the least, for the worst jobs and give me the most hastle and no overtime rate). They’ve just asked me to do a real crap job in a poxy 10 tonner, 2am starts £6.50/hr flat rate - not really what I had in mind when I payed for my class 1 I don’t mind taking the rough with the smooth but f.f.s!?
Best not go into more detail, I’m just winding myself up! (sorry about the rant).
Someone on here’s been good enough to tip me off on a local job (waiting for them to get back to me), Anyone know of anything else going? Preferably class 1, dont really care where, especially if it’s tramping, not bothered about pay as long as it’s enough to live on but dont really want multidrop or supermarkets to start with. I just need to get away from this [zb]!
£6.50 p/h at 2am? Is this for E.Scrooge Transport? I thought my £8.12 p/h 6.30am to 16.30 Monday-Friday was a very average deal!
Stobarts at Newark are taking on, money not fantastic but the job is real easy. All the training you will ever need,cpc etc. I have heard of people making £30k plus, think you have to live there to get that though.
Erm, no, first come, first served - I can’t turn work down because you MIGHT have something for me (especially when you pay the least, for the worst jobs and give me the most hastle 
Dont get me wrong, I know I’m short on class 1 experience and dont mind taking a decent amount of crap in order to build a bit up, there’s more to it but I’m not going to post my life story - I just came off the phone fumeing and needed a bit of a rant really.
Maybe I’d get a hi–viz if it was xmas day though