What nonsense have agency personnel told you? I’ve heard “I used to fly medical planes in Scotland” (yet gave it up to be a Driver Hire mate for £6.50 p/h). Yesterday I heard “the agency send someone out with me to renegotiate my rate twice a year.” He followed this up with “I earn more than you do as a driver.”
In these cases do you call them a liar and tell them to shut up, or laugh at them?
yes there all lies who in there rite mind would quit a well paid job for a job that paid next to sod all…
I had an agency dustcaft loader tell me he sold his 250.000 mortgage free house and gave the money to his son who was 16 and told him dont ask me for anything else.
Muckaway:
He followed this up with “I earn more than you do as a driver.”
I dont think Ive ever met an agency driver (full time or Part Time) who earns more (gross) per annum than the equivalent employed driver on PAYE doing the same job.
An agency Driver may have some very good weeks, & earn more than his counterpart, but an agency driver will also have some very bad weeks during the bleak period, which will level his income out. The main attraction of agency work is the ability to earn enough money to allow them to have a more relaxed lifestyle.
However should you be trapped in an RDC waiting room and hear the story again, just call him
then remind him his nose will grow … 
peirre:
Muckaway:
He followed this up with “I earn more than you do as a driver.”
I dont think Ive ever met an agency driver (full time or Part Time) who earns more (gross) per annum than the equivalent employed driver on PAYE doing the same job.
An agency Driver may have some very good weeks, & earn more than his counterpart, but an agency driver will also have some very bad weeks during the bleak period, which will level his income out. The main attraction of agency work is the ability to earn enough money to allow them to have a more relaxed lifestyle.
However should you be trapped in an RDC waiting room and hear the story again, just call him
the ability to earn enough money to allow them to have a more relaxed lifestyle - yeah for sure head down for 17 weeks and off home for 5 weeks yes it’s a dream lifestyle
Blimey better not tell you my story then, you will only call me a liar.
I like to drive with the window down or with air con running cold to stop me getting the nods. Agency guy said I couldn’t because it was “illegal for him to be cold.” It’s also illegal for you to smoke in here too you lying smelly git. Same guy wanted me to drive from Ladbroke Grove to Walthamstow, then return to Park Royal. Claimed “that’s what your workmates do.” No, you want us to do that so you can screw an extra hour or two out of my employer. And I’m not signing a blank timesheet either…
…That was yesterday…I was on my own today-and finished earlier.
Muckaway:
What nonsense have agency personnel told you? I’ve heard “I used to fly medical planes in Scotland” (yet gave it up to be a Driver Hire mate for £6.50 p/h).
He may be telling the truth - obviously people don’t remember the ex US Airforce pilot called Simon that used to post on here - started off collecting old tyres in a rigid and last I heard was driving artics for Turners
Agency Driver told me… he would give the truck a jolly good clean inside and out, refuel it and not crash into anything.
I agency drive occasionally for Iceland, I take great care to look after a truck especially if I can see it is well looked after and is someone’s second home for most of the time, unfortunately there are many who couldn’t care less-that’s life I’m afraid although I think things have improved over the years( cleaner well looked after cabs).
I intend to leave my full time job in the next year or so and work agency so I can pursue a more relaxed lifestyle and more time on holiday. I accept I will earn a lot less. Probably half or less of what I earn now, however I have worked for it and on the plus side it will give full time employment to a younger man with responsibilities.
I’m afraid the hourly rate will not go up, mainline at Swindon has paid £8.50 days and £10.50 Saturdays for the last 5 years, can’t see that rising at all….in fact I would be surprised if it dropped in the near future, sorry about that, job are going to be tight in the future…oh by the way Iceland are still looking for full time drivers…56 hours-around 30k, it’s hard physical work tight stores plus very early starts…1am +
Cheers
Don’t be too quick to dismiss!
I hold a commercial pilot’s licence and used to fly Cessna 172s for an aerial photography company.
I was paid cash in hand and my monthly ‘take home’ was anything between £800-£1000.
So 'tis possible for a HGV driver to earn more than a pilot. It may be of interest to some here that the average starting salary for an AIRLINE pilot is only in the order of £20,000-£30,000 these days, progressing up to anywhere between £40,000-£120,000 depending on airline/role etc.
Not everything is as rose tinted as the public is led to believe 
Lucky to even get paid by an airline to fly their aircraft these days, some are actually charging pilots to work for them essentially, anything from £20-70k. It could be a matter of time before this industry follows suit since the future is Agy, they could say to a new/inexperienced/untrained driver fork out £5/10k before you get anywhere near the wheel of a truck…
Not everything you hear in the ‘Rdc waiting room’ is bs, some of it is shockingly true…
Muckaway:
What nonsense have agency personnel told you?
I’ve heard “I used to fly medical planes in Scotland”
(yet gave it up to be a Driver Hire mate for £6.50 p/h).
Yesterday I heard “the agency send someone out with
me to renegotiate my rate twice a year.” He followed
this up with “I earn more than you do as a driver.”
Well, Driver Hire are one of the better Agencies.
You’ll be suprised at what sort of people are driving lorries. Ok we know there’s a hell of a lot of BS out there, But some succesful self made people are driving, But not for a living, It’s so they don’t die of boredom.
My dad retired early with a very healthy pension, Shares, and a very large bank balance. Within six months he was working at a boating lake, then he worked in the stores at Argos.
He didn’t need to, He could have lived very well on his interest, But he would have been miserable.
I also know a very wealthy bloke that made his money in skip hire and had his own landfill site. He dosn’t drive, But he takes any temporary part time job he can get. He’s always grafted.
Muckaway:
He followed this up with “I earn more than you do as a driver.”
I’ve been to precisely one company in twenty years on agency where I didn’t earn more per hour than their own drivers. At several I went to my basic rate was their overtime rate. Mind you that was back when it was possible to earn triple time for doing New Years Day. Doubt it’d be the case now.
The reason agency drivers are on more money per hour is because they tend to spend time with no work. At Tesco Goole the average agency rate is £2/hr more than the Stobbie drivers however the Stobbie driver will be working all year round where the agency driver won’t.
limeyphil:
Ok we know there’s a hell of a lot of BS out there, But some succesful self made people are driving, But not for a living, It’s so they don’t die of boredom.
This. Its why I’m working doing what I can in complete defiance to the spinal specialists orders. I lasted maybe a couple of months on ESA before I went mental.
not everybody loses out after the new year madness. it depends entirely on your standing with your choice of agency and clients. i did my homework in october and decided to commit to working for iceland/booker through december and it paid off with an average of 4/5 shifts per week through the quiet period and yes, as a sub contractor i do get paid more than their guys but i dont get holiday pay unlike full timers or agency drivers. i rarely take holidays though so that is a factor on my decision on staying self employed as is the right to take a day off rather than ask for one
i now get the same discount that their own guys get although they have to be employed for 6 months to get it with iceland. they get a booker card too but having compared prices myself, its not worth having. costco is much cheaper and i am eligible for them too either as an individual or business member.
my point is that there are factors other than hourly rates
Banquo:
I agency drive occasionally for Iceland, I take great care to look after a truck especially if I can see it is well looked after and is someone’s second home for most of the time, unfortunately there are many who couldn’t care less-that’s life I’m afraid although I think things have improved over the years( cleaner well looked after cabs).
I intend to leave my full time job in the next year or so and work agency so I can pursue a more relaxed lifestyle and more time on holiday. I accept I will earn a lot less. Probably half or less of what I earn now, however I have worked for it and on the plus side it will give full time employment to a younger man with responsibilities.
I’m afraid the hourly rate will not go up, mainline at Swindon has paid £8.50 days and £10.50 Saturdays for the last 5 years, can’t see that rising at all….in fact I would be surprised if it dropped in the near future, sorry about that, job are going to be tight in the future…oh by the way Iceland are still looking for full time drivers…56 hours-around 30k, it’s hard physical work tight stores plus very early starts…1am +
Cheers
Those figures are not quite right but close enough for the point I’m going to make. Why do you suppose that they are still recruiting given that level of remuneration and the high volume of agency use, every day?
Javiatrix:
So 'tis possible for a HGV driver to earn more than a pilot. It may be of interest to some here that the average starting salary for an AIRLINE pilot is only in the order of £20,000-£30,000 these days, progressing up to anywhere between £40,000-£120,000 depending on airline/role etc.
So true… It’s not just the passengers who have paid to reach the destination. The bloke up the pointy end in the right-hand seat will have previously forked out the best part of £90,000 for ppl, atpl or cpl and type rating. Many years are required to repay that sort of loan, family life difficult if based in Riga or Marrakech. Ultimately, flying commercially becomes routine, same gripes with employer, someone younger prepared to do the job for bugger all money for the experience.
PPRuNe (Professional Pilots Rumour Network) and Trucknet have so much in common.
Wiretwister:
Banquo:
I agency drive occasionally for Iceland, I take great care to look after a truck especially if I can see it is well looked after and is someone’s second home for most of the time, unfortunately there are many who couldn’t care less-that’s life I’m afraid although I think things have improved over the years( cleaner well looked after cabs).
I intend to leave my full time job in the next year or so and work agency so I can pursue a more relaxed lifestyle and more time on holiday. I accept I will earn a lot less. Probably half or less of what I earn now, however I have worked for it and on the plus side it will give full time employment to a younger man with responsibilities.
I’m afraid the hourly rate will not go up, mainline at Swindon has paid £8.50 days and £10.50 Saturdays for the last 5 years, can’t see that rising at all….in fact I would be surprised if it dropped in the near future, sorry about that, job are going to be tight in the future…oh by the way Iceland are still looking for full time drivers…56 hours-around 30k, it’s hard physical work tight stores plus very early starts…1am +
CheersThose figures are not quite right but close enough for the point I’m going to make. Why do you suppose that they are still recruiting given that level of remuneration and the high volume of agency use, every day?
I got offered a £50 carrot to commute to Harlow to pick up an iceland shift.
I asked for an email confirm, and that was the last I ever heard of it.
Anyone else have problems with outright lies told to them by shifty backstreet agency bods desperate for you to take a shift that you’ve got to net pay for to do? 
The “consultant” might as well offer a night with their 21 year old daughter if there’s no intention of going through with delivery once the shift has been attended. 
Yes, they do seem to have trouble covering iceland shifts don’t they? Maybe they’ll go under for being too tight with the money, as that’s 99% of what motivates and dismotivates me, with the other 1% being “chance of a successful outcome”.