Was just wondering how agency or any kind of freelance drivers are managing that’s all.
I only do so many shifts but the agencies are a LOT busier now, I have been able to “name my price” which some agencies never used to accept.
I have had calls offering me as much as £250 A shift or £20 per hour and even been offered 4 hours extra pay to travel an hour away from me.
I work where and when I want. 2 agencies and only 1 client from each. The higher paid one gets me for Friday and Saturday. The lower paid one gets me on the other days that I choose to work. This has now gone on for a month and I am happy at work
I work for an agency “A” on their own contracts and also for an agency they sub-contract me to (get paid same as their own drivers so I’m happy), we’ll call them “B”.
So busy now I’ve been double booked several times as I’ve been doing stuff for A but B have just contacted me directly for work that night assuming I’m available. I told B that if they want me then they’ll have to let me know ASAP so last night I got a text booking me for all next week and they said ideally the whole of October.
B have sent me a text on a Thursday or Friday wanting someone for the weekend along with words like “we’ll pay more than usual”.
Its good times. The real test will be in January though.
On a new higher hourly rate (7.5% across the board) with, I understand, the possibility of another increment this side of Christmas.
It will be interesting to see if the yards supplied by ADR (not the agency I work for now btw) consider cleaning up their act with regards to ■■■■■■■ drivers around by cancelling last minute, paying less than other agencies - and of course the adr agency themselves - by the ongoing lies told to motivate one to do their far-away-likely-to-be-cancelled-by-the-time-you-get-there shifts of inadequate length. 
Meanwhile, I have been fully booked for the week ahead by the close of business of friday previous for some time since…
It’s been over a year since I picked up a last-minute job - put it that way. 
Whereas pre DCPC I was getting plenty work it was usually a week at a time, get a call Thursday for the next week. Now it’s just gone silly, I’m getting booked 4 weeks at a time & a call after the first two to see if I want to extend with the current company or move on. This aswell as calls & texts from other agencies, and companies I’ve worked for through agency ringing me direct. All in all its fill your boots time I would say.
Same as before the deadline, Constant work ALL year round had to beg for time off its been that busy.
Just mental, have my choice of the next weeks shifts by the Wednesday before, as long as I’m available I’ve got work and that doesn’t look like ending any time soon.
Agency have stopped ringing me & my part time job has dried up.
Regular M-F Day work with optional 6th Shift Job & knock (2 stock runs - 70km each way) at weekends, time off when I want, just give the client a day or two notice. Likewise if I want an early finish.
I deal with the client(s) directly, and usually know the run for the next day as I`m booking off.
The agency office staff tend not to talk to each other despite sitting next to each other in the same office which can cause issues.
one contract should see me through the bleak season while the other clients will take a down turn
Pimpdaddy:
Agency have stopped ringing me & my part time job has dried up.
Sounds like you’re in a minority.
m_attt:
Same as before the deadline, Constant work ALL year round had to beg for time off its been that busy.
Same here. If they had their way they’d have me out working 24/7. I have the pick of the work and on course to be another record year for income:hours ratio. Good times.
bald bloke:
Pimpdaddy:
Agency have stopped ringing me & my part time job has dried up.Sounds like you’re in a minority.
Must be, always done the job right, never got lost, broken anything etc for this Agy’s customers but they treated me like zb:(
Two common threads on here are “agencies treat me like sh*t” and “agencies are struggling for drivers”. I don’t think agencies have any extra work, but they are having to pay more simply because drivers can find full time work more easily at the moment, and don’t want the uncertainty and hassle of agency work. We’ve seen an upturn lately at our place, we have five rental trucks in, and have just taken on full time drivers, all from the agencies we use. Maybe drivers stuck with the agency for free DCPC training and now they’re walking away.
Pimpdaddy:
bald bloke:
Pimpdaddy:
Agency have stopped ringing me & my part time job has dried up.Sounds like you’re in a minority.
Must be, always done the job right, never got lost, broken anything etc for this Agy’s customers but they treated me like zb:(
Sounds like its time to try a new agency
selby newcomer:
Sounds like its time to try a new agency
Or find a perm job:shock:
I’m registered with 3 agencies at the moment.
Stick to driver-specialist agencies.
The ones that do warehouse/office staff as well - tend to be the ones that treat you like crap.
ADR seems to be the exception to this rule though, possibly resting on their laurels because they’ve got exlusive contracts to supply for firms like Iceland and Nisa.
I’d only recommend their bullcrappy fayre to someone I didn’t like. 
God knows why you see on the back of Iceland wagons - “Voted Best Firm to work for 2012” or whatever…
One thinks “Nice work IF you can actually get a real job there, not some crappy contract via a crappy agency like ADR”
Winseer:
resting on their laurels because they’ve got exlusive contracts to supply for firms like Iceland and Nisa.
And Culina, apparently our big boss owns a chunk of ADR how true that is I don’t know.
1st rule is…
Never work for an agency that does other trades as well, only agencies that are purely for drivers.
Winseer:
Stick to driver-specialist agencies.The ones that do warehouse/office staff as well - tend to be the ones that treat you like crap.
ADR seems to be the exception to this rule though, possibly resting on their laurels because they’ve got exlusive contracts to supply for firms like Iceland and Nisa.
I’d only recommend their bullcrappy fayre to someone I didn’t like.God knows why you see on the back of Iceland wagons - “Voted Best Firm to work for 2012” or whatever…
One thinks “Nice work IF you can actually get a real job there, not some crappy contract via a crappy agency like ADR”
ADR lost NISA up here and lost exclusivity at Iceland because they cant supply to meet demand and they kept screwing up ie drivers turning up at the wrong times, not turning up or turning up and not booked