I live in the Warrington area and I’m struggling to find HGV1 work.
Rates I’m being quoted for days as Ltd co are about £11 p/hr with o/time about £12 - 15. PAYE as usual about £1 less. Have played it quite cool with the ones I’ve spoken to and left my number in the hope I’d get a better offer but so far no luck. I’m not in a rush as I’m quite busy doing other stuff at the moment. Might try ringing a few more agencies this week. I’ve turned down a few jobs that were afternoons at better money, but this doesn’t suit me. I’ve not gone Ltd just yet, trying to get a feel for the situation before I take the plunge.
Scooby if your interested in who I’ve spoken to or any thing else, pm me we can swap notes.
alcraw62:
One thing I don’t understand about agency work. Why do companies have drivers working for them, on a long term basis, through an agency? One of the companies I do some shifts for have at least 2 that I know of; one of them has been full time driving for them (through an agency) for over 3 years now. Even the driver charge-hand is an agency worker who has been there for years too!
Surely it would be cheaper to take them on full time and pay them a wage rather than send a cheque off to the agency every month?
If you employ a full time driver, you pay his wage plus nat ins on his behalf, holiday pay, sick pay and you have to pay him if work falls off. In some cases, agency drivers are cheaper in the long term
Scooby7:
I’m based near Manchester and signed on with Search Recruitment and nothing at the
moment.
Try registering with Manpower, Redline Recruitment & Best connection. I am with Redline & have always been fixed up with weekend work & odd days as I’m in full time employment elsewhere. That said, it’s my last day today after many years with the same employer I am taking voluntary redundancy & will look to do a few days a week driving here & there. By the way I live in Manchester.
Lincoln based. Got my first run in two weeks tomorrow. One day only. September was a terrible month. Very few jobs, I’m with 4-6 agencies with very little work.
I emailed 6 agencies + direct companies for part time weekend work. All contacted me back within 12 hours [FACE WITH TEARS OF JOY]
Not started yet need a digi card passed c+e last month also from Manchester.
I emailed about 5 agencies in Warrington and Wigan area ALL replied within 45 minutes, the two fastest were in 4 minutes! one agency emailed 3 times, twice from two different consultants and one from the boss (Taskmaster). Hmm maybe I’ll ring them tomorrow.
I know that my firm struggles to get agency drivers to cover all the shifts
sayersy:
alcraw62:
One thing I don’t understand about agency work. Why do companies have drivers working for them, on a long term basis, through an agency? One of the companies I do some shifts for have at least 2 that I know of; one of them has been full time driving for them (through an agency) for over 3 years now. Even the driver charge-hand is an agency worker who has been there for years too!
Surely it would be cheaper to take them on full time and pay them a wage rather than send a cheque off to the agency every month?If you employ a full time driver, you pay his wage plus nat ins on his behalf, holiday pay, sick pay and you have to pay him if work falls off. In some cases, agency drivers are cheaper in the long term
How does that work “in the long term” if the agency driver gets paid more than the full timer? - as they do in many yards…
Once you add on the agency fee on top of the driver’s hourly rate, you’re looking at many pounds per hour more…
There’s got to be more to it than “get out of paying stamp/sickpay/holiday pay” - since these amount to about 5% of an annual wage, and the premium paid to an agency is something like 30-40%.
I suggest there is some tax/government reason that a firm gets penalised if employing someone above minimum wage (hence why paying minimum wage is so popular with the firm!) but they can claim 100% of “overheads” (like paying an agency fee) hence after the accountant has hacked it up a bit - it’s actually cheaper, despite a top-line of at least 25% extra…?
The Co op (ADR) St Helens, are 20 plus Agys drivers short most weekend.
ADR agency - I hear lots of bad stories! Shame because it’s not far from me. I don’t do weekends any more anyway, I have a life!
Scooby7:
The Co op (ADR) St Helens, are 20 plus Agys drivers short most weekend.
I’m not surprised. It’s that ‘convenience store-■■■-mini supermarket’ type work that most drivers recognise to be hard graft and avoid like the plague, having to deal with finger-trapping trolleys and cages with only 3 wheels that will kill you given half a chance due to being loaded with a ton of milk/pop/booze and having to deliver on a 1:5 hill. It’s the same story for Brakes/3663/Bidvest/Arla, also Tesco store work through Stobbies. Why sign yourself up for that ■■■■ when you can work elsewhere for the same money doing pallets in a curtain sider or box trailer and you don’t have to touch the load?
Winseer:
There’s got to be more to it than “get out of paying stamp/sickpay/holiday pay” - since these amount to about 5% of an annual wage, and the premium paid to an agency is something like 30-40%.
Employers NI and statutory holiday pay add up to around 27% of the hourly rate so if you’re paid £10/hr it costs the employer another £2.70 on top.
Agencies typically make a couple of quid/hr above that.
How it benefits is when there is no work they don’t have to have the agency driver in whereas with an employee they still have to pay them 40hrs. Agencies allow a company to increase or decrease the size of its workforce as required on a daily basis, something a contract of employment would prevent them from doing unless zero hours.
Ill answer the Poll Question when I hear back from my regular agency....having told them earlier today that Im increasing my charge to them 
jonnyquango:
Scooby7:
I’m based near Manchester and signed on with Search Recruitment and nothing at the
moment.Try registering with Manpower, Redline Recruitment & Best connection. I am with Redline & have always been fixed up with weekend work & odd days as I’m in full time employment elsewhere. That said, it’s my last day today after many years with the same employer I am taking voluntary redundancy & will look to do a few days a week driving here & there. By the way I live in Manchester.
Cheers
well ive took plunge registered my ltd company got my accountant sorted just about to set up business account then accountant is gona set me up for flat rate vat …after 7 years of tramping (for stobart) ive had enough of tramping and we are having some issues with my son who is autistic so need to be home more …not sure if to leave it till march to hand in notice or take plunge now and do it now …decisions decisions
Conor:
Winseer:
There’s got to be more to it than “get out of paying stamp/sickpay/holiday pay” - since these amount to about 5% of an annual wage, and the premium paid to an agency is something like 30-40%.Employers NI and statutory holiday pay add up to around 27% of the hourly rate so if you’re paid £10/hr it costs the employer another £2.70 on top.
Agencies typically make a couple of quid/hr above that.
How it benefits is when there is no work they don’t have to have the agency driver in whereas with an employee they still have to pay them 40hrs. Agencies allow a company to increase or decrease the size of its workforce as required on a daily basis, something a contract of employment would prevent them from doing unless zero hours.
At the larger yards, the ones who block-book agency drivers that is - you’ll often see agency drivers sitting in the rest room for hours on end - and unlike DHL Sainsburys, they’re on paid POA for sitting there.
I’ve been called in before on a “dark and stormy night” when the yard were reluctant to send anyone out at all in the hurricane force winds… So we ALL - full timers and agency - sat in the rest room all night, and watched some DieHard movies. 
8 hours flat pay for watching TV for 6 of them… and then going home. Even got to make 2 hours on it, so no complaints from me!
1 Christmas a few years ago will go down in history.
The screw ups, and late loading issues built up and rolled over, starting on the Monday there was 40+ drivers (agy & Staff) sat in the canteen for 8hrs before being sent home, by the Friday there was 63. Despite their efforts the front desk clerks where loosing track of who actually was on site, and what time they started. This was compounded by the fact the clerks worked 6-2, 2-10, 10-6 and the exchange of info between the shifts was poor. So there was an average of 50+ driver sat for 8hrs+ Mon. Tues, Weds, Thurs & Fri before getting sent home. It didn`t help that the canteen was on a mobile phone black hole. This went on for 2 whole weeks before the general manager finally decided enough was enough, bit the bullet and scrapped all orders & run and “re-set the clock” and the financial loses that came with it. Bizarrely I even got sent out during this 2 weeks after 8hrs at 2pm to Stratford upon Avon, to deliver a load that had been cancelled by Stratford at 10am, as it should’ve been there at 9am
Conor:
What rates are you being told? On the other end of the M62 in Hull an agency I’m subbied to are paying £13+ to self employed drivers and they can’t get enough people to cover the work they have.
Doing 7.5 t work for £8.50 ph & O/T + 25% over 8hrs Ltd comp, maybe time to up the rate a smidgen for Nov-Dec. 
Regards,
Jeff. 
More or less the same for me, still have to nudge the agencies with my availability.
I was expecting a bit more cash like £11/12hr but it hasn’t happened and am now only doing jobs that pay £10 or more. There seems to be plenty of that now, got a call for a job last Friday, asked the rate, £8.50 she said, £10 I said? Ok then she said…
And unexpectantly got a call today and am now fully booked up till the 19th December when I start me jollys.