Hi I am an Agency driver from the Midlands…I have many years under my belt… driving Uk and Continental…
I have driven so many different types of vehicles from the very rough to the top of the range… same as trailers…flats tilts Fridges …you name it…
I decided to do a bit of Agency work before Christmas so signed on with a big Agency…
What a difference it is today…
I would love to hear from other drivers about there experiences in this part of the industry
cockney:
Hi I am an Agency driver from the Midlands…I have many years under my belt… driving Uk and Continental…
I have driven so many different types of vehicles from the very rough to the top of the range… same as trailers…flats tilts Fridges …you name it…
I decided to do a bit of Agency work before Christmas so signed on with a big Agency…
What a difference it is today…
I would love to hear from other drivers about there experiences in this part of the industry
Hullo “cockney”,
You said it, “What a difference it is today…” You’re right. I am I suppose the same as you, retired. But I do love to keep my hand in in the Summer when I’m back in England. Two years ago when I came home work was a bit slack, so I decided to contact an Agency. I rang what seemed like a reputable agency in Hull. Can you come in for an interview ?, Yes of course I can. Off I went to their offices in an old building next to the Old Shipping Federation Office ( I’ve been in there a few times when it was open too), I was met by a real smart bloke, colar and tie, shiny shoes and about 20 years old. OK he said, let’s get started, he spent ages asking for all my particulars, some of it necessary, some of it not, no questions about my history in the Haulage industry and no reference at all to my lorry driving experience, except did I have a clean and up to date licence. Then, out came a large booklet, can you complete this he said. It was I think about eight pages long, like a matriculation paper. When I’de finished it I handed it back to him, he took out of his desk drawer a book of answers and proceeded to check my answers against this book. I believe I got something like 35/40 correct. Apparently this gave me a pass in his book, but he then handed me a few sheets of papers relating to the bits that I had not got right, you can study these he said. Lastly he took out a couple of legal looking documents, I just need you to sign here, here, and here, just to say that you agree to paying us this ammount of cash, and that you need to take out some sort of Insurance as an idemnity against us. I left the place with my head spinning and feeling really dejected, if this is what it’s come to the I’ll give up I thought. On the way back home my phone rang, one of the blokes that I normally work for, " Arch can you do a Night Run tonight down to the Hub in Rugby with a load of Pallets ?" Bloody hell can I ? Too right I can, see you tonight. Then the next week I was back on regular weekend RDC deliveries for the firm that provides my main source of work, and the crisis of lack of work had disapeared completely. About two weeks later this ■■■ from the Agency rang to ask if I had decided to work for them. Yeah right!. If that’s Agencies for you, then they can poke it.
cockney:
Hi I am an Agency driver from the Midlands…I have many years under my belt… driving Uk and Continental…
I have driven so many different types of vehicles from the very rough to the top of the range… same as trailers…flats tilts Fridges …you name it…
I decided to do a bit of Agency work before Christmas so signed on with a big Agency…
What a difference it is today…
I would love to hear from other drivers about there experiences in this part of the industry
Hullo “cockney”,
You said it, “What a difference it is today…” You’re right. I am I suppose the same as you, retired. But I do love to keep my hand in in the Summer when I’m back in England. Two years ago when I came home work was a bit slack, so I decided to contact an Agency. I rang what seemed like a reputable agency in Hull. Can you come in for an interview ?, Yes of course I can. Off I went to their offices in an old building next to the Old Shipping Federation Office ( I’ve been in there a few times when it was open too), I was met by a real smart bloke, colar and tie, shiny shoes and about 20 years old. OK he said, let’s get started, he spent ages asking for all my particulars, some of it necessary, some of it not, no questions about my history in the Haulage industry and no reference at all to my lorry driving experience, except did I have a clean and up to date licence. Then, out came a large booklet, can you complete this he said. It was I think about eight pages long, like a matriculation paper. When I’de finished it I handed it back to him, he took out of his desk drawer a book of answers and proceeded to check my answers against this book. I believe I got something like 35/40 correct. Apparently this gave me a pass in his book, but he then handed me a few sheets of papers relating to the bits that I had not got right, you can study these he said. Lastly he took out a couple of legal looking documents, I just need you to sign here, here, and here, just to say that you agree to paying us this ammount of cash, and that you need to take out some sort of Insurance as an idemnity against us. I left the place with my head spinning and feeling really dejected, if this is what it’s come to the I’ll give up I thought. On the way back home my phone rang, one of the blokes that I normally work for, " Arch can you do a Night Run tonight down to the Hub in Rugby with a load of Pallets ?" Bloody hell can I ? Too right I can, see you tonight. Then the next week I was back on regular weekend RDC deliveries for the firm that provides my main source of work, and the crisis of lack of work had disapeared completely. About two weeks later this ■■■ from the Agency rang to ask if I had decided to work for them. Yeah right!. If that’s Agencies for you, then they can poke it.
Cheers, Archie.
SO SORRY THE COMPUTERS SO SLOW TODAY, I HIT THE BUTTON TWICE… 
Reminds me of when I went back to the UK in 2008 with the intention of going back on the road for a few months.
Phoned an agency in Hemel and made an appointment for an ‘interview’. Whilst filling in the forms I came to the “past experience” box and said to the guy that the box wasn’t big enough to list all my driving history. “Oh, we’re only interested in what you’ve done in the last two years” he said. “Well, I haven’t driven any wagons in the past few years as I’ve just told you, I’ve been in Thailand”. “Just write ‘nothing’ then” he said. Great, I thought, that’s going to get me a lot of work!! 
I ended up returning to Thailand having not earned a brass farthing! At least I was able to return the ‘safety’ boots and high visibility jacket I had bought in Wickes and get my money back.
Hi Ron.surely if you are thinking about earning a bit of cash for 1 or 2 months work you would be better coming back to north Sweden.you know how relaxed they are.as long as you have a licence and know which way to turn the steering you’r in.especially in the summer there’s always work up here.take care.mike
hutpik:
Hi Ron.surely if you are thinking about earning a bit of cash for 1 or 2 months work you would be better coming back to north Sweden.you know how relaxed they are.as long as you have a licence and know which way to turn the steering you’r in.especially in the summer there’s always work up here.take care.mike
Thanks for that, Mike. I’ve just dug out my old Swedish driving licence and note that it expired in 1998. Don’t know how one would go about getting it re-instated now. My grasp of the language is pretty rusty after all these years but in reality now I’m in my 65th year I feel that my days of wagon driving are over.
rgds Ron
I went back to agency driving for a month or two about 5 years ago when I resigned from a management job.
I signed on with three agencies, one was a branch of a large national (got absolutely nothing from them despite all the promises) one was another big company but not huge, the third was a Russian guy who turned out to be the best.
I asked for nights and weekends as the rates were higher, rarely got a full weeks work and on occasions had to travel to central London (about 25 miles) to work. Did mostly Tesco and DHL trunking, with a few other odds and ends thrown in.
Then the same thing happened as had happened several years ago, the agency told me they were missing some tacho discs so I couldn’t go back to work for Tescos.
The agency in both cases insisted that I hadn’t handed them in, and then they later found them, but by then, as they didn’t want to go to Tesco and admit they’d screwed up they were happy to leave the blame with me, which as a manager for more than 20 years really pee’d me off in a big way, and I told them so.
Fortunately I then got a ‘proper’ job, so I was able to jack it in with them. They still call me from time to time when they’re short of a driver, but I just remind them of their incompetence and turn them down. In reality as I work for a council I’m not supposed to do any other work.
I feel sorry for anyone who has to rely on agencies for work, but I would advise you to keep meticulous diaries, get receipts for your tacho discs (probably mostly digi-cards now) and don’t ‘bend the rules’ as a favour to them, as they will drop you like a hot potato if and when it suits them.
Hi guys, I did a bit of agency driving back in the 90s, and I am afraid to say that it was not one my best time as a driver.
Living in York and being made redundant at christmas 91 I signed up with an agency until I could find permenant work.
Most of my time I was working for GW Sissons from Sherburn in Elmet who ran at that time a fleet of T45 Leylands, it was good work mostley delivering Bison concrete flooring from their Leeds depot. Eventually finding myself on curtain sider work after proving I was to be trusted by doing the Bison work. Where ever I went as an agency driver to drive for a firm that was new to me there was always plenty of help from the permenant staff there, all you had to do was ask !
Until one day I was sent to Exel Logistics just outside York, I was told to be there for 9am and that I would be going to Droitwhich. Arriving at 0850 I walked into the warehouse to a cabin that was the transport office, “Good morning I’m Tony and I’ve come from the agency to take a load to Droitwhich” I said. The guy in the office completely ingnored me and continued with his writing, but there were two young office girls there as well so I addressed them only to be told that it was the man that I needed to talk to. After making several more attempts to attract this guys attention he finally decided to aknowledge my presence by standing up and taking some keys from a high shelf and slamming them down on the window sill in front of my face ! “Thank you” I said and went outside to find my lorry which wasn’t difficult as it was the only one there. The MAN unit was checked over and a tacho card filled out but it needed to be fuelled up as it was empty.
Not wanting to try asking the ignorant pig in the office I asked the lad on the fork lift in the yard how the fuel pump worked
only to be told that the fuel key was kept in the office by the affore mentioned person.
So taking a deep breath I went back to the office to ask for the fuel key but once again I was confronted by a wall of silence, however one of the office girls came to my rescue and handed me the key. After filling up I now needed to know which trailer I was to take so once again I reluctantly went back to the office and said “There’s your fuel key can you tell me whch trailer I need please”. Once again I was met with a wall of silence and by now I had had just about enough of this so I blew my stack and told him what I thought of him and then aploogised to the two girls for the out burst of bad language. He just turned and gave me the most drop dead look of all time ! I am not a violent man but for him I was going to make an exception but the office door was locked so I trew his fuel key at him and left and that was end of my agency days. So for anyone out there encountering the same kind of hostlity you have my full sympathy !
Regards Tony H.