Our place uses agency most days and when there is recruitment it seems to that most of the successful applicants are those who have been in with the agency. The problem that I do notice is that as permanent we get 2-3 days induction and the agency get about 3 hours. Now I can’t see how the new to site agency drivers can be expected to pick up in 3 hours what new, permanent, drivers will be given 2-3 days to pick up.
As to some of the “stunts” I’ve seen
Carrying roll cages on a tail lift with flaps down.
2 pallets, between half to 3 quarters of a tonne each on a taillift (Driver can’t ride the taillift as well).
Letting the large wheels of pallet truck run off the edge of taillifts at trailer deck level (to get the second pallet on the taillift).
Refusing to pick up return media (cages & pallets).
Not fueling trucks and trailers and the end of the day.
Running with very obvious defects (lights, tyres, air leaks).
Most of these have been personally observed by me and were in the main agency guys but not exclusively.
Spam-Javelin:
I work for an agency now Sat-Sun-Mon best thing I ever did. I hear the odd comment from the guys employed by the company I work for but do i give a crap? No! Not really. I’m there to earn a crust wether employed or agency and I get on with it, no complaining. I find the guys that moan about agency drivers are usually the guys that moan about everything. Don’t like the job? Move on then please, give someone less fortunate the opportunity to earn a bit of brass otherwise keep your trap shut and get on with it. BTW the first person that refers to me as an Agency Monkey whilst i’m in work will very quickly find themselves on the disciplinary conveyor belt. That is all, goodnight.
Many a true word is said in truth.
Is the disciplinary conveyor belt something one can watch/buy tickets to see btw?
I wouldn’t want a full time job thank you very much. Not because I can’t hold one down but because you are all on ■■■■ poor money its embarrassing. I would gladly challenge any ■■■■■■■■ full time driver to a test of skills to prove they are not all that they think they are and that some agency drivers actually are good at what they do.
The number of stinking cabs that I have to drive because the full time driver does not know what soap, water and deodorant is, is beyond belief. If you don’t want ■■■■ stealing from your cab then take your crap home with you. I don’t leave my tackle in cabs because I know it will vanish so how come full timers are too thick to realize the same?
The agency driver does not wish to look at pictures of your ugly wife and kids and all your teddy bears in your cab. you want us to respect you and your cab then respect us and take your ■■■■■ home with you. It’s not your lorry so stop thinking that it is.
Having read this thread with interest, I’m glad I only get a 6 month “full time” contract every year for the winter.
It’s enough for me. With other income I can take summer off. But hey, maybe I could join an agency around August/September-time and leave a turd on one of busteredwards’ side locker.
There aren’t half some pretentious penises out there. Mentioning no names.
It really amuses me to hear people talk about agency drivers it is as if they are viewed as second class workers which i personally don,t agree with,to me it should not really matter we all go through the same process to gain our licenses and qualify the same way if more companies placed a greater emphasis on training new drivers would not be a problem see you on the roads soon
nickb67:
maybe I could join an agency around August/September-time and leave a turd on one of busteredwards’ side locker.
Sounds like you would make the perfect agency driver.
I’v got to laugh at all these agency chaps who try to make out they’re rich & don’t need nor want a full time job! I’m sure everyone’s buying that old chestnut…eh? What could be better than wondering when & where your next shift will be?
If you have a full time job then you are usually using the same vehicles and doing the same drops week in week out so you get comfy and less stressed ( until you get a drop you’ve never done )
as an agency driver you could be driving for a different company every day, usually for the first time and you have to get used to driving different vehicles, different ways of doing the paperwork, site policies, new drops, different loads, even how to use the fuel pump etc… and some places expect you to learn this in 5 mins when their own drivers have been trained for years !!
everybody remembers having first day nerves at a new job…try doing it nearly every week !!
Well said tooz my problem with agencies is they think they own you and want you to do ring and go
Now as a rule drivers don’t take time off lightly and if they don’t turn in one day is usally cause they know they have a ■■■■■■ run at this point agency driver is called in on a ring and go so is not best placed to do this run the regular already knew was crap
Does anyone know of any companies in Manchester who will take on a class 2 driver who has been away from driving for a few years i also want to do class 1 after xmas i have missed driving a great deal i,ll do tramping,days,nights,evenings,weekends or even part time to get back in to it
You can spot the decent agency drivers a mile off. They are the ones who almost have a full time job with your company because they do a good job they keep getting asked for. I’ve been almost full time with the same company now for 3 years so am wondering who I upset in my past life.
nickb67:
maybe I could join an agency around August/September-time and leave a turd on one of busteredwards’ side locker.
Sounds like you would make the perfect agency driver.
I’v got to laugh at all these agency chaps who try to make out they’re rich & don’t need nor want a full time job! I’m sure everyone’s buying that old chestnut…eh?
I spent most of my time as an agency driver. I didn’t want a fulltime job. I own two houses as a direct result of the money I earned as an agency driver.
What could be better than wondering when & where your next shift will be?
Choosing when you work and who you work for. If I decided I couldn’t be arsed one week I just used to take it off. Because my basic hourly rate for much of the time was the overtime rate of many companies I went to I could afford to.
What could be more soul destroying than knowing exactly what you’ll be doing 12 months down the line?
Spam-Javelin:
I work for an agency now Sat-Sun-Mon best thing I ever did. I hear the odd comment from the guys employed by the company I work for but do i give a crap? No! Not really. I’m there to earn a crust wether employed or agency and I get on with it, no complaining. I find the guys that moan about agency drivers are usually the guys that moan about everything. Don’t like the job? Move on then please, give someone less fortunate the opportunity to earn a bit of brass otherwise keep your trap shut and get on with it. BTW the first person that refers to me as an Agency Monkey whilst i’m in work will very quickly find themselves on the disciplinary conveyor belt. That is all, goodnight.
I am an agency driver and have been for the last 6 years and would not look for a full time job. I don’t no who is better full time or agency but to put things better for agency drivers I do no that at Sainsburys where I do some work about 3 years ago the new driver of the year forgot to stop at the barriers and drove straight though.
yeah it was great been a agency driver telling the agency I was having a day off then not been offered work for the next two weeks just to show me they were still in charge , sleeping in a truck with somebody else,s pubic hair and dead skin all over my bedding !! yeah it beats having my own cab and not having to smell ■■■ ends all day long, agencie,s you cant beat them best thing since the wheel …NOT.
4aaaa4dd:
yeah it was great been a agency driver telling the agency I was having a day off then not been offered work for the next two weeks just to show me they were still in charge , sleeping in a truck with somebody else,s pubic hair and dead skin all over my bedding !! yeah it beats having my own cab and not having to smell ■■■ ends all day long, agencie,s you cant beat them best thing since the wheel …NOT.
You can’t beat full time work can you? Working your arse off all week, every week for £7.■■ an hour. Having to beg the boss for a decent motor and a day off for whatever reason. As an outsider looking in the amount of arse licking that goes on in the transport office between full timers is laughable.
But it’s all good, you get your own vehicle that you can put your own peek a boos and pelmets complete with Led back lights and whatever takes your fancy… Hell, throw in some frilly bedding too, but remember that it all comes out of the £7.■■ an hour that SO MANY (not all) full time drivers work for!
theshed:
Ban the agencies and bring back the old union Black book that’s what I say then all drivers were paid the same and all sang from the same song sheet
4aaaa4dd:
yeah it was great been a agency driver telling the agency I was having a day off then not been offered work for the next two weeks just to show me they were still in charge
I’v heard that from a few agency drivers, sounds like a great way to work! I love the way these drivers dress up their agency life & try to make it sound ideal…get a grip fella’s!
as i have stated before,i am an agency driver,i pay for my own clothes and safety boots,i respect other drivers vehicles and if there is anything regarding the regular drivers property in the cab thats exactly where it stays,all rubbish is taken out at the end of the day and the wagon is left exactly as i found it,i also go around the vehicle and check very closely for damage,if i do find any fresh damage i will report it before going out the yard,what annoys me more than anything is regular drivers not cleaning the inside of the windscreen or keeping the mirrors clean i have lost count of the time i have wasted cleaning mirrors and windscreens before i leave a yard,it surprises me how drivers in general can see in their mirrors,some of them are absolutely filthy
