Evening all.
Passed my class 2 and have my digi card and cpc etc.
Signed up to one agency who made all the right noises. The thing is, they say itll be van work, then 7.5t in future and eventually clsss 2 to follow.
Now, Is this normal or are they unloading rubbish jobs on new starters?? I’m gonna have to leave my job as a bus driver to try and get into the game so its a big leap. The agency do seem genuine mknd when they say it but thought it was a bit odd is all.
Start at the bottom and slowly climb the ladder, don’t expect to jump on at the top …
I would not recommend giving up a regular full time job, if that’s what you have, to work for an agency.
Either do agency work on your days off, if practical, or look for regular full time employment as a HGV driver.
LastTemplar:
Evening all.Now, Is this normal or are they unloading rubbish jobs on new starters??
A bit of both. If you turn up on time, every time, get on with people and and do the job without causing too much damage then your bargaining position strengthens and you can put pressure on them for Class 2 work. Whether it’s worth packing in your bus driving job for I can’t say.
as long as you’re happy with the coin on offer i wouldn’t worry about starting on vans.
Class 1 here
Regularly do 7.5t and class 2.
I like it and if I don’t I just tell the agency.
I haven’t been offered van work yet but I’d do it if offered just to do something slightly different.
Don’t be one of those chubby drivers who get out of breath getting out of the cab who only drive.
You’re a Class 2 driver, they should be getting you class 2 work. They are only giving you the jobs that they can’t fill. There is some truth to having to work your way up, but you can do that while only doing class 2 work. Agencies will say anything to get bums in seats. Best bet is to register with a few agencies and see if that opens more doors any quicker
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That does seem odd they are giving you van work. I would expect 7.5T work at the minimum
They might be giving you crap no one else wants until you prove you are reliable and punctual etc.
I’ve been sent to a client via agency to do Class 2 work, to be given a 7.5T or Luton instead - I was still paid Class 2 rate so didn’t bother me. If the agency is only offering you van rates to drive vans, then I would be signing up with additional agencies.
There is nothing illegal about signing up with 5 or 6 agencies - If you are going Ltd Company, it is almost encouraged to keep you outside of IR35 regs, as long as you do get a shift with 2 different agencies/contracts per financial year (From memory anyway)
Agencies aren’t some career progression organisation, they’re there to supply workers for businesses.
Maybe they have a policy of not putting new licence holders straight into HGV driving jobs without getting to know what they’re like on smaller vehicles where you can do less damage, although on the day they desperate for a category C driver, I’m sure that would go out of the window.
Or maybe they just have a need for van drivers at the moment and you are there and available, you don’t have to take the jobs offered, you can say no, however personally as long as they paid a decent rate, I took whatever came along, especially during the quiet periods.
CookieMonster:
They are only giving you the jobs that they can’t fill.
^ This.
Been there done it got the T shirt all the 7.5 t multi drop zb they could throw at me and that was with a class 1 not 2.Although class 2 these days often means class 3 in real terms so watch out for scaffolding work and other similar dross.The alarm bells should always ring in the case of anyone willing to pay class 2 let alone class 1 rates for van or 7.5 t.
Stay on the buses until/unless you get an offer which suits you and that’s too good to turn down.
raymundo:
Start at the bottom and slowly climb the ladder, don’t expect to jump on at the top …
Trouble is, if you start at such a bottom as “no actual real job at all” - you’ll then find out you’ll always be there, at the bottom - forever.
The correct way to work for an agency - is to demand and get top dollar to compensate one for “not getting a proper contract”.
If we’re not careful, there will be “no such thing as unemployment” eventually, with all people without a job being pushed onto the crappier agencies who then ransom people every thursday with arguments like
“Hey dude, you’ve got no income this week. Here’s a really crappy NMW shift for ya, that you’d better take - or it is no money and you’ve not signed on all week neither, so no money for this week at all!”
I would not be inclined to work at any agency that offers “work” to circumvent the two year rule…
Two years later, you’ve only been driving vans - so you’re up for another two years at same agency, which absolutely assure you that the “Jam Tomorrow” of C2 work will one day come - honest! 
If it is bad from the start, jog on and find somewhere better, like an employer who’ll give you an actual full time job described as “LGV work” in the actual contract.
Those drivers who’ve been fortunate enough to have never required a bit of agency flexibility out of themselves in their lives - confuse this type of agency with ALL agencies of course.
Let’s see what happens this coming Christmas in the immediate post-Brexit evironment when NO actual migrants with jobs get sent home. Just those with no job and/or no fixed address.
Firms will be trying to sweep up talent rather earlier than usual this year, I predict…
Winseer:
Trouble is, if you start at such a bottom as “no actual real job at all” - you’ll then find out you’ll always be there, at the bottom - forever.The correct way to work for an agency - is to demand and get top dollar to compensate one for “not getting a proper contract”.
^ This.
Don’t swallow the start at the bottom zb it’s usually advice given out by those who don’t like competition for decent work wanting to keep it for themselves.If you take it you’re likely to stay on it.
As for compensation.You can also replace compromise on the wage rate by trying to dictate quality of work and a shorter working week instead.Life is short and you can’t go back in time by wishing that you’d had more time to yourself or didn’t allow the job to treat you like a mug.
Well, I can’t thank you all eneugh for the extensive replies. Takes time to type.
The coin being offered is minimum wage as far as I can gather, £9.50 - £10.50 acheivable apparently with 7.5t/C2.
I may look at dropping my hours to part time at work (3 days a week) and do a couple of days a week agency. Atleast I’m not burning a bridge as it where.
Went around the doors trying to hand CVs out to haulage but just heard “sorry” and “…experience needed” alot. Guess old school methods dont cut it anymore.
LastTemplar:
I may look at dropping my hours to part time at work (3 days a week) and do a couple of days a week agency. Atleast I’m not burning a bridge as it where.
If you can do that I’d say it’s a good plan.
As has been said, don’t restrict yourself to one agency, sign up with three or four and see who gives you the most and/or best work.
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LastTemplar:
Evening all.
Passed my class 2 and have my digi card and cpc etc.
Signed up to one agency who made all the right noises. The thing is, they say itll be van work, then 7.5t in future and eventually clsss 2 to follow.
Now, Is this normal or are they unloading rubbish jobs on new starters?? I’m gonna have to leave my job as a bus driver to try and get into the game so its a big leap. The agency do seem genuine mknd when they say it but thought it was a bit odd is all.
As others have said, I wouldn’t accept anything other than Class 2. There is no career progression with agencies - they will just be holding out an imaginary carrot, to get you to fill a job that they can’t fill at those rates otherwise from the pool of van drivers who are happy with their station.
If you have a solid work history and are already a bus driver, I can’t see any credible reason not to enter straight at Class 2, which is only the equivalent to a full size bus.
The argument that they need to get to know you or see you’ll turn up on time is codswallop.
Kid just fetched me out the pub…to deliver a nest of tables.
This was at 2145(started at 6)and still gotta drive back to bicester.
Bungled him a cockle,for his supper.
And I thought I was hard pressed,with a one hit bristol
There’s always someone worse off than you 
Sign up with as many agencies as is practical, use them the way they use you and give the same attitude they use with you. They sometimes forget there’s more than just a few agencies out there. You’ll also find that maybe 2 or 3 agencies have the same contracts so looking for a driver to fill the same post and all with different criteria. Take a job that suits you, not anyone else and take job on its own merit, not do much the advertised rate, some can work out worth more than they first look. You’ll find certain agencies are better than others and even some staff in them better than others in same office…
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I found that the approach of “signing up with many agencies” - soon exposes the ones that don’t actually have any work.
In 2011 - I signed up with 9 in quick succession, got no offers ever from 4 of them, got offered unsuitable work a long distance away by 2 of them, got offered “not what I asked for” at 2 of them, and only got offered "40-50 hours per week, albeit across nights and weekends (which I happen to like) - at ONE of them.
You don’t need 9 employers - you only need the one.
It’s just a question of “kissing enough frogs to find your prince” - that’s all.
Do NOT compromise on your own personal red lines. If you need at least £12ph and you take a job for £10ph - then that is the only work you’ll be getting from then on.
If you take a shift 120 miles away - then you’ll be expected to do that all the time. You won’t be offered the work on the doorstep, because they’ll keep that back for their senior drivers that might actually live rather close to you but WON’T work more than 10 miles away.
If you want earlies and only get offered nights - then you don’t lose anything by taking some night shifts BUT if it is the other way around - you’ll lose the premium payment for nights, and strangely find yourself ALWAYS working earlies, because the other night drivers “won’t do it” - me included.
If you take shifts at short notice, rather than the thursday/friday the week before - then that’s what you’ll be fed all the time “The last minute stuff”. You’ll be covering sickies and other agency “no shows” rather than scheduled leave for full timers, which is by far the better quality of work. “The whole of next week” given to you the thursday/friday beforehand.