I have recently signed on with an agency in my area. I was promised all the usual!
Today I had a call saying we have a job for you. I took the details, it was a to be a 70 mile round trip to get to the clients yard in rush hour for 6pm start tonight and back at 0400. It was class 2. For Ā£7.50ph I thought this was a little low? and was told I would get Ā£10 fuel to cover the journey which seemed to be plucked out of thin air.
About half an hour later they called back saying it was actually Ā£8.50ph which I was happy with, they then stated they would have to call the employer to confirm.
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
During the same call they said they had work for me next week on one day, again I willingly took the details. It was multi drop in a transit which I donāt have a problem with, I was then told the locationā¦ this time even further it was 70 miles away. So a 140 mile round trip, about 3 hours of my day just travelling. I imagine it would be for a rock bottom price too with the same magical fuel cost plucked from thin air. Fair to say I turned it down.
I am a newbie and will happily take any experience going and will be very flexible I just donāt want to be spending half my day getting to a job. Any opinions welcome, any slatings please refrain.
stevo101:
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
Remember one thing. Agencies are full of crap. Get used to that.
And yes, it is normal. Iāve been promised all manner of things by agencies and they rarely deliver. Often when they do deliver itāll be at a time when youāve told them youāre not available or for a shift you donāt want, like nights or weekends.
I wouldnāt say you were being picky in this case, thatās a long drive and rubbish money. And magically they can pay an extra Ā£1 an hour. Like they forgot the real rate or something. Agencies couldnāt lie straight in a coffin mate but they hold many of the aces, if they donāt want to give you work they can do that so you have to keep them kind of sweet up to a point.
Thanks for that. I did get on well with the staff in there. There were only three and there was a good rapport / banter. I will try anything as long as it is not like the above!
They, like politicians, will tell you what you want to hear, so assume every time their lips move they are lying and you wonāt go far wrong.
Unless you live in the middle of nowhere those journeys are ridiculous for the money on offer.
You would be better of trying the scabbier companies (often pay better because glory boys wonāt drive old bangers or get their hands dirty) in your area direct and get something semi permanent, walk in introduce yourself and ask The Man, its still the best way by a long stretch.
Agencies are the scourge and should only be for desperate times between jobs, unless you happen to live very close to a busy regular logsitics depot which happens to use agency a lot.
stevo101:
I have recently signed on with an agency in my area. I was promised all the usual!
Today I had a call saying we have a job for you. I took the details, it was a to be a 70 mile round trip to get to the clients yard in rush hour for 6pm start tonight and back at 0400. It was class 2. For Ā£7.50ph I thought this was a little low? and was told I would get Ā£10 fuel to cover the journey which seemed to be plucked out of thin air.
About half an hour later they called back saying it was actually Ā£8.50ph which I was happy with, they then stated they would have to call the employer to confirm.
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
During the same call they said they had work for me next week on one day, again I willingly took the details. It was multi drop in a transit which I donāt have a problem with, I was then told the locationā¦ this time even further it was 70 miles away. So a 140 mile round trip, about 3 hours of my day just travelling. I imagine it would be for a rock bottom price too with the same magical fuel cost plucked from thin air. Fair to say I turned it down.
I am a newbie and will happily take any experience going and will be very flexible I just donāt want to be spending half my day getting to a job. Any opinions welcome, any slatings please refrain.
Nothing out of the ordinary here Iām afraid. Some agencies are better than others. Sounds like youāve picked a [zb] one!
stevo101:
About half an hour later they called back saying it was actually Ā£8.50ph which I was happy with, they then stated they would have to call the employer to confirm.
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
What probably happened is that they or another agency found someone who was prepared to do the job for the Ā£7.50 they originally offered you.
stevo101:
I am far from being rural. Right in the hub of it. I intend doing my meet and great next week . Thanks.
Early as you can Monday morning. Have licence in hand, load your kit in your car and be ready for a week away. You could be someones saviour when someone else phones in sick.
In what way can a Ā£7/Ā£8 ph shift justify a 70 mile round trip? Let alone a 140 mile one.
I donāt even travel more than thirty miles for a MX Race and thats my bloody hobby.
The OP needs to rethink (quite literally) where they want to go in Road Transport. Perhaps I might suggest actually physically looking for work closer to home rather than just typing ālorriesā into Google and seeing what pans outā¦
stevo101:
I am far from being rural. Right in the hub of it. I intend doing my meet and great next week . Thanks.
Early as you can Monday morning. Have licence in hand, load your kit in your car and be ready for a week away. You could be someones saviour when someone else phones in sick.
What kind of time would you suggest door knocking then?
stevo101:
About half an hour later they called back saying it was actually Ā£8.50ph which I was happy with, they then stated they would have to call the employer to confirm.
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
What probably happened is that they or another agency found someone who was prepared to do the job for the Ā£7.50 they originally offered you.
Yep I would say thatās definitely what happened. They found a mug that would work on Friday night for Ā£7:50, blokes like him keeping the wages down.
Fair play to the OP for standing up.
Iād say picky in a positive way; Agencies need to know we wont travel stupid distances for stupid wages. I had a night shift cancelked on a nice steady job, to be told I was now down for days at Bensonsā For Beds on Ā£7.50 ph. Due to stupid umbrella scheme (never did get all my expenses or my P45 after nearly 4 months) that I couldnt claim any travelling money. I refused it but was told āthere are others whoāll gladly do it.ā
That was an honest statement from an agency.
stevo101:
About half an hour later they called back saying it was actually Ā£8.50ph which I was happy with, they then stated they would have to call the employer to confirm.
Again about half an hour later I got a call telling me to stand down as they had covered it in house. Is this a normal thing to happen?
What probably happened is that they or another agency found someone who was prepared to do the job for the Ā£7.50 they originally offered you.
Yep I would say thatās definitely what happened. They found a mug that would work on Friday night for Ā£7:50, blokes like him keeping the wages down.
Fair play to the OP for standing up.
Might have been somebody standing up for Ā£11 per hour and he may have been undercut by the OP for Ā£8.50 who was in turn undercut to Ā£7.50. Race to the bottom and I cant believe people are taking a nightshift for Ā£8.50 let alone Ā£7.50!!! WTF!!
stevo101:
What kind of time would you suggest door knocking then?
Thatās a tricky one. Some places start super early, some a bit later. Office staff donāt usually come in til 8 or 9 so Iād start around then. You can spend the morning going around and showing your face. You may not get a start but there and then but if they know youāre ready to go I guarantee youāll be asked for your contact details.
how many times have you seen in any agency window,āclass 1 and 2 drivers required,various shift patternsā blah,blah,blah. Itās all bollox, the person from the agency who gets someone to register gets a cut so basiclly their wages are based on how many folk they can get registered. You go to sign on only to here ā ā ā ā all from them,you keep ringing them up only for them to say,āweāre not busy this weekā and yet they will ring you at 5pm on a friday and ask if you can do a night shift at Royal Mail,Tesco etc. You may have been up since 6am but yet if you turn that shift down you will here ā ā ā ā all from them again. Agencys are nothing but a set of cās who claim somthing like Ā£11 a hour off a company to supply them with a driver but yet will pay said driver Ā£7.50 an hour. If i was you i would go around all the haulage companys in your area and sell yourself to them.
For that kind of money you need to walk around the corner to the job, or cycle at worst. After deductions and no fuel assistance itās going to work out at less than Ā£3 an hour. On those rates, what chance of earning a living wage, getting a mortgage, or providing for retirement?
He does need to get his foot on the ladder though. I would suggest signing on for multiple agencies and playing them off against each other. Thatās what they do to youā¦
