An opinion please;

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I’ve been working for various agencies for several months now and haven’t been doing too bad. I’m with 5 agencies and only ever got work from two of them - until recently :frowning: When one stopped giving me work all of a sudden.

I think I know why;

Towards the end of november, I did a day through said agency at currys, about 6 drops to various stores.

About 13:00, I decided because I was getting done nice and quick that I’d have my dinner. I’d done about 3hrs driving and had done three drops and a collection, having had a 45 I carried on.

I only had one drop left, near base. The girl in the office rang me to say I needed to be there by 18:00. I’d worked out I’d be there about 17:30 - but I wasn’t 100% sure where the store was :confused:

So, I got to the general area and started looking for the place - no sign :open_mouth: By now it was 17:45, and the tacho started flashing (15 mins left):oops: So, I came to the conclusion that I’d have one last look and if I couldn’t find it I’d just head back to the depot and appologise - which is what I did, if I’d stopped for a 45 (to get the 10th hour’s driving) the shop would’ve shut anyway.

Anyway, the guy wasn’t impressed, he didn’t say much but it was more than clear. So, I left him to it, finished the paperwork etc and went home.

I know I cocked up by having that break early - I accept that. I didn’t have a number so I couldn’t have asked them to get someone to hang on for me or ask where it was, there wasn’t really any way around it.

Anyway, I got paid for it - £6.50/hr on a saturday :imp: So I got that sorted, but have heard nothing since :angry: The worst thing is I got most work from them and most of it was class 2 (as opposed to 7.5t or a van).

Should I ring them to try to sort it out, or is it a lost cause?

2

I’d give them a call, your getting no work from them anyway so what you got to lose?

3

i decided waste of time, agencies are very shallow people and wont givea toss about you. better to cut your losses and get on with some more agencies, i know it doesnt help you financially but sod 'em

4

Giblsa:
i decided waste of time, agencies are very shallow people and wont givea toss about you. better to cut your losses and get on with some more agencies, i know it doesnt help you financially but sod 'em

That’s similar to my opinion of them mate, hence the question :unamused: But if the answer were overwhelmingly to give it a try I would do.

5

yea its a lost cause, i had the same happen to me, was never out of work from one agency then bam, no work at all nothing and i was one of the first call drivers for class 2, now im lucky if i get the crap that nobody wants to do from them, i point blank refuse some of it because the pay rate is crap, there is one guy who pays £6 an hour for class 2 and expects you to bend over backwards for him,

last time i got a call for him i laughed and hung up the phone,
im with 6 agencies though im gonna cut back to 2 again, nas have got me work and its been good work even though there has been problems (not on my behalf)

and manpower who have been true to thier word that they can get me work but it wouldnt be much in a truck mianly vans but when im getting £7-£8 an hour to drive a van do i care?

6

I would phone them regularly to see if they have any work but not mention what happened with the Currys job.

I mean, why would you want to remind an agency that you screwed up on a previous job even if it probably wasn’t entirely your fault :confused:

Sorry m8 but that’s not a good idea in my opinion :wink:

Good luck.

7

Waste of time mate, keep your dignity by not calling them up and groveling.

I am signed on with just one agency although I’m going down the road at 4pm to sign on with another (same agency, different office)

They got me plenty of work up until New Years Eve. On New Years day, the phone was ringing off the hook despite me telling them I wasn’t available until Monday. I just let the phone ring. Next day (Friday) the phone rings again. The woman asks if I can go into Gist that afternoon. I said," No, I told your man on Tuesday that after New Years Eve I wouldn’t be available until Monday". She said, “OK, I will call back later.”

I’ve not had a call all week. They have so many people on their books they just go straight to the guy who was below you on their calling list. There not worth working for if they are that petty.

8

tachograph:
I would phone them regularly to see if they have any work but not mention what happened with the Currys job.

I mean, why would you want to remind an agency that you screwed up on a previous job even if it probably wasn’t entirely your fault :confused:

Sorry m8 but that’s not a good idea in my opinion :wink:

Good luck.

I’d agree with tachograph. It may not be connected to your mistake. even if it was you’re still entitled to stop for a break early if you need one and shouldn’t be punished when you’ve done nothing wrong but no need to remind anyone of it.

9

It’s in the small-print of the non-contract that our smiling-■■■■■■, agency uber-meisters may punch us in the guts at their leisure …hence I’m getting closer to bidding for permanency with my preferred client after glancing a mirrored image of bit-part flies hanging around a cows ■■■■.

10

you said this

know I cocked up by having that break early - I accept that. I didn’t have a number so I couldn’t have asked them to get someone to hang on for me or ask where it was, there wasn’t really any way around it.

no matter if you did drive for a bit more you would still have to take a brake
if you started work at 7 am (if that was the time) you would have to take a break at 13.00 anyway for WTD so don’t blame your self you must rember the WTD brake work for 6-9 hours 30min required just cos you only drove for 3 hours does not matter.

del

11

All good points guys.

Don’t take the times for gospal, was a while ago.

Basicly though, if I’d left the break that extra hour or so I’d’ve had time to get the last drop done because my second 4.5hours would have started an hour later.

Thanks anyway guys, looking at the poll’s results (and your advise) If I MUST call them, don’t mention that wee problem. And the guy at currys was a miserable **** anyway :laughing:

12

darkseeker:
‘…And the guy at currys was a miserable **** anyway…’

Maybe treat yourself by somehow telling him…

13

Well, I have to admit it, I hit a bit of a low a few weeks ago when I took a job picking rubbish out of the spoil from a crusher in a quarry for minimum wage (needs must and all that) so I first emailed the agency in question and explained the above and then (on their request) rang them. I was told (quote) “I got your email and there’s no problem at all, work’s just a bit slow at the moment. You’re still on the books and we’ve got no issues with you whatsoever”

Right, well to be honest I thought it was B/S but at least I tried. But I got something today…

My P45 :laughing: spineless ■■■■■■■■■ why couldn’t they have just said!?

I love my job but I’m getting a bit ■■■■■■ off with this sort of ■■■■■.

14

thats added to my opinion of agencies being ■■■■ wits

15

garnerlives:
thats added to my opinion of agencies being [zb] wits

I’ll second that!

16

darkseeker:
Well, I have to admit it, I hit a bit of a low a few weeks ago when I took a job picking rubbish out of the spoil from a crusher in a quarry for minimum wage (needs must and all that) so I first emailed the agency in question and explained the above and then (on their request) rang them. I was told (quote) “I got your email and there’s no problem at all, work’s just a bit slow at the moment. You’re still on the books and we’ve got no issues with you whatsoever”

Right, well to be honest I thought it was B/S but at least I tried. But I got something today…

My P45 :laughing: spineless [zb], why couldn’t they have just said!?

I love my job but I’m getting a bit ■■■■■■ off with this sort of [zb].

I wouldn’t read too much into the P45. Many agencies have their payrolls set up to automatically generate one if you haven’t worked for so many weeks. Used to get regular irate phone calls from drivers who thought they’d been “sacked”, think about it you often spend enough time chasing up a P45 when you need one don’t you? Find out which company does the printing of P45 forms and buy shares in 'em, they’re bound to be doing well at the moment! :wink:

As to the Currys job. If your agency runs anything like my old one did (I worked as a consultant and as a temp BTW although not at the same time) then against every driver’s name on the booking sheets is a list of companies where they’re either inducted into or alternatively can’t go for whatever reason. Could be a dozen things; driver’s request 'cos he worked there before, failed assessment, cocked up job, damaged vehicle, driver unsuitable for type of work, whatever. It’s there to stop a consultant unwittingly sending a driver to a job which he shouldn’t and thereby preventing grief and potential embarassment for all. Might well be that Currys have either told the agency they don’t want you back, but this is an occupational hazard of agency work anywhere and if he was a miserable git like you said you’ve lost nothing have you?

17

Thought you only got your P45 when you were sacked, made redundant or left?

18

You should, but a lot of agencies have the process automated, if you don’t work for x amount of weeks the computer will decide you’ve left and send you a P45. An agency once rang me to give me a shift as I was walking out the door the post came and it was my P45 from them lol.

19

To me it sounds like they don’t want you back. You were sent on a days work and that run has probably been done a hundred times over by many other drivers and possibly never had any trouble.

You had trouble finding your last drop. Instead of carrying on and finding it you headed for home. I know you were running out of time but really you dont need to stop at exactly nine hours. There is a bit of lee way in the occasion that you may be stopped.

In the eyes of the agency it probably appeared that you were using the tachograph as an excuse for a finish bang on six o’clock. Maybe they don’t but if I am hired to do a job, I get the job done. That’s what pays the bills. Tachograph breaks don’t.

20

tofer:
You should, but a lot of agencies have the process automated, if you don’t work for x amount of weeks the computer will decide you’ve left and send you a P45.

There’s a perfectly good reason for it too, which I alluded to in my earlier post. If they’re set to be generated automatically it saves the admin people at the agency a great deal of hassle dealing with enquiries; ties up the loose ends with people who do a few weeks work in between jobs or when on short time at regular job, and these people make up a good deal of the agency workforce especially on the industrial (packing, picking and labouring) side. If they send it out automatically, they don’t get chased for it later. Naturally an employee can still ask for one in the usual manner if he quits.

Since the tax system is now a lot quicker than it was, best advice is to send the P45 in with your timesheet next time you work for them, assuming they’re still your main employer.

Breaker One-nine; in fairness it’s the client’s call as to who they use, not the agency’s. You don’t need me to tell you that TM’s can be fickle buggers and if this one’s had grief from the shop about the failed delivery, it’s inevitably the poor bloody driver who ends up copping it, agency bod or not.