peirre:
As the RH flour contract has been winding down over the past couple of weeks and I was barely struggling to get 8hrs a day out of it and only working 4 out of the 5 day I was booked for, last week it went ballistic with customers trying to get a last stock delivery in before Fridays cut off date. Runs where planned to take into account of the de-hiring of kit ie: 26 plts to burton Latimer then run 142 miles up the M6 to hireco at haydock to drop off the trailer, then 92 miles bobtail back to the yard. Myself and the other drivers (inc staff) where due to work next Monday Thursday and Friday. But 30mins before I got back to the yard I had a text message from the office telling the job is finished and we are off next week, only a few office and warehouse staff are working next week and the 75 plts that are due to go out are being subbed out
Disagraceful way to treat you. Dhl should be ashamed of themselves. Just before Xmas… they knew for long enough and just didn’t tell you because you might have found something else sooner.
I hope you find some more work quickly. If you want it before Xmas. Otherwise have a nice break and best of luck for when you do decide to jump back in.
sammym:
Disagraceful way to treat you. Dhl should be ashamed of themselves. Just before Xmas… they knew for long enough and just didn’t tell you because you might have found something else sooner.
With the exception of the time I spent being a carer, I’ve been doing this job on and off for the past 15yrs, and knew from around June time it was coming to an end December 31st, with all the warehouse needing to be emptied and trucks off the yard by then. I was expecting it to wind down by mid November and the agency drivers getting layed off then, but the work kept going inc a 60hr mon-fri this week. So it’s a non issue that they decided yesterday to knock it off before Xmas, as all they probably where going to get us to do was to move the half dozen trucks off site to be de-hired, so there was maybe 8hrs a day work (max) in it for us.
My intention was always for the end to coincide with me renewing my license (and medical) before the 10th January, completing my DCPC, and heading to the beach straight after Xmas, so few hours work next week could’ve paid for the beer and taxi to the airport, but as it is I’ll pay for my own.
sammym:
I hope you find some more work quickly. If you want it before Xmas. Otherwise have a nice break and best of luck for when you do decide to jump back in.
I’m like Harry I work to bring in a little cash, then once I have enough money I relax. So I’ve had plenty of practice dealing with the “bleak season” over the years, and I’m of a certain age where I’ve plenty of cash in the bank & my overheads are minimal leaving me more than enough to spend on leisure
peirre:
As the RH flour contract has been winding down over the past couple of weeks and I was barely struggling to get 8hrs a day out of it and only working 4 out of the 5 day I was booked for, last week it went ballistic with customers trying to get a last stock delivery in before Fridays cut off date. Runs where planned to take into account of the de-hiring of kit ie: 26 plts to burton Latimer then run 142 miles up the M6 to hireco at haydock to drop off the trailer, then 92 miles bobtail back to the yard. Myself and the other drivers (inc staff) where due to work next Monday Thursday and Friday. But 30mins before I got back to the yard I had a text message from the office telling the job is finished and we are off next week, only a few office and warehouse staff are working next week and the 75 plts that are due to go out are being subbed out
Disagraceful way to treat you. Dhl should be ashamed of themselves. Just before Xmas… they knew for long enough and just didn’t tell you because you might have found something else sooner.
I hope you find some more work quickly. If you want it before Xmas. Otherwise have a nice break and best of luck for when you do decide to jump back in.
I feel for Peirre (been there got the t-shirt) but there is not, as an old boss once told me, any sentiment in business. If it works out cheaper to sub the job out then that’s what happens; particularly for non-specialised jobs such as palletised work.
We (Asda) try and run without any agency on the transport and warehouse side of things but obviously Christmas time that plan goes out the window to a certain extent but they prefer to keep the employee numbers high rather than rely on agency.
peirre:
As the RH flour contract has been winding down over the past couple of weeks and I was barely struggling to get 8hrs a day out of it and only working 4 out of the 5 day I was booked for, last week it went ballistic with customers trying to get a last stock delivery in before Fridays cut off date. Runs where planned to take into account of the de-hiring of kit ie: 26 plts to burton Latimer then run 142 miles up the M6 to hireco at haydock to drop off the trailer, then 92 miles bobtail back to the yard. Myself and the other drivers (inc staff) where due to work next Monday Thursday and Friday. But 30mins before I got back to the yard I had a text message from the office telling the job is finished and we are off next week, only a few office and warehouse staff are working next week and the 75 plts that are due to go out are being subbed out
Disagraceful way to treat you. Dhl should be ashamed of themselves. Just before Xmas… they knew for long enough and just didn’t tell you because you might have found something else sooner.
I hope you find some more work quickly. If you want it before Xmas. Otherwise have a nice break and best of luck for when you do decide to jump back in.
I feel for Peirre (been there got the t-shirt) but there is not, as an old boss once told me, any sentiment in business. If it works out cheaper to sub the job out then that’s what happens; particularly for non-specialised jobs such as palletised work.
The man has said he’s okay - and he certainly doens’t need me to fight his battles.
I don’t wanna say who on here (and I’m banned from sending PM’s lol) but I know one of the full-timers who was made redundant. I only don’t wanna say his name as I don’t want his reputation tarnished by me . He/they are okay - decent redundancy and retiring.
However I’ll leave this here. 15 years. 15 years - and no one could pull an agency bloke aside and give them a heads up off the record. This was not a small company. Don’t know how they can sleep at night. The company might keep it quite - but the office specimens should have piped up.
On a more positive note - the person I know has been bombarded by former transport managers offering him work on his terms. Which he is not interested in the slightest in. So Pierre will have no problems getting something when he wants. Plus like myself he has a holiday to plan. So sod them.
No. Certainly not here in central Scotland. They have a stranglehold on just about everything.
I like to keep an eye on what work is available just to be nosy really and over the last three or so months I think I could count on one hand the amount of direct employment jobs I’ve seen advertised.
Never ever used one tbh…but i cant see them going completely, as there will always be operators who need them, not just for the extra staff when needed…but also to save em money when they dont, no holiday pay, NI taxes etc,m so they do serve a purpose…also handy for those who only want a set amount of days a week…BUt i can see new government legislation acting in our favour towards them…like the rip off fees they want to charge for their accounting services…when the accountants are part and parcel of the same operation.
Agencies will soon be forced to pay all the benefits of a full time job,Although this could have a down side ,Lower money lol .
I detest the parasites ,Lies,Cancellations ,Used abused .Not from my own experience,I just have a few pals who use them .
Never used one since the 80’s and one day was enough for me ,Sooner they drain that swamp the better
When they emailed me the Payslip today. They made a minor error with the payroll for the final week leaving me a couple of hours light, as they didn’t get the details of the hours worked until after the payroll deadline, so they paid me a basic 8hrs for Friday which will be made up in the next wage packet.
But as a bonus the agency are paying me all the outstanding holiday pay I’m owed, which is a minimum of 2x 5 days wages which will do nicely for the holiday.
I would suggest that any PAYE agency drivers who find themselves out of work & sat at home over the post Xmas period, should claim any outstanding holiday pay. As the value is likely to drop the longer your twiddling your thumbs sat at home not working.
Was talking to someone recently who worked agency in the 1970s but not remotely driving related (payroll and accounting).
Everything we complain about is pretty similar so not sure any agency has ever treated people properly. Same with the employers going from 4 days a week to 1 day without compensation after you started the week, and work changing last minute with the same excuses. Oh and “we got another job but its twice the distance”.
I suspect they’ve already worked out how to get around the new regs, presumably inc everyone on umbrella or LTD if you want to keep working for them and dropping people aftter 11 weeks. Not sure if that would give them the option. Not all will do this but the less scrupilous ones will.
In essence will there ever be an agency shortage…not anymore than a driver shortage.
Manpower, having been around for a long time - gets the usual criticisms we have a tendency to stereotype agencies with.
Having a bit of bother being chopped and changed about at the last minute, but I’ll linger on into the new year, and see if things improve on the “Organized” front there.
Staffline on the other hand - seem very well organized, and apart from a couple of glitches in their computer system (that have not actually caused any upsets) - they are easily the most efficient agency I’ve ever worked at to date - and I’ve tried a few, as you all know…
Got 5 shifts planned for me for the next week, including both the premium ones.
No complaints!
I can’t say the same of my old haunt SMS/Mainstream though, who seem to be mired in 2014 hourly rates still, - not making it worth my while going back there.
There was another agency, Baystaff - that I signed up with, talk was of putting me into Bookers - but nothing had materialized in the six weeks since… I assume I’ll never hear from them again now… I’m not sure what was expected of me there, as I didn’t even turn down any work, before the telephone stopped ringing!
It never started ringing in the first place.
peirre:
I would suggest that any PAYE agency drivers who find themselves out of work & sat at home over the post Xmas period, should claim any outstanding holiday pay. As the value is likely to drop the longer your twiddling your thumbs sat at home not working.
Definitely good advice. But be prepared to do the leg-work to get what you’re owed. It took me a couple of months to get mine, and I had to threaten court action before they finally paid up. You’ve got to keep hassling them as they hope you’ll just give up and go away. If possible, do it via email as well as the phone - if you do need to go down the legal route, you have all your requests for payment documented.
I reckon the “pay 12.07% into a holiday cashpot” is the best system for holidays on agency.
I don’t like or approve of this system that makes up any holiday pay from some kind of “average hours worked the past 12 weeks”, as it means your pot can go down if you get lean months of work, like we’re just coming up to…
If there’s not a lot of work about - then that is the time you’ll NEED to be taking holidays, most likely… But if you do, and you’ve had a few bitty weeks prior - then that holiday won’t be as well paid as if you took say, the first week of January, having been working flat out September-the end of the year…
The 12.07% system - means your money stays your money. It is an effective 8% extra on your hourly rate, if you think about it… Worth well over £1 an hour extra these days - and this is PAYE as well, don’t forget.
Why bother with £16ph self-employed rates with no holiday, no sick pay, paying your employer’s stamp, and likely getting a bill from the taxman - when you can get this kind of money PLUS a holiday pot on PAYE?
(I dunno how sick pay works on agencies that pay it in any case - never tried to claim it as yet…)
The current trend particularly with large employers is to recruit full time staff, I suspect with Brexit just around the corner and the worry amongst those in the industry being the end of a plentiful pool of EE drivers is now coming to an end.
We have taken 40 or so at my depot recently and are looking for 40 more taking the full time drivers up to 300 in number.
I have seen a lot less agency this Christmas with the emphasis being on contract hauliers whose own work is quiet around Christmas, this can only mean one thing as the race to recruit hots up the laws of supply and demand will come into play and pay in certain areas of the country will inevitably rise.
mike68:
The current trend particularly with large employers is to recruit full time staff, I suspect with Brexit just around the corner and the worry amongst those in the industry being the end of a plentiful pool of EE drivers is now coming to an end.
this can only mean one thing as the race to recruit hots up the laws of supply and demand will come into play and pay in certain areas of the country will inevitably rise.
I agree. I’ve posted before how my agency seem to be moving from a driver spot-hire model to a recruitment agency model, with more and more jobs being offered on a “temp-to-perm” basis.
Pay rates seem to have risen this year too, by more than the inflation rate, but the silly money overtime bonuses being offered last year dried up completely this year, I’m guessing because clients weren’t as desperate for spot-hire drivers.
I agree. My hope is that this larger company recruitment drive - will be with added actual value in those full time jobs being offered as well.
Either actual 35-40 hour pw contracts and/or decent hourly rates that’ll entice people off agency rates.
Is it too much to ask or hope for?
We’ll find out, come Easter regardless of Brexit being done on-time by then, or not…
In other news, there’s an “End of Cycle” Lunar Eclipse at the end of this month, visible in the western sky around 4-6am monday morning 21st January, if anyone is interested…
Start of eclipse around 03:30,
Totality starting around 04:40
Totality ending around 05:50
End of eclipse, full moon restored around 07:00 - just before the moon sets at dawn.
…Should be visible then to all those still on the night shift, and those getting up for their early door starts.
. He/they are okay - decent redundancy and retiring.
Worth well over £1 an hour extra these days - and this is PAYE as well, don’t forget.