So I changed agency last week because last agency would book me for the week and then cancel at the last minute so only got 4 shifts ( night trunking ) in the month of November. Saw a London agency advertising on FB for night trunking from Exeter paying £13.33 per hour. After all the paperwork licenses, cards ,passport, NI and bank details
agency rules and using their app etc, turns out to be the same company driving for the last couple of months but a different run. First 5 nights all good shifts trailer swops only and 10 hours a night thought nice one. Saturday morning text wakes me up to ask if ok for this week, text back yes. Change of start time to 1900 half a dozen text the weekend. Turn up a 1900 Monday night having slept all afternoon to told you are not booked in again until the 21st. What a waste of time and effort, many text saying sorry we got dates wrong but no offer of cancellation fee, class 1 night trunker sat at home missing earning leading up to Xmas wan…ers. Are there any good ones out there?
miketdt:
So I changed agency last week because last agency would book me for the week and then cancel at the last minute so only got 4 shifts ( night trunking ) in the month of November. Saw a London agency advertising on FB for night trunking from Exeter paying £13.33 per hour. After all the paperwork licenses, cards ,passport, NI and bank details
agency rules and using their app etc, turns out to be the same company driving for the last couple of months but a different run. First 5 nights all good shifts trailer swops only and 10 hours a night thought nice one. Saturday morning text wakes me up to ask if ok for this week, text back yes. Change of start time to 1900 half a dozen text the weekend. Turn up a 1900 Monday night having slept all afternoon to told you are not booked in again until the 21st. What a waste of time and effort, many text saying sorry we got dates wrong but no offer of cancellation fee, class 1 night trunker sat at home missing earning leading up to Xmas wan…ers. Are there any good ones out there?
Err…
Not really. All will promise the World. Very few, if any, actually deliver. “Just one drop” turns into 3 or four. “Loads of work” is twice a week when they’re struggling…
That rate isn’t great anyway so look elsewhere. The parcel companies are busy as you’d expect so try them. Supermarkets too.
All agencies have their issues in my experience. If you expect them to do.what they’ve promised all the time you’re going to be disappointed I’m afraid.
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You know when the agency bod lies , his lips move. You have to sign up with all of the agencies that you have ever heard of. There is no loyalty in the game.
miketdt:
So I changed agency last week because last agency would book me for the week and then cancel at the last minute so only got 4 shifts ( night trunking ) in the month of November. Saw a London agency advertising on FB for night trunking from Exeter paying £13.33 per hour. After all the paperwork licenses, cards ,passport, NI and bank details
agency rules and using their app etc, turns out to be the same company driving for the last couple of months but a different run. First 5 nights all good shifts trailer swops only and 10 hours a night thought nice one. Saturday morning text wakes me up to ask if ok for this week, text back yes. Change of start time to 1900 half a dozen text the weekend. Turn up a 1900 Monday night having slept all afternoon to told you are not booked in again until the 21st. What a waste of time and effort, many text saying sorry we got dates wrong but no offer of cancellation fee, class 1 night trunker sat at home missing earning leading up to Xmas wan…ers. Are there any good ones out there?
If “no cancellation fee was offered”, why?
If it’s in your contract, it’s yours, so ask for it.
If it’s not in your contract, that’s your fault for accepting those conditions.
Don’t worry about being pushy, or being fair, or nit picking. They will probably hold you to the details, and you should reciprocate.
This is business, not friendship.
Fear not I doubt that they’ll be phoning you again, as there’s always plenty of people desperate enough to work for peanuts
peirre:
Fear not I doubt that they’ll be phoning you again, as there’s always plenty of people desperate enough to work for peanuts
Indeed, there’s plenty of full timers on barely a quid over minimum wage. Those less willing to go on agency.
Happy as a pig in muck with my agency, been with them 7 years. In fact with all but one agency I’ve worked at over the last 25 years I’ve spent years with them.
But then again I know the game, I know that work can be cancelled or changed by a client at the drop of a hat, that promises are made that are never kept (that happens in permanent employment too) and that they charge more for me than they pay me.
Not been on agency for 3 years, but when I was, the November to March period was pretty dire. Would often get jobs driving 3.5T vans doing furniture for Christmas with a class 2 then 1 licence.
If you’re in the right area, you might get parcel company stuff or Amazon, but it doesn’t exist everywhere and of course lots of people want it.
Best advice I could give was be very flexible with what you’ll do. With my class 1 and ADR I did furniture double manning, laundry to hotels, 7.5T handball and a load of other bits as well as class 2 and 1 work. It paid the bills.
Plus of course theres a lot of companies getting hit hard by things currently, so lots of agency drivers chasing limited work. We’ve got quite a few agency on at ours, but they all have ADR which means we pick them from the masses. Plenty have class 1 but are on semi permanent class 2.
One thing I found was the more time you’re with the agency, the more they’ll call you when they have stuff as you’re a safe pair of hands. But yes, agencies are generally crap which is why I jumped fulltime at the first chance.
trevHCS:
One thing I found was the more time you’re with the agency, the more they’ll call you when they have stuff as you’re a safe pair of hands.
This a million times. But many don’t find this out because unfortunately they jump ship because they’re not getting full time work from the off instead of sticking with it.
As I drive part time, I’m finding they want me to work more than I can and I’m turning stuff down…
It’s a funny world…
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Conor:
trevHCS:
One thing I found was the more time you’re with the agency, the more they’ll call you when they have stuff as you’re a safe pair of hands.This a million times. But many don’t find this out because unfortunately they jump ship because they’re not getting full time work from the off instead of sticking with it.
We both know it takes a very long time to work your way to the top of the pile before you get to the point where the work is regular week in, week out. By the very nature of agency work only a small percentage of drivers stick with it, the rest are those do agency work in the short term to gain experience, earn 2nd incomes, or to earn money “in-between” full time jobs etc etc. These are the ones who end up with the crappy assignments, broken promises, job insecurity, poor pay, very unsocial hours, and end up jaded and disillusioned with the whole agency malarky
I have worked for some dire agencies in the past both in the driving and warehouse fields (1 there used to be a punch up everyday outside the warehouse gates on who was going to get the work) I don’t know how long the op has had his licence but I found work by ringing round the big haulage companies in my area and asking them who they used. Then going and signing up with them. Beware though the companies can lie as much as the agencies and your stuck in between.
Driver Hire Shrewsbury and Proactive Personel Chester worked well for me. But I did work at developing relationships and taking the rough with the smooth. I think it will all be different after brexit.
I’ve been with current agency for about 5 years. There are people I work with been there longer including a couple that have done 20 years with them. Takes a bit of time to build up trust on both sides but show a bit of willingness and you are soon looked upon as a reliable driver.
Agency work is great for me. Doing lots of hours right now in the run up to Christmas but I know it will drop off in the new year, which suits me, and I can still have my 6 or 8 weeks at my holiday home in the summer.
I’d never have a full-time job again. I accept a few late cancellations or early phone calls to go somewhere asap because of the advantages agency work gives me, though I suppose everyone has different requirements.
I havent made myself available with my agency since March but they still contact me to ask if im available or that they have block bookings and to see if im interested.
Ive been with the same agency for 6 years and never had any issues at all. Never been messed about, never been under paid, always been paid for turning up for shifts that were cancelled etc. Im a very 2 way street, give and take kind of guy and that serves me well
What I do notice though is that when talking to other agency drivers who moan of not getting any shifts or getting messed about by agencies, they all have one thing in common…
Mystery Action:
I’ve been with current agency for about 5 years. There are people I work with been there longer including a couple that have done 20 years with them. Takes a bit of time to build up trust on both sides but show a bit of willingness and you are soon looked upon as a reliable driver.
Agency work is great for me. Doing lots of hours right now in the run up to Christmas but I know it will drop off in the new year, which suits me, and I can still have my 6 or 8 weeks at my holiday home in the summer.
I’d never have a full-time job again. I accept a few late cancellations or early phone calls to go somewhere asap because of the advantages agency work gives me, though I suppose everyone has different requirements.
Give it another 5yrs and those “few late cancellations or early phone calls to go somewhere asap will become a thing of the past”
I drive part time class 1. I’m signed up with three agencies. Some are better than others, and you will get cancelled at short notice, again some more than others.
But I really don’t think it’s that hard to get yourself a good name with an agency. There are a lot of crap drivers. And as a result get the work you want, most of the time. Being polite but at the same time clear about what you will and won’t do. Everyone knows where they stand.
There is one agency I only every do Sundays for at £22ph. We both know the deal.