Hi everyone. Here’s my first post. I’ll try not to rant too much.
So, I decided to escape the office after 10 years and hit the open road. No delusions or romantic dreams on how it would be, just wanted a new challenge and see something different each day and not the same four walls. Plus, I wanted to have the opportunity to earn a better income.
Got my Class 2 licence just over a year ago. Everybody wanted experience, but how do you get experience without being given a chance. So joined up with my local agency and lucky as work rolled in straight away. First day (3663) was awful, but this was soon followed by some good days with various different companies. I finally got into a company delivering healthcare products to hospitals across the north of England, driving both 7.5t and Class 2. 5am starts were tough to get used to, but I enjoyed the work (most of the time). I’m a hard and conscientious worker and they were happy with what I was doing. Basically spent most of 2011 there. I knew each driver’s routes for each day of the week. The Trans Mgr trusted me better than some of his own drivers.
Then came the introduction of the new rgs in October. The agency were vague on what was going to happen with me and this company. I was only earning min wage, but was happy to be getting the experience and also hoping for a potential job offer which they often alluded to. The new regs would have meant an extra £2/hr on 7.5t and an extra £5/hr on Class 2. That would have been perfect. Just after my 1 year anniversary Xmas arrived and I was told they would call me after the holiday period. No call came. The agency said they didn’t require an agency driver as they were quiet. I got in touch with the Trans Mgr who confirmed this. I knew they needed me, having worked there for over a year I knew the set-up. A coincidence considering I had just hit my 12 week limit and was anticipating a nice pay rise. A great way to start the new year with possibly no work. I finally got some work a fortnight later with PTS and have been there ever since.
These new regs are designed to help agency drivers get some equality. No way is this gonna happen. Firstly, the company hiring you will not pay the extra and use another agency for 12 weeks as there are so many out there. Secondly, the agency won’t cover the difference as it takes money out of their pot. They’ll just move you move you onto somewhere else. But what if there is no other work? Surely the agency would be better off covering the extra csot to not upset their customer and keep you working. At least they’d be getting something rather than nothing.
Oh well! Hopefully life as an agency driver won’t last forever. Been with PTS 5 weeks so can only assume another 7 weeks work with them before being moved on. Better than being stuck at home earning nowt.
Got the same problem. Got to the 12 week limit, then got dropped for that client. Of course there wasn’t any other work at other clients, because it’s now the “dead” season!
I’ve now signed on, and am still waiting for this so-called “huge inflow” of work that was supposed to happen last week… This week… Next week…
I’m only after 24 hours a week, but when you don’t even get that, it knocks you back a lot.
I blame the AWR for all of this, because it’s too easy for clients and agencies (working in cahoots) to get around.
A better system would just be to introduce a minimum wage for goods drivers according to what tickets they have!
If the government had done this, then it woudn’t matter that the clients and agencies “don’t feel like paying it, so move you on” because it would be the LAW like paying £6.08 is to everyone else over 21 or whatever. If no firm feels like paying up then, then they just go without, lose business of their own due to uncovered lapsed runs, and lose market share to the competitor who actually decides to play Robin Hood instead of Robbin you!
Same here worked for 1 year at 1 company finnished 21st december,then told no work after 6 weeks been called back in now waiting for same thing to happen in 10 weeks. I have been told someone is sueing an agency over the way they have been treated,i no name of agency and name of person so should be true.
If it became a common issue, 12 weeks in, 6 weeks off, etc then you would have grounds for legal action. But would you just be alienating yourself from every agency in the country? I’ve found with this job (being with an agency) you have to be as accomodating as possible and not much trouble for the agency. Keeping them happy keeps you in work.
I had 2 days work between end of December and mid January, this after constant and regular work as an agency driver for the last 2 years as a class 1 driver. Spent every day of the week in between calling agency’s and companies around lincs, cambs, leics, etc etc all promising me work in jan, filled in numerous applications and travelled all over for nothing wasting lots of time, was very depressing.
Finally got a break and managed to land a job with a small long established company in Lincoln on the 22nd Jan and been full time since as a self employed driver for them since, playing catch up with the bills since. Pulling out of Immingham docks daily but it is even quiet by normal standards on the docks which is worrying.
Got my own truck now which is nice after a good while being an agency hack.
I remember when I first started back in 2000 you could call a few people and take your pick from 4 or 5 jobs a week full time if you wanted without breaking a sweat, never had to fight like this for work before, a worrying trend indeed.
your right about immingham i did 7 years for 1 company out of immingham before i moved away,went back for a look round about 2 weeks ago and it’s dead.
Winseer:
Got the same problem. Got to the 12 week limit, then got dropped for that client. Of course there wasn’t any other work at other clients, because it’s now the “dead” season!
I’ve now signed on, and am still waiting for this so-called “huge inflow” of work that was supposed to happen last week… This week… Next week…
I’m only after 24 hours a week, but when you don’t even get that, it knocks you back a lot.
I blame the AWR for all of this, because it’s too easy for clients and agencies (working in cahoots) to get around.
A better system would just be to introduce a minimum wage for goods drivers according to what tickets they have!
If the government had done this, then it woudn’t matter that the clients and agencies “don’t feel like paying it, so move you on” because it would be the LAW like paying £6.08 is to everyone else over 21 or whatever. If no firm feels like paying up then, then they just go without, lose business of their own due to uncovered lapsed runs, and lose market share to the competitor who actually decides to play Robin Hood instead of Robbin you!
So, just finished my 7th week with PTS. Another agy driver is also there who started before me. He finished today as our agency told him he can’t go back for 6 weeks, in order to reset his 12 week cycle. That basically told me that in another 5 weeks I will be either somewhere else or sat on the sofa. Pants!!
dinosteveus1:
Same here, I was fed some BS about the warm weather and Customers not buying Heating Oil etc. utter Bollox.
OP, where are you from? PTS?
you do understand what people do with heating oil? and what effect the outside temp has on this?
thunderhead:
So, just finished my 7th week with PTS. Another agy driver is also there who started before me. He finished today as our agency told him he can’t go back for 6 weeks, in order to reset his 12 week cycle. That basically told me that in another 5 weeks I will be either somewhere else or sat on the sofa. Pants!!
unfortunately for the OP, this is the problem with getting too many rights.
