What are the going rates on agencies for drivers on the run up to Chistmas and when does the driver shortage madness start when they start upping the rates?
Wah da ■■■■ “Christmas rates”■■?
Does any other proffesion get paid more at Xmas,apart from possibly Santa?!
Please read the forum rules on posting random crap.
Last year started beginning of November finished end of January 14 per hour straight through class 2
Thruxton:
What are the going rates on agencies for drivers on the run up to Chistmas and when does the driver shortage madness start when they start upping the rates?
On a day by day basis its already night rate offered for doing days. £11/hr if I reply to the first text, £12.50 if I reply to the second text, £15 if I hang on until after 6pm and reply to the third text. Last year by the fortnight before Xmas it got to guaranteed 10hrs for 8hrs work as well. Starts in October for us and we’ve already had the agency woman texting and phoning everyone this week to see who is available from beginning of October and booking us down for it so I reckon they’re planning on a very busy year.
On the run up to Xmas if you’re a decent driver it becomes a game of who will blink first as to what rate you get. If you can afford to drop a shift here and there you can call their bluff right up to the 11th hour and its quite surprising how much they’ll up the pay for the job.
Christmas… My favourite time of the year…
Last year I did 5 shifts in the last week of December 27th to 31st, 2 at +£250 and 3 at +£100 all on top of my rate for store deliveries. I cleared just under £2000 with the VAT in a week.
As conor said, Supply and demand. It’s a great thing.
How many times does anyone “wait for the top rate” ie picks the work up at the very last minute - and then doesn’t get the premium rate at all, but the starting rate…?
I thought “promises” mean nothing if they are not in writing/email format?
I refused to be doing Christmas Royal Mail last year “unless I was in by the end of september” - so I’d qualify for parity rate by Christmas. It didn’t happen, so I didn’t happen either. 
There’s plenty of other places with far plummier jobs to do over Christmas - if I’m to be working for normal rates. In the end, I got to cover the same job right across Christmas, and the first six weeks of the new year - that period when everyone else is scratching their arse at home waiting for the phone to ring. I can live with “work in the dry period” over “premium rates IF you actually get any of it”. 
eagerbeaver:
Please read the forum rules on posting random crap dieseldave.
Dieseldave mate, if you are starting to remove all the random crap on here you should be finished by Christmas 
robroy:
eagerbeaver:
Please read the forum rules on posting random crap dieseldave.
Dieseldave mate, if you are starting to remove all the random crap on here you should be finished by Christmas
That I like! But which Christmas?
Winseer:
How many times does anyone “wait for the top rate” ie picks the work up at the very last minute - and then doesn’t get the premium rate at all, but the starting rate…?
I thought “promises” mean nothing if they are not in writing/email format?
Even if you’re told verbally it forms a legally binding contract. Hard part is proving it. However when you’ve got a text from the agency on your phone offering you £x/hr and you accepting it then it is hard for them to argue.
There’s plenty of other places with far plummier jobs to do over Christmas - if I’m to be working for normal rates. In the end, I got to cover the same job right across Christmas, and the first six weeks of the new year - that period when everyone else is scratching their arse at home waiting for the phone to ring.
We didn’t stop. Ended up working flat out all through January and February and I think I posted that on this forum around that time when people were asking how busy everyone else was.