Company drivers v Agency Drivers

[robroy]

Londontrucker123:

robroy:

Londontrucker123:
The past:

Company drivers: I get 50 hours guaranteed, holiday, sick pay, any issues union rep will step in, company has to follow strict procedures, if they step out out of this framework we’ll get them on a technicality. Don’t worry.

Agency Driver: Show up. You might even get paid. ‘Am I working tomorrow?. Dunno yet’

The present:

Company drivers: This is not on. One company driver at my place has actually spoken to the union rep to demand, yes demand, why he is not on the same rate as the agency drivers.

Agency driver: Is he for real?

To any company driver reading this, I did not pass the ‘Agency Lite’ version of a class 1 license, in fact when I show up for work I’m routinely expected to perform to the level of your companies best employees, literally one mistake and I might be out the door.

So I have to be at my best.

I’m also expected to provide to my own PPE, Hi-Viz, steel boots etc. at my own expense or else I might be sent home. I also renewed my driver CPC a couple years ago so that I was up to date, that was nearly £500 out of my own pocket. I had to sit in a classroom for 5 days with no wages just so that I had a job to go the next week.

I can’t really see your point of this post tbh mate.
Everything you mention was YOUR choice, you knew the circumstances when you made that choice presumably.

If it’s bugging you that the company driver thinks it’s unfair that you are doing the same job as him for more money,.wtf do you expect.
By the same token said driver working direct for the company was also HIS choice…
So if you dont like it,.start direct.
If he don’t like it join the [zb] agency.
You’re welcome.

So having said that where do we go with this discussion?

You totally missed the point ‘mate’.

It’s ain’t bugging me, it’s bugging him.

He was fine with his lot til the agency rates rapidly shot up, now he wants all of the benefits of being a company driver with job security and all that, but with none of the drawbacks of agency work. As we all know, life really don’t work like that. I do agency work simply cos I can, still work full-time, kids have flown the nest and I’m lucky that I have no mortgage to worry about, now just a few years from retiring, so agency driving has suited for the last few years.

The tables are turning, and he’s not a happy chappy. ‘The fear of missing out’ as another lad at work said.

Simply he wants to have his cake and eat it too. You can’t have all of the benefits without none of the risks mate.

Likewise, you’re welcome too.

Ok but I don’t think I’ve missed your point at all…

So if it ain’t bugging you why did you even mention it?
What bearing does it have on you whatever he can manage to negotiate for himself if YOU are happy with the rate that you already get?
If he can manage to use the driver shortage thing to his advantage and basically blackmail the firm into putting him on a better rate and better terms. how much skin is that off your nose…you still get the same money, OR if it does actually bug you. then you could do the same as him and push your agency for an even better rate, then you both win…
Everybody’s happy.

Agency drivers have always had things their own way in terms of being on better money, my pov as a full time driver, is .I do not necessarily agree that is right, but I do accept it is so…
If I wanted more money because it bugged me, I’d either go on the agency myself, or if I saw a window of opportunity, do exactly what the guy at your situation did, use circumstances to my advantage.

Seems to me that you have a sense of entitlement and if somebody else wants a bite from the same cherry, (although it does not DIRECTLY adversely affect you) then you ain’t suited.
Either stop concerning yourself with what he is trying to better himself with, and carry on as you are or make some noise with your agency.
Nothing wrong at all with ‘having your cake and eating it’, in any situation and walk of life, if you can manage to blag it, …that is what I’ve been doing for years, looking after no.1.

Sometimes you win sometimes you lose but I ain’t going to cry because somebody else has managed to win and I haven’t, good luck to them.

[peirre]

As an agency driver I must be missing out on these spectacular agency rates somehow, the agy and client company are digging their heels in and sticking to modest unionised parity rates which are a few pence above what the company drivers gets so they’re not in the £10/£11 an hour doldrums but are not in the £20/hr bracket, but I’m not killing myself or running myself ragged at the site I’ve been at for the past few years. The work is almost continuous and I’m on target to earn £40K+ for Mon-Fri day work averaging 50hrs/week.
The company drivers where I’m at are their own worst enemy, but as on any site there’s always the wide boys who tear up the job, the last to arrive at work, first out the gate, and first one back, cutting every corner possible. An example of which is a local inter depot trunk job 27 miles each way, drop and swop trailers, return to the yard and repeat 3 times in total, which is usually planned for 9-10hrs. We all take our turn but the wide boys cut the job up and do the work in 6-7hrs.
Meanwhile the managers see this and think that they can make it 4+ trunks for the planned 9-10hrs, but everyone else does the 3 trunks in the allocated amount of time, then finds themselves faced with a 12hr+ shift / 4 trunks day, then ■■■■■ about it.

[lolipop]

Nothing wrong with being on Agency, it suits some guys to choose when they are available for work. Some like me at the time got made redundant and Agency was a means to pay the bills. I did any job to the best of my ability,which eventually after 3 years got me a good full time permanent job at Argos (3 years Agency 17 years full time) which lasted until I retired. During that time Agency where paid on parity or very close too it and on the same rules as our own people,if they got more money it was good luck to them as work was sporadic.

[dozy]

peirre:
As an agency driver I must be missing out on these spectacular agency rates somehow, the agy and client company are digging their heels in and sticking to modest unionised parity rates which are a few pence above what the company drivers gets so they’re not in the £10/£11 an hour doldrums but are not in the £20/hr bracket, but I’m not killing myself or running myself ragged at the site I’ve been at for the past few years. The work is almost continuous and I’m on target to earn £40K+ for Mon-Fri day work averaging 50hrs/week.
The company drivers where I’m at are their own worst enemy, but as on any site there’s always the wide boys who tear up the job, the last to arrive at work, first out the gate, and first one back, cutting every corner possible. An example of which is a local inter depot trunk job 27 miles each way, drop and swop trailers, return to the yard and repeat 3 times in total, which is usually planned for 9-10hrs. We all take our turn but the wide boys cut the job up and do the work in 6-7hrs.
Meanwhile the managers see this and think that they can make it 4+ trunks for the planned 9-10hrs, but everyone else does the 3 trunks in the allocated amount of time, then finds themselves faced with a 12hr+ shift / 4 trunks day, then ■■■■■ about it.

So you could do more but you choose to drag the job out so you don’t have too do more, 4 runs instead of 3 , maybe if you did a full days work they’d pay you more,company ,agency
I don’t call it tear assing the job up , I call it doing a fair days work for a fair days pay , £20-£25 at the moment

[peirre]

I’ve had close to 20yrs of doing agency work and I don’t see it changing anytime soon, the days of the bleak season seem to be long gone, and agency work is continuous year round. So I’ve booked 3 weeks paid holiday off, the whole of Christmas week + the 2 weeks before Christmas and I’m planning to head off to Fuertaventura for 10 days, getting back Christmas Eve. I don’t see many full time company drivers being allowed to do that, especially in the current climate.

[londontrucker123]

robroy:

Londontrucker123:

robroy:

Londontrucker123:
The past:

Company drivers: I get 50 hours guaranteed, holiday, sick pay, any issues union rep will step in, company has to follow strict procedures, if they step out out of this framework we’ll get them on a technicality. Don’t worry.

Agency Driver: Show up. You might even get paid. ‘Am I working tomorrow?. Dunno yet’

The present:

Company drivers: This is not on. One company driver at my place has actually spoken to the union rep to demand, yes demand, why he is not on the same rate as the agency drivers.

Agency driver: Is he for real?

To any company driver reading this, I did not pass the ‘Agency Lite’ version of a class 1 license, in fact when I show up for work I’m routinely expected to perform to the level of your companies best employees, literally one mistake and I might be out the door.

So I have to be at my best.

I’m also expected to provide to my own PPE, Hi-Viz, steel boots etc. at my own expense or else I might be sent home. I also renewed my driver CPC a couple years ago so that I was up to date, that was nearly £500 out of my own pocket. I had to sit in a classroom for 5 days with no wages just so that I had a job to go the next week.

I can’t really see your point of this post tbh mate.
Everything you mention was YOUR choice, you knew the circumstances when you made that choice presumably.

If it’s bugging you that the company driver thinks it’s unfair that you are doing the same job as him for more money,.wtf do you expect.
By the same token said driver working direct for the company was also HIS choice…
So if you dont like it,.start direct.
If he don’t like it join the [zb] agency.
You’re welcome.

So having said that where do we go with this discussion?

You totally missed the point ‘mate’.

It’s ain’t bugging me, it’s bugging him.

He was fine with his lot til the agency rates rapidly shot up, now he wants all of the benefits of being a company driver with job security and all that, but with none of the drawbacks of agency work. As we all know, life really don’t work like that. I do agency work simply cos I can, still work full-time, kids have flown the nest and I’m lucky that I have no mortgage to worry about, now just a few years from retiring, so agency driving has suited for the last few years.

The tables are turning, and he’s not a happy chappy. ‘The fear of missing out’ as another lad at work said.

Simply he wants to have his cake and eat it too. You can’t have all of the benefits without none of the risks mate.

Likewise, you’re welcome too.

Ok but I don’t think I’ve missed your point at all…

So if it ain’t bugging you why did you even mention it?
What bearing does it have on you whatever he can manage to negotiate for himself if YOU are happy with the rate that you already get?
If he can manage to use the driver shortage thing to his advantage and basically blackmail the firm into putting him on a better rate and better terms. how much skin is that off your nose…you still get the same money, OR if it does actually bug you. then you could do the same as him and push your agency for an even better rate, then you both win…
Everybody’s happy.

Agency drivers have always had things their own way in terms of being on better money, my pov as a full time driver, is .I do not necessarily agree that is right, but I do accept it is so…
If I wanted more money because it bugged me, I’d either go on the agency myself, or if I saw a window of opportunity, do exactly what the guy at your situation did, use circumstances to my advantage.

Seems to me that you have a sense of entitlement and if somebody else wants a bite from the same cherry, (although it does not DIRECTLY adversely affect you) then you ain’t suited.
Either stop concerning yourself with what he is trying to better himself with, and carry on as you are or make some noise with your agency.
Nothing wrong at all with ‘having your cake and eating it’, in any situation and walk of life, if you can manage to blag it, …that is what I’ve been doing for years, looking after no.1.

Sometimes you win sometimes you lose but I ain’t going to cry because somebody else has managed to win and I haven’t, good luck to them.

Yeah, you have totally missed the point.

It seems that it’s bugging you more than anyone else tbh.

Have your opinion, I couldn’t care less.

And with that, I’m done.

You’re welcome.

[robroy]

Bugging me? …I’m just giving my opinion on the discussion YOU opened.

Ok got it.
You don’t get the desired response.someone totally disagrees…so you flounce off.
Looks like we’re BOTH done.

[londontrucker123]

robroy:
Bugging me? …I’m just giving my opinion on the discussion YOU opened.

Ok got it.
You don’t get the desired response.someone totally disagrees…so you flounce off.
Looks like we’re BOTH done.

Disagree all day long. Ok.

But, ‘Flounce’?

Stop being such a drama queen sweetie. Really.

[robroy]

Class.
Thought you were done.

[jeffa]

robroy:
Class.
Thought you were done.

Thought you were?

[robroy]

I was, …but instead of him either taking it no further, or pointing out to me where he thought I had not grasped his post, he resorted to the usual.tactics of those who have been either shown up and/or did not get the responses they expected by trying to close the discussion, and telling me he couldn’t care less (HE started the thread btw ) and then attempting (unsuccessfully btw ) to ridicule me, .and telling me he wasn’t interested in my opinion…and then ■■■■ ing off.

I really can’t see why some people come on a forum for a discussion tbh.

[lazydriver]

I think he got EXACTLY the reaction he was trying to provoke.

[nearly_there_again]

dozy:
I think it’s the gap now in wages that is causing the issues , most company drivers arnt bothered about a couple of pounds , £13 -£15 , but £13 - £25 then obviously there going to be upset , who wouldn’t be to be honest

Then they should go agency

[santa]

Back in the day, I worked for an agency in London called ‘London Drivers Supplied’. We were given strict instructions to never tell the full-timers what our hourly rate was. I think I was on ten bob, while the average full-timer was on seven or eight. Of course, we got sent all over the place, we had to jump into any old (and we often got the old banger) truck and do unfamiliar work. We got no holiday pay back then, but we were on PAYE.

Jump forward forty years and I am back on the agency. Now I find that I am on a lower hourly rate than the full-timers, but I seem to get the easier work (according to them anyway) and I get 20 days holiday. The major advantage for me is that I don’t have to book days off weeks in advance and with a possibility of it being refused. I had a young family, so if there was a parent’s evening or whatever, I just told the agency I wasn’t available that day. After a while, they were getting customers who asked for me because I was reliable, didn’t break their trucks and I knew their systems.

As an outsider, I often listened to the full-timers talking in the canteen. One lot would be complaining that they never got nights out, while another got too many. One group got all the easy runs and another got the ■■■■ - or the other way around.

[robroy]

LazyDriver:
I think he got EXACTLY the reaction he was trying to provoke.

Point I was trying to make was it was all fine and dandy the rate he was getting, and especially when it was more than some others were on…, but that was until some random bloke kicked off and wanted the sane rate as him for doing the same job.
What was he thinking eh?
Could you blame the guy for using the present situation to his advantage,.and if it bothered matey so much, why did’nt he do the same and kick off with his agency for more money…but apparentlly it bothers ME more.

[lazydriver]

robroy:

LazyDriver:
I think he got EXACTLY the reaction he was trying to provoke.

Point I was trying to make was it was all fine and dandy the rate he was getting, and especially when it was more than some others were on…, but that was until some random bloke kicked off and wanted the sane rate as him for doing the same job.
What was he thinking eh?
Could you blame the guy for using the present situation to his advantage,.and if it bothered matey so much, why did’nt he do the same and kick off with his agency for more money…but apparentlly it bothers ME more.

Totally see your point. The only caveat I would say, would be if mouthy in the depot was in matey’s face. (I do love a good nickname )

[fuse]

yourhavingalaugh …when you say got on with job without whining …are you one of those who polish the driver facing camera

[winseer]

fuse:
yourhavingalaugh …when you say got on with job without whining …are you one of those who polish the driver facing camera

Shouldn’t one polish the side of one’s face, with the camera looking at “your best side” and all?

[billynomates]

DCPCFML:

Just getting myself settled in a front row seat.

Wow, shove up

[billynomates]

Nearly there again:

dozy:
I think it’s the gap now in wages that is causing the issues , most company drivers arnt bothered about a couple of pounds , £13 -£15 , but £13 - £25 then obviously there going to be upset , who wouldn’t be to be honest

Don’t forget the ‘elephant in the room’.’The daylight umbrella robbers