Anyone know of any decent agency’s around the leicester area or even haulage companies? The Internet is rammed with different agency’s but its picking a good one as I think the time has come to hang my spanners up as ive just bloody had enough of it!
Definitely not the best time of year to think about moving into driving, I’d recommend hanging on until Easter & then ask again. In the meantime, keep an eye on Wednesday’s Mercurys to see if any one like Widdowsons is hiring. My son uses Pertemps for his rigid work when he needs it & they seem to look after him, but that was before the AWR kicked in.
The thing is I can’t afford to stay we’re I am the money is crap they have promised us all pay rises but it will be at least 6months before its put in place but then it’s anything from 20p upto a pound but shortly after they announced that they decided they would drop our shift allowance starting from jan 3 from £2 p/h to 50p p/h!! I’m now over £100 per month worse off!!!
TheFan46:
The thing is I can’t afford to stay we’re I am the money is crap they have promised us all pay rises but it will be at least 6months before its put in place but then it’s anything from 20p upto a pound but shortly after they announced that they decided they would drop our shift allowance starting from jan 3 from £2 p/h to 50p p/h!! I’m now over £100 per month worse off!!!
Yeah, but is it better than giving it up for 2 / 3 days driving a truck for the next 3 months.
Don’t wanna put a downer on it mate, but hgv wages are pretty ■■■■■ anyway, and at this time of year, the work is sparse.
I know what your saying I’ll only leave if I can find some thing permanent I’m just gonna see what’s about before diving head first into something ■■■■■■ But it tells you something when in the the last 15 months 12 people have left 
Advice from one who’s been a recruitment consultant, a TM and a driver; NEVER give up a full-time job to go on agency.
I’d be tempted to try Widdowsons in the first instance; from all accounts they’re a decent firm to work for and have a fair bit of Class 2 work going. Have a search on here and you’ll probably turn up some info.
TheFan46:
Anyone know of any decent agency’s around the leicester area or even haulage companies? The Internet is rammed with different agency’s but its picking a good one as I think the time has come to hang my spanners up as ive just bloody had enough of it!
Where ever I go I see ADR drivers, they must have plenty of work on.
Good way to sniff out a decent agency is phone and ask them if they have any exclusive contracts and who with. Any bull such as we don’t discuss clients on the phone etc hang up and phone another.
A good agency will be happy to tell you there exclusive contracts and drop names.
pavaroti:
Good way to sniff out a decent agency is phone and ask them if they have any exclusive contracts and who with. Any bull such as we don’t discuss clients on the phone etc hang up and phone another.A good agency will be happy to tell you there exclusive contracts and drop names.
Good agencies won’t employ drivers who are happy or even willing to run bent. Given your track record, how would you know about them? 
gnasty gnome:
pavaroti:
Good way to sniff out a decent agency is phone and ask them if they have any exclusive contracts and who with. Any bull such as we don’t discuss clients on the phone etc hang up and phone another.A good agency will be happy to tell you there exclusive contracts and drop names.
Good agencies won’t employ drivers who are happy or even willing to run bent. Given your track record, how would you know about them?
Running bent agency style is working 28 days in a month before taking a 24hr rest/day off. Most agencys have a ■■■■■■■■■ of drivers who work like that and get looked after best.
Agencys who are 100% legit are a tiny minority, the likes of manpower and some driver hire branchs only.
pavaroti:
Agencys who are 100% legit are a tiny minority, the likes of manpower and some driver hire branchs only.
For once I’m quite happy to have been in the minority.
Decent agencies…hmmmmm tricky one …yer better off beliving what a politician tells you
gnasty gnome:
pavaroti:
Agencys who are 100% legit are a tiny minority, the likes of manpower and some driver hire branchs only.For once I’m quite happy to have been in the minority.
“Have been” are the two most important words in that sentance. and no wonder why if you were happy to lose important clients because a drivers got to have his 45. 
no way to run an agency fella. 
pavaroti:
“Have been” are the two most important words in that sentance.
For the record, I packed it in to go back on the road cos (a) it suited me and (b) the old man died and I sold up and moved down here . Company I worked for are still going strong and if I was still in the East Midlands I wouldn’t hesitate to work for them;
I first worked with Jon when he was a consultant at HMS (later Initial) in Derby in the mid-90’s, then he went on his own and hasn’t looked back. Cut above most in the agency game; I can tell you now that he’d sooner refuse a job than knowingly send a driver in there to run bent, and he’d kick the arse of any of his staff who tried it too.
No records being kept but thanks for telling which agencys to avoid if wanting to maximise wages.
pavaroti:
No records being kept but thanks for telling which agencys to avoid if wanting to maximise wages.
My pleasure. Jon’s a friend and the last thing he needs is any of these;
So I’ll be doing him a favour as well!
Decent agencies are usually the ones who aren’t flooding the job center website with vacancies.
Driver Hire, Manpower, Securicor seem to be the best in my area.
jt recruitment was recommended to me by a friend ages ago,but he does`nt seem to get much work when you look on his website
commonrail:
jt recruitment was recommended to me by a friend ages ago,but he does`nt seem to get much work when you look on his website
I’d doubt very much if the day-to-day work gets put up on there unless there’s continuing long-term demand. Face it, most drivers phone up even now.
Different ball-game in the commercial side of course, as most job searching there is done on the net.
No offence meant, but I had to smile; all the moans you get about agencies posting up jobs that don’t exist, and then when one comes along without the usual guff, people are suspicious cos there don’t seem to be a lot on the page. You can’t win!
gnasty gnome:
commonrail:
jt recruitment was recommended to me by a friend ages ago,but he does`nt seem to get much work when you look on his websiteI’d doubt very much if the day-to-day work gets put up on there unless there’s continuing long-term demand. Face it, most drivers phone up even now.
Different ball-game in the commercial side of course, as most job searching there is done on the net.
No offence meant, but I had to smile; all the moans you get about agencies posting up jobs that don’t exist, and then when one comes along without the usual guff, people are suspicious cos there don’t seem to be a lot on the page. You can’t win!
TBF, I have`nt had a bean off JT since I went to see them in Derby, they were full of it, even excited about using me, then…Nothing
Alistair is a bit like that, I was told later by someone in the know