FreddieSwan:
I’m not going to quote line by line Winseer so apologies if I miss anything.
With regards to the thread title, the consultant hasn’t lied to him (at least in accord with the OP), which was my point, and has been pointed out by others. I think he’s more making a case about the rate than he is the consultant actually lying to him which is a completely different issue. I completely appreciate agency-bashing when its justified but given what was said in the OP, I don’t agree in this situation. If you can tell me what’s new about the “scam” described here, I’m open ears.
Ultimately if you didn’t register with multiple agencies initially, you wouldn’t have been able to distinguish between one and the other. Also, if you were well aware of clients that you wouldn’t work for, making that clear to agencies when you register should avoid that problem. Your understanding isn’t wrong; some agencies do have exclusivity - though they will second-tier when they’re struggling to satisfy demand.
Perhaps you should consult your translator, because he’s well short of the mark. I pay Class 2 a minimum of £9 and Class 1 a minimum of £10. I couldn’t care less if you’re black, white, purple, English, Scottish, Jamaican, Polish or Mexican. If you’re a competent driver that turns up for work, gets a good job done with minimal fuss and are genuine - I’ll have work for you. If I don’t have it immediately, I’ll do my best to find you work in a very short window of opportunity. No-one that’s ever driven for me has ever done it for less than £7p/h (3.5t).
I wasn’t responding to what you’ve been told? I was responding to the OP’s post. He was told a day rate. He was told a night rate. He went out to work on nights at the rate he was told prior to commencing work. What’s the problem?
My agency deducts a 45 minute break, daily. Not an hour. It’s a legal requirement on your part to have a break and given that, the client isn’t charged for it either. You’re entitled to a 45 minute break, so take it. If you want to work through it then that’s down to you, but you know it’s being deducted, so why would you? As for why you don’t have the full timers terms and conditions? Because you’re not full time.
Trying to defend agencies is pointless.
There is no defence for agencies.
Unfortunately the reputation of agencies is such that unless there is a immense change in the way they operate, they will always be regarded by the majority of folk with direct experience of them as a parasitic waste of time.
I have been lied to twice this week by an agency clerk and it’s only Monday…and he will lie to me again before the end of the week…
I dont mean this in a rude way, but anyone who doesnt like agencies really should either accept the way things are or get a full time job.
Personally, Ive been agency for 7 years after being shafted by a so called "blue chip" company and vowed never to work full-time for anybody ever again. Agencies lying? Yes. They are professional liars. If I was doing their job I would lie as well. Its what their job entails. We need to understand that. But I still wouldnt work for a company full time and have turned down many a full time job. Too many upsides for me on agency.
Stick with it Alder. You cant know it all at once. Be patient and if I was you Id get myself back on a well paid rigid!!
FreddieSwan:
What has that even got to do with the argument?
This looks like nothing more than an agency-bashing thread because you’re in a position in which you’re relying on agency for work and you haven’t been presented with £20 an hour wrapped in gold-plated ribbon. I’m not sure what you’re trying to prove.
It’s been pointed out that you were told your day rate (£8.50), given the window for nights (24:00-04:00) and the rate (£9.60).
Night Out applies to when you’re staying in your cab in-between two days work. If you work Monday, stay out Monday night, work Tuesday - you’re paid ~£20-25 for the inconvenience of staying in your motor as opposed to being home for the night, plus the two shifts either side.
The £10 meal allowance ‘thrown in’ is rather generous, certainly not something your consultant is obliged to do.
Your consultant isn’t liable for your ‘usual meal time’ either. I would imagine if you’re working nights, your sleep pattern is going to change too (I’d hope so at least!). You have a choice whether you want to work days or nights; if nights aren’t suitable for you - turn the work down. Just understand that if you’re open to both days & nights, chances are you’ll have more opportunity. I’d be surprised if you’re eating dinner at 23:00 if you’re working at 04:00 too.
I’d always recommend signing with multiple agencies also - if you register with a few, which I appreciate will take some time - you’ll soon learn who’s offering the most consistent, regular work at an agreeable rate. It’s also favourable to maintain a positive relationship with all of them given you might find you rely on someone else if work dries up with the present agency.
With regards to Eastern Europeans being prepared to work for lesser wages - everyone has to compete with it. Personally speaking, the few Eastern Europeans that are registered with me (I’m going to put a rough guesstimate on no more than 10% of the drivers) all work for precisely the same rate as the British fellas (and lady). If anyone’s discriminatory against Polish and suchlike, it’s clients that have communication concerns, so I really don’t think it’s as bad as you’re making out. As for the three Poles taking their Class 1 test at the same time you were; what’s the difference between you taking it, and them taking it?
Your pay rate in this instance has no relevance to the “lies that Agencies come out with”, because I’m pretty sure the consultant has informed you of rates and been consistent with his information.
Edit ~ I’m sure someone else asked but I haven’t seen a response, why were you docked 5 hours last week exactly…? If there was no reason whatsoever for it, I’m sure you wouldn’t be working for the agency anyway. If my boss decided to take 5 hours money off me for no reason I’m pretty sure I’d be out the door rather sharpish.
Well I am thinking things through. I finished at 4am this morning and just got out of bed to find a text saying my shift for tonight is cancelled. I take on board the nature of the agencies etc. I am registered with 4 agencies from when I was doing class 2. I could go back to the tyres job as it was a good number, btw this was initially a class 2 job night trunk to Glasgow 3 nights per week but the hire vehicle the company had went back and they have bought 50+ Iveco 7.5 tonne vehicles. I have to say in that agencies case they were good to me as they kept me on the same rate as HGV 2 even though I told them it was now 7.5 tonne. Another good number I had been offered and I think it is still there as they keep calling me is for Yusen Logistics. You start at 1600 and finished by 2200, no hand balling at all and driving a nice Scania P240. They pay you 8 hours at 9.50 5 days per week. I can send a text message to the 4 agencies telling them I am available and I will get lots of jobs I can pick and choose from. BUT! I did not spend £1400 doing my CPC and Class 1 artic (note I have had wag and drag 102 restriction since 1977) for the licence to be slung in the drawer and say well that’s that! So I will be not available for less than class 1 work. In hindsight I will take the rough with the smooth to get the experience and time behind me so that I can get work closer to home. There is work there as 2 companies offered me a job but the agency who gave me this work had already made the move and I did not want to let the guy down as he had pushed the boat out to get me a day assessment. Will see how it goes but thanks for every ones comments.
alder:
Ok the deal is I start at 1700 and finish around 12 / 1am. So in the middle of this shift I was asked to go to another depot (York) pickup a trailer and take it to Birmingham then return the empty and then back to my depot. Finish around 6/7am. I thought I would get more than £9.60 an hour for working through the night and skipping my usual meal at 11pm (Home)? apparently not God I might do something else
Yeah preferably something not to do with haulage seeing as you don’t even know what a night out is and expect a meal allowance for a normal days work. Would you expect to be given a meal allowance if you worked in an office, started at 7am and finished at 5pm because effectively that is what you are doing.
If that’s still true, then agencies would have no problem filling 9 hour shifts paid for 8 at minimum wage delivering pigswill around 6’'6" country lanes at a momen’t notice - would they?
I suggest the "10,000 available HGV drivers looking for work right this minute" is a big a lie as “Earn £37,000 as a HGV driver once you’ve passed your test with us!”
The two things contradict each other, so the most that can be factually correct of the two statements is ONE of them.
I, of course, suggest they are both a load of ■■■■■■■■ - one to tempt non-drivers into spending their money on a course that even if they pass first time with flying colours (IF they actually do a proper course!) they’ll be no work for them because you need 2 years experience, and no full time jobs for them, even at minimum wage because there aren’t any right now.
So… Take 10,000 drivers that start out “looking for work”, Joe Smith gets the crappy job that’s the only one in the entire region, so of the remaining 9999 - they are going to continue grovelling, cap in hand, at the factory gate? - Are they F—! Over 9000 of them would start looking for work outside of driving, since it’s so crappy nowdays, and the remaining 999 would slowly peter out to a few who consider themselves too old to start leaning “new tricks” - Ironically the most experienced drivers of the lot, but can’t take minimum wage because it doesn’t pay the bills without running bent.
I’m telling you that right now, more drivers are hanging up their keys for good than there are further jobs disappearing. The job cull has run it’s course already. The driver cull has NOT. This means more unfilled shifts in the near future, which will get steadily worse as DCPC deadline approaches, and entire swathes of drivers decide that “Sept 14” is a good time to retire for good…
Which co encides with all the rumos and bulgies that will be able to work freely in the UK. So even any slight upturn in the economy wont help drivers or any other manual or semi skilled workers.
just gone through me payslips looking for a piece of paper …
pay date 10/4/2002 £8.80 phr week 1
/4/2003 £8.80 phr week 1
/4/2004 £9.06 prh week 1
/4/2005 £9.50 phr week 1
/4/2006 £9.50 phr week 1
/4/2007 £10.50 phr week 1 was on a contracted job
and that’s it cause the rates have dropped back on £10 phr again
nearly there:
Alder id rather earn for example 9 pound a hour class 2 than 8 pound a class 1.its what pays the bills you must still live with mummy and daddy.
OR maybe I am in a positon where I can pick and choose the type of work I do. I want to do class 1 obviously as I paid a lot of money to go and get the licence. I did not get the licence to chuck it in the draw and say ooh that was fun! I also want relevant experience as a class 1 driver. I can always go back to class 2 if I need the money
Always makes me laugh when people moan and ■■■■■ about agencies, you had full time so why jack it in then whinge? You know the score with them so crack on with it.
summerley82:
Always makes me laugh when people moan and ■■■■■ about agencies, you had full time so why jack it in then whinge? You know the score with them so crack on with it.
summerley82:
Always makes me laugh when people moan and ■■■■■ about agencies, you had full time so why jack it in then whinge? You know the score with them so crack on with it.
Truckulent:
Drivers so often forget that you tell them what you work for - not the other way around!
Riiight because there’s not 10,000 unemployed drivers with far more experience than you can, all who can do your job and would do for the same money.
Good luck thinking that. I suspect that it won’t take as long as January before the agency stops ringing…
Yep mate you’re probably right…
Then again it ain’t happened yet. In fact, I was told the week before last that he would happily ‘pay my rate’. And you know what? They will and have done…including the o/t rate. Agencies pay more than the advertised rate. FACT. Not all, not all the time. But if you play one against the other and move around them, you can almost always get a better rate. Sounds like you just accept whatever few buttons they hand out matey.
The excuse about 10,000 drivers is frankly ■■■■■■■■ mate. Where are all these drivers, given I know a fair few companies desperate for drivers! It’s just a crutch that those who accept working for buttons pedal 'cos they don’t have the balls to negotiate rates. These mythical 10,000 drivers aren’t all in the right area, available at the right time, ready to start at the right time and those that are can only drive one truck at a time.
At least, if they are all eager to start and work for buttons, they aren’t working for this particular guy, cos I am!
believe it or not but there is a form of ombudsman for agencies and they are based in london they are called BERR and they are an employment agency standards inspectorate, if you feel the agencies are taking the pxxs you get in touch with them and they investigate any agency you tell them about,you can get them at berr.gov.uk,this is for any driver who feels they have had a raw deal from an agency,i know this because i done it but did not follow up on the agency i complained about as i had allready found other work after making a complaint but they were more than happy to go ahead with the investigation if i had followed it through, help is out there if you want it
agencies are here to stay they work out cheaper for bigger clients ie they can use extra drivers when busy and not when quiet! no company is going to pay for x amount of drivers x amount per year when they have quiet periods. if you don’t like it get a full time job its that simple.
As a new driver what makes you think you’re worth more than everyone else working for the same rate on that agency?
Negative people like you get on my wick.
If the alternative is being on the dole then get on with the job and wind your neck in.
Some drivers nowadays are fooled by the £12+ an hour titles on agency jobs, then when it turns out not to be true they continue with it anyway as they don’t have the sense or skill to get a full time job
I on the other hand am new to class 1 but wouldn’t dream of working for any agency, I can drive without smashing up trucks and have a full time job…
As a new driver what makes you think you’re worth more than everyone else working for the same rate on that agency?
Negative people like you get on my wick.
If the alternative is being on the dole then get on with the job and wind your neck in.
Some drivers nowadays are fooled by the £12+ an hour titles on agency jobs, then when it turns out not to be true they continue with it anyway as they don’t have the sense or skill to get a full time job
I on the other hand am new to class 1 but wouldn’t dream of working for any agency, I can drive without smashing up trucks and have a full time job…
Don’t have the skill or sense to get a full time job - you are more than welcome to have the full time work and good luck with being the newbie
I am more than happy working 17 weeks via private work or agencies than enjoying my time off for 3 weeks
I think he’s more making a case about the rate than he is the consultant actually lying to him which is a completely different issue. I completely appreciate agency-bashing when its justified but given what was said in the OP, I don’t agree in this situation. If you can tell me what’s new about the “scam” described here, I’m open ears.
God I might do something else 
