Does anybody out there know how much roughly an agency will make per hour for 1 driver 
The reason I’m asking is the company I work for use plenty of agency drivers everyday and not being big headed but I know I’m well regarded at the company and was thinking about working freelance for this company but for cheaper than what an agency company would charge.
I don’t know how I would stand regarding insurance. Do any of you freelance yourself out independently Thanks in advance.
In the winter months of 98/99 I had no show work to do and had my usual 12 weeks doing nothing. I went on holiday for a short time then came home and did freelance driving through and agency. The agency paid their drivers a feeble 4.75 an hour at the time and I charged them 12.00 an hour paying my own taxes and NI (not really). I got quite a lot of work ad answered to my self only.
If the average pay at an agency is about 8.00 now chrage them 18.00 and say you will atke care of your own stamp etc.
Nowadays agency rates are well down from what they use to be, pre credit crunch. I do a couple of agency shifts a month on a sunday. A few weeks back at boots, was having a noesy in office when no one was about and saw invoices for £14ph to my agency, the drivers on a sunday are paid £11ph.
Pat Hasler:
In the winter months of 98/99 I had no show work to do and had my usual 12 weeks doing nothing. I went on holiday for a short time then came home and did freelance driving through and agency. The agency paid their drivers a feeble 4.75 an hour at the time and I charged them 12.00 an hour paying my own taxes and NI (not really). I got quite a lot of work ad answered to my self only.
If the average pay at an agency is about 8.00 now chrage them 18.00 and say you will atke care of your own stamp etc.
To much, times have changed, if i was freelance to blue chip or large firm would price between £10 and £12ph in order to get work.
If you were to offer £13ph an agency would come along and undercut you at £12ph, driver getting £8ph. 
Back when I was a consultant for Reed Nottingham, and later JT in Derby, (late 1990’s) you looked to make a net margin of at least £1.00 per man per hour on ad-hoc jobs, probably less on warehousing/labouring where of course it’s basically a numbers game.
For all that a lot of drivers think that running an agency is simply a licence to print money, they’re just as much in thrall to their customers, if not more so, as drivers are to them. Office costs and staff wages are only part of it; there’s also credit control (chasing customers who are late paying or even don’t want to pay at all) advertising and of course, they do try to make a profit too cos believe it or not they’re a business. 
Let a customer down, even if its the driver’s fault for not turning up, and the agency end up giving the customer a free replacement who still has to be paid, or risk losing the customer. Then there’s stuff like taxis which you sometimes need to get a driver to a job or back again; customers who double-book (Hays were buggers for it) or cancel at the last moment meaning you still had to pay the driver, and contracted drivers who still have to be paid if there’s no work for them.
I know most of you will scoff at this, but there’s another side to some of the stuff you see regularly on here.
pavaroti:
Pat Hasler:
In the winter months of 98/99 I had no show work to do and had my usual 12 weeks doing nothing. I went on holiday for a short time then came home and did freelance driving through and agency. The agency paid their drivers a feeble 4.75 an hour at the time and I charged them 12.00 an hour paying my own taxes and NI (not really). I got quite a lot of work ad answered to my self only.
If the average pay at an agency is about 8.00 now chrage them 18.00 and say you will atke care of your own stamp etc.To much, times have changed, if i was freelance to blue chip or large firm would price between £10 and £12ph in order to get work.
Unless I can charge at least £13 ph I dont think its worth it because I still have to think of when I have to take unpaid leave.
As has been pointed out, you have to take into account the tax and insurance you are responsible for. Your own sick pay and time off pay you are not going to get. You need at least double the regular agency drivers pay or it’s not worth doing it.
You could also become freelance and miss out the agency, just get some cards printed and circulate them to companies. Charge them a small amount less than the agency charges them, this works and really annoys the money grabbing agencies.
bald bloke:
Unless I can charge at least £13 ph I dont think its worth it because I still have to think of when I have to take unpaid leave.
Why not ask the company how much they would take you on for, freelance? Never know, they may come up with a figure that is agreeable to both of ya.
Pat Hasler:
As has been pointed out, you have to take into account the tax and insurance you are responsible for. Your own sick pay and time off pay you are not going to get. You need at least double the regular agency drivers pay or it’s not worth doing it.You could also become freelance and miss out the agency, just get some cards printed and circulate them to companies. Charge them a small amount less than the agency charges them, this works and really annoys the money grabbing agencies.
Yes I was going to miss out the agency completely and basically be a one man agency.
DadsRetired:
bald bloke:
Unless I can charge at least £13 ph I dont think its worth it because I still have to think of when I have to take unpaid leave.Why not ask the company how much they would take you on for, freelance? Never know, they may come up with a figure that is agreeable to both of ya.
Yeah that’s not a bad idea, trouble is they’re a big company and they probably would want to go through an agency but I will ask some questions when I’m back in.
Be very careful if going down this road.
Most companies have agreements with agencies covering accidents/driver negligence etc.
Would YOU pay for a broken mirror? Or a bumper? Or a blown engine that a dealer puts down to ‘driver abuse’?
Things like that have to be sorted before you start work or you leave yourself open to all sorts of massive claims against you.
You need insurance to cover claims against yourself and that has to factored into your charges.
Ian58:
Be very careful if going down this road.
Most companies have agreements with agencies covering accidents/driver negligence etc.
Would YOU pay for a broken mirror? Or a bumper? Or a blown engine that a dealer puts down to ‘driver abuse’?
Things like that have to be sorted before you start work or you leave yourself open to all sorts of massive claims against you.
You need insurance to cover claims against yourself and that has to factored into your charges.
Yeah I’m aware of this and obviously need to ask lots of questions.
I think I would be inclined to still work through the agency, but to go self employed if they were willing, and then go along the route of claiming back for all your outgoings (workwear, fuel, etc)against tax, you would probably be in a win - win situation.
Pat Hasler:
If the average pay at an agency is about 8.00 now chrage them 18.00 and say you will atke care of your own stamp etc.
And expect to be sat at home waiting for the phone to ring. Stamp is only 12.8%, not 112.8%…
Start at £11-£12 + time and a half after 8hrs, minimum 8hr booking.
Ian58:
Be very careful if going down this road.
Most companies have agreements with agencies covering accidents/driver negligence etc.
Would YOU pay for a broken mirror? Or a bumper? Or a blown engine that a dealer puts down to ‘driver abuse’?
Things like that have to be sorted before you start work or you leave yourself open to all sorts of massive claims against you.
You need insurance to cover claims against yourself and that has to factored into your charges.
No you don’t. You just need a watertight terms of business which you get them to sign that absolves you of any financial liabilty for losses arising out of the actions of you or any representative of your company.
Trukkertone:
I think I would be inclined to still work through the agency, but to go self employed if they were willing, and then go along the route of claiming back for all your outgoings (workwear, fuel, etc)against tax, you would probably be in a win - win situation.
You wouldn’t be. You’d get £1/hr over the agency PAYE rate which doesn’t even cover the holiday pay you no longer get.
all there agency drivers are done through adr now ,so i believe.
I work for the same company Baldbloke and they will only go thought ADR as they only have one bill to pay.And the self employed blokes only get £1 more.
Robertthegreat:
I work for the same company Baldbloke and they will only go thought ADR as they only have one bill to pay.And the self employed blokes only get £1 more.
Yeah ADR is the only agency they use but I definetly will ask some questions but trouble is it will be a decision that comes from the top, I know work wise they won’t have a problem but probably politics will interfere.