Winseer:
What’s all this with UPS btw? Are you salaried there for a job that everywhere else is self-employed piece rate?
UPS pay their drivers by the hour, there is no self employed piece rate.
95% of UPS drivers are full time employees
The only subcontractors we have is a few companies who run as “Outside service Providers”, these were kept on after the purchase of Lynx.
On a Saturday i drive the Hermes lorry round dropping the parcels to the couriours via agency.
Not one says anything good about it. All saying giving up at 8./8.30pm and ending up with more an more stuff with no time to deliver. (Everything is dropped to them by 9.00am so a long day)
Where i start at 6am done by 12pm and get over £100 not hard to see which is best deal.
If you think its that easy/lucrative then crack on and see how you get on.
I took a pay cut to swap class 2 multi drop in London for class 1 work with maybe 3 drops max, im much happier.
Look on your driving career as a marathon rather than a sprint.See how you and your mate are laced 5 years from now.You have worth while driving qualifications while your mate has a van.I hear so much zb about depreciating assets when what is meant is liability.
Just to give you a contrast example, I passed my class 1 in 2004 at a personal cost of £2000, and an agency employed me straight away. I started night trunking and was generally finished within 10 hours per shift. I then began working directly for the company the agency sent me to - doing nights.
Before that I was working as a courier - employed by Securicor Omega (remember them?) - working 6:30am-4:30pm. Back then it was about £13k flat rate (a bit more if I delivered more - which I never pushed myself to do), if I recall correctly. My new class 1 job paid £26k. I suddenly found myself doing 1 or 2 drops maximum as opposed to 60+ and 20 collections, and I found it to be a little more secure long term. Plus every day was a lie in 
So in my case I’d literally doubled my wage overnight. 10 years later I tried adding up how much extra money I’ve earnt in the last decade as a direct result of having my class 1 licence over not having it, and it seems like a very worthwhile investment. I definitely feel much more comfortable and financially satisfied in life. I do feel as if my class 1 licence was the best thing that ever happened to me financially, because it did double my wage over anything else I could have done within my (non-existent) skill-set, and I have indulged in lots of other things that interest me away from work.
Currently working 39.5 hours per week (no more) for £29k (nights) for a different firm, with overtime shifts available if desired, very well maintained gear, and by the book. Life is quite good.
I give you my example simply to highlight that in some cases, yes, £2000 is worth shelling out. But you really do have to find the right job with the right firm. I recommend night trunking for easy (and often a little more) money. Sod driving a parcel van. Never ever again. Don’t do it!
DPD are just as bad ,I was interested about 5 yrs ago and when I asked what they would do if I needed a break [holiday]they replied that it was my responsibility to get a driver to cover me or they could supply a driver for me at £260 approx a day,not worth the hassle so did not bother,most if not all multi drop companies try to rip you off
Don’t even think of ditching class 1 for driving a parcel van for Hermes or anyone else. The Hermes work will be up as soon as Christmas is finished, and he’ll then have to look for something else. Plus he has to run his car or van out of that money; your boss pays for the fuel and the maintenance of the truck. You’re likely to get long runs out into the country; he’ll be driving round the same few streets every day. Since I passed my class 1 I don’t do anything smaller than class 2, no little vans for me anymore, no more looking for obscure house names on dark country lanes outside Crawley or Guildford in the evening. The only problem is the lack of class 1 work, not that it pays less or is less enjoyable than van driving.
come the end of Christmas will be the new catalogues, so more work.
nickyboy:
Winseer:
What’s all this with UPS btw? Are you salaried there for a job that everywhere else is self-employed piece rate?UPS pay their drivers by the hour, there is no self employed piece rate.
95% of UPS drivers are full time employees
The only subcontractors we have is a few companies who run as “Outside service Providers”, these were kept on after the purchase of Lynx.
That’s what I’m getting at. So… What wage are the van drivers on as a salary? Come to that, how much do the artic drivers at UPS get for a salary for how many hours?
I’ve heard they only take on new full timers from among those who’ve never worked for them before. I will have to consider it as a prospective place to work, failing to get a full time job anywhere else in the meantime.
Ditching bendy work for van work multi drop for hermes of all people? You need throwing down a well if you do imo.
Vans are busy now but come January they are all forgotten till next December.
Jeff.
Winseer:
nickyboy:
Winseer:
What’s all this with UPS btw? Are you salaried there for a job that everywhere else is self-employed piece rate?UPS pay their drivers by the hour, there is no self employed piece rate.
95% of UPS drivers are full time employees
The only subcontractors we have is a few companies who run as “Outside service Providers”, these were kept on after the purchase of Lynx.
That’s what I’m getting at. So… What wage are the van drivers on as a salary? Come to that, how much do the artic drivers at UPS get for a salary for how many hours?
I’ve heard they only take on new full timers from among those who’ve never worked for them before. I will have to consider it as a prospective place to work, failing to get a full time job anywhere else in the meantime.
Starting salary for a C1 package car driver is around £27k for 48 hours a week, average overtime is an hour or so a day. Minimum 4 hour pay for saturdays, £19ph after 5 hours.
Night trunkers are on around £31k basic.
They regularly hire new starters from outside the company but generally promote from within. In the US you’ll be lucky to walk off the street and get a driving job but there the drivers start on close to £50k and you can wait up to 5 years for a driving job
I’ve never seen them advertise, nor ever been put in there on agency.
Whitey2104:
I have paid out over £2K to get my class 1 CPC MPQC and I am working for agencies as a newly qualified driver getting paid roughly £11 per hour, I am starting at 6.30am and finishing anytime around 9pm.
I have a mate who has been working for the last 6 months for Hermes as a local delivery man dropping of parcels from next etc… he is getting paid 70p for a small parcel and £1.30 for larger items he starts at 6.30am and currently with the Christmas rush is finishing at about 5pm, after going home for some breakfast and lunch. He is taking home roughly about £130 a day currently, during the non Christmas quiet periods he takes home about £70 a day, its done on a self employed basis so obviously writes off diesel maintenance etc against his tax bill, during the quiet times he is done and finished by lunchtime. He gets to earn extra by covering other peoples holidays or when there is a catalogue delivery for Next etc. His initial start up cost was the £1500 he paid for a relatively ok transit (although he has had a few repair bills to contend with on this). He has to pay for normal insurance on the van and Hermes cover the business side of the insurance by deducting a coupe of quid a week from the wages.
I know people are saying there is a shortage of drivers so as a result the wages should start to increase but as a newly qualified artic driver I have to just take what I can get, but given the responsibility of driving one of these things it has to be questioned is it worth it■■?
when you say he’s taking home, is that what he’s turning over, as in total money paid for that day, or after diesel, ins, road tax etc
Winseer:
I’ve never seen them advertise, nor ever been put in there on agency.
One flat tyre and you’re working that day for nothing. Starter motor goes, and it will, that’s 2 days money gone for the motor and probably another day lost for the van hire. Every time your van goes in for servicing, which it needs doing more than one doing normal journeys, you work 2-3 days for free. Engine or clutch goes pop, you’re working the month for free.
Winseer:
nickyboy:
Winseer:
What’s all this with UPS btw? Are you salaried there for a job that everywhere else is self-employed piece rate?UPS pay their drivers by the hour, there is no self employed piece rate.
95% of UPS drivers are full time employees
The only subcontractors we have is a few companies who run as “Outside service Providers”, these were kept on after the purchase of Lynx.
That’s what I’m getting at. So… What wage are the van drivers on as a salary? Come to that, how much do the artic drivers at UPS get for a salary for how many hours?
I’ve heard they only take on new full timers from among those who’ve never worked for them before. I will have to consider it as a prospective place to work, failing to get a full time job anywhere else in the meantime.
I worked for the bulk side of UPS for a while; used to be called Haulfast, based in Derby. Think they’re called UPS Solutions nowadays. All I can tell you about working for the “brownshirts” is that they are a very tightly run company and you very much have to toe the company line. For example if you are in a “customer-facing role” i.e. a package truck driver (seriously, that IS your job title!) you aren’t allowed to have a beard.
You may find this forum instructive; obviously much of it relates to USA but it might give you some insights into how they work.
I really can’t see what the OP is whingeing about, he is well paid especially for someone newly qualified. There are plenty of drivers who would love to be getting £11 hr.
most of the myherpes nuggets that deliver to me,just use their own car.one ratfaced wifey in particular delivers it along with her 2 brats in the back along with the rest of her deliveries.ive never had a delivery from a myherpes van,as there just cowboying along making pin money. I just bought a stainless bulbar from fleabay and I used them to lift it from willenhall,and deliver it to me in northern Ireland for the princely sum of £10-00…who makes wages from that? if you have another job to fill in then itl be an earner,other than that your better doing it on the double with the dole.
Whitey2104:
I have paid out over £2K to get my class 1 CPC MPQC and I am working for agencies as a newly qualified driver getting paid roughly £11 per hour, I am starting at 6.30am and finishing anytime around 9pm.
I have a mate who has been working for the last 6 months for Hermes as a local delivery man dropping of parcels from next etc… he is getting paid 70p for a small parcel and £1.30 for larger items he starts at 6.30am and currently with the Christmas rush is finishing at about 5pm, after going home for some breakfast and lunch. He is taking home roughly about £130 a day currently, during the non Christmas quiet periods he takes home about £70 a day, its done on a self employed basis so obviously writes off diesel maintenance etc against his tax bill, during the quiet times he is done and finished by lunchtime. He gets to earn extra by covering other peoples holidays or when there is a catalogue delivery for Next etc. His initial start up cost was the £1500 he paid for a relatively ok transit (although he has had a few repair bills to contend with on this). He has to pay for normal insurance on the van and Hermes cover the business side of the insurance by deducting a coupe of quid a week from the wages.
I know people are saying there is a shortage of drivers so as a result the wages should start to increase but as a newly qualified artic driver I have to just take what I can get, but given the responsibility of driving one of these things it has to be questioned is it worth it■■?
It’s worth it if it’s what you enjoy doing. I paid the full £2500 for a class 1 license because I have wanted to drive artics since I was about 5 yrs old. And I have never once regretted it as I love the job. From a 4x2 daf cf to a brand new 2014 Merc Actros,makes no difference to me. As long as it is legal then im happy behind the wheel. Even when I had to accept a job paying £7 an hour to get the experience I still did not question if it was worth it as I knew it was.
But if your questionong if its worth it then in your case it probably wasn’t unfortunetly
