jarvo:
Sorry, just read this post… It’s based in Leicester, yeah possibly not the world’s greatest company but it’s half decent if ya work hard, it’s general haulage, running reno, iveco, and a few scanias. The pay is 8.50 pH 4 45 hours guaranteed then 1150 pH hour after that, 1150 sat 14 Sunday plus 40 quid extra shift bonus as long as you do a paying job 24.50 n/o so no not the best I guess but reasonable I think, I always made a good living here. Ok it’s not got all the glory I guess most are looking for but I do my best 2 keep drivers happy and to make sure every1 earns a good living! The company is widdowsons, at the moment we are looking 4 drivers if anyone is interested!
glad you replied at last jarvo paying the average peanut’s cannot wait for September and my bigger bag of cash oh no I mean peanut’s
Lol… Would you maybe say that the calibre of driver has dropped maybe as well as the wage, without sounding old (29) you don’t have to do what you used to in the modern age? Not saying everyone here or taking anything away from an industry I quite honestly love and couldn’t ever imagine doing anything else!
If full time employers get their way, they’ll take on as many new full timers for peanuts whilst the rates are still low… It will be the agencies that see all the shortages come september, which won’t peter through to full timers wages alas. If anything, they’ll be pressure upon full timers “not to take leave when others are off” and suchlike…
Company I work for were looking for 12 full time drivers £30k+ various shifts could only fill 7 positions no zero contract nonsense full time contract must admit was surprised
att:
I just called an agency to ask them about the situation, as I do not want to do the two modules remaining of my DCPC if there is no chance of a drive, I also told them I am barred from Morrisons and that I left my last little part time number because of a personality clash with the bosses son.
I also called them out on the hourly rate they have advertised and asked them if that was just a carrot to get drivers in, as if it was I am not going to be happy wasting my time.
I am meeting them tomorrow
I have to say that when I was a manager I would have not responded to a call like I have just made…So there may be a shortage after all!!
I am getting withdrawal, not having a drive for nearly 3 weeks is starting to show
Reading between the lines your problem is you are not afraid to put your opinion across,even though you maybe the one at fault.
Unfortunately that has its downside as YOU need the work not them needing you,especially when Agencies have drivers on their books who don`t question or argue the toss,who just get on with the job regardless.
att:
I just called an agency to ask them about the situation, as I do not want to do the two modules remaining of my DCPC if there is no chance of a drive, I also told them I am barred from Morrisons and that I left my last little part time number because of a personality clash with the bosses son.
I also called them out on the hourly rate they have advertised and asked them if that was just a carrot to get drivers in, as if it was I am not going to be happy wasting my time.
I am meeting them tomorrow
I have to say that when I was a manager I would have not responded to a call like I have just made…So there may be a shortage after all!!
I am getting withdrawal, not having a drive for nearly 3 weeks is starting to show
Reading between the lines your problem is you are not afraid to put your opinion across,even though you maybe the one at fault.
Unfortunately that has its downside as YOU need the work not them needing you,especially when Agencies have drivers on their books who don`t question or argue the toss,who just get on with the job regardless.
It’s these very drivers who are being taken on full time for peanuts right now, and into the autumn. Perhaps low self-esteem causes it - this desperation for “maxed out hours” all the time. Me? - I anticipate working less come autumn, because they’ll be so much demand on my time from so many sources, that not only can I pick and choose which jobs I want to do, but my constant fussiness will eventually get me the top dollar on top of all the cushy shifts I want. Right now, I get the choice of cushy job or high pay - but not both together. I’d like to advance towards £18ph for working sundays and bank holidays for example, and I might yet have it by Christmas - but I’m not getting it yet. I’m in no rush here, as the lower-paid but cushy work I’m doing in the meantime satisfies me fine for now…
There’s far more chance that work demand will increase (with the “no argument” drivers now leaving the agencies, and going full time somewhere) and a very good chance that hourly rates (on agency at least) will increase. They’ve already started increasing for rigid work after all… Next will be increases for the stupid O’clock shifts, then weekend work, and finally monday-friday days by perhaps this time next year…
so this driver shortage then, today I found 2 ads from agencies decided I would ring them later on so I put the number’s in my phone and let it ring once so they were easy to look up later now both of them were offering £13 per hour basic the first one I dialled rang me 20 mins later saying he had a missed call from me which he did so I asked who he was to be told from agency no name but brummie accent so I told him I might be interested in the job’s he was advertising he then asked me if the area the job’s he was advertising for was very big
(near Coventry) not very far away from Birmingham assuming by his accent that was where he was so asked about the £13 an hour if it was permanent etc ah!well it might be just depend’s on how well you get on but its temp to perm he then asked about my current job tramper yes meal allowance yes ah! well I may be able to find you a position on general haulage then but not at £13 per hour and no guarantee on hour’s so ime not holding my breath he wont be phoning me again what driver shortage
I got the work for the agency I went to at a decent rate, the advertised rate.
I went to see somebody today and negotiated a decent rate for the work…Higher than what they wanted to pay.
All this work is without assessments or the checking of references, it is down to confidence from myself.
I am fortunate in that I don`t need the work, so it enables me to push the boundaries…I drive for a hobby and to get out of the house.
It’s the price of “odd shifts”, especially those dished out at the last minute - that need to mushroom first.
Stuff the “going rate” - If the rate is negotiable, then if they don’t put in an email how much for the particular shift they want me for - I’m not going.
I’ve been caught out like that before, when I was given what turned out to be the saturday night rate for the midweek evening job I was interested in… Because I signed up at the agency on a saturday, I had left myself wide open to be lied to.
Got an email from them yesterday after 2 years, advertising blocks of weeks work all over the country, and asking “how they can get in touch with me again”.
Well they did - by email just then, - but the rates are too little too late. (£14ph London) I won’t be phoning. I want £18ph for working in London now. Time has moved on.
YorkshireJeff:
Any news on this front seven days to enforcement.?
Yes. You will be driving illegally if you continue without the DCPC, no ifs or buts. You’ll get fined and so will the employer. If you don’t have a DCPC the fine is £1000 for you and £1000 for your employer. No fines will be issued for non-carrying of the DQC in the first couple of weeks due to the backlog producing them however they will check if you’ve done the 35hrs.
If they do what they did with the buses when it came in they’ll be tugging a lot of people in the first few weeks including those companies with green light.
YorkshireJeff:
Any news on this front seven days to enforcement.?
Yes. You will be driving illegally if you continue without the DCPC, no ifs or buts. You’ll get fined and so will the employer. If you don’t have a DCPC the fine is £1000 for you and £1000 for your employer. No fines will be issued for non-carrying of the DQC in the first couple of weeks due to the backlog producing them however they will check if you’ve done the 35hrs.
If they do what they did with the buses when it came in they’ll be tugging a lot of people in the first few weeks including those companies with green light.
Nah, ignore this and don’t panic, might be a few examples made of those clearly taking the ■■■■ eventually but most will probably get a fixed penalty and just told to go and do it before they drive again. No serious sanctions will be likely for anyone but repeat offenders, who’ve been already told once to do it. Not sure how this relates to a query about driver shortages either.
In reality, I’m afraid, there was no significant escalation in enforcement activities with the PSV deadline beyond adding it to the list of existing checks at a roadside inspection.
I don’t really understand what your motivation is for posting, what seems to be mostly, a load of ■■■■■■■■. You still haven’t provided any evidence to back up your claim Britain has the worst load security in Europe because having personally travelled to many countries in the east of it that is not at all backed up by my observations. It’s certainly, even now, less obsessively enforced than Germany but that’s a long stretch from worst in Europe.
I want £18ph for working in London now. Time has moved on. 
