So today I’ve signed up to agency as I’ve got my class C license now. I’m not desperate for work as I’m currently self employed. I got the impression from the get go that they wanted to chuck me the lowest pay work that was furthest away from the very start. I straight up refused as It was 30 miles away and £9 an hour flat rate. I told them 15 miles radius from where I live and said I would not work for less that £10 an hour ideally.
They basically said don’t think of the money and think of it as a change of lifestyle. Am I being unreasonable or should I bend over backwards for them just to get the experience required?
Depending on where you live and your proximity to likely work, I would forget the £10 idea, settle for £9 but try and reduce the travel. 15 miles is a long way in the middle of the night!
It’s always better to work direct for the operator if you can. But a lot will depend on your flexibility around your current commitments.
When you start with an agency you have to show you are committed and reliable, just like you would with any other employer. Once you have done that they might start offering you shifts with their better clients and you can start to dictate the type of work you want to do and question the rate. It’s about building up mutual trust. All this, of course, is provided you have signed up with a decent agency.
with agency’s there all the same you have do a few crap jobs to build up trust. I’ve held my liscence 6 years and have worked previously for one agency although i worked for Tesco for them it isn’t exactly real world driving. before they gave me van multidrops and shunting warehouse work. Then I moved onto milk Tankers and metal and fast paced general haulauge and they increased the pay
The way you’ve got to look at it it might be poor pay to start but if you take the positives driving a van you can park anywhere and to an extent do what you want. 7.5 tonners you don’t have many straps and you get to see interesting parts of the world warehouse shunting work you are going to keep fit subsidised canteen working unisolated
The point I’m trying to make it is if you don’t do the crap jobs you won’t learn anything and end up one of those miserable ■■■■■■■■ 's in an rdc
I would go with it get the experience and learn what type of work you like and dont.
I agree though £9 does seem a bit low even for 7.5t but if it gets you of the starting blocks…
According to our local buses they only pay £8 per hr for driving a load that answers back!
I refused a job because I wasn’t willing to do it at such short notice, because I’m currently getting regular income I cant ring my boss with 20 mins notice to say I’m working for agency today. I’ve told agency to give me notice on Friday for work the following week. They still persisted on phoning me at 4am of which I missed the call. Doubt I’ll get called again. Maybe agency isn’t for me and I’ll try and find a perm job!
If you gave the agency a block allocation of time of when you would be able to work, such as the weekend. That way you won’t get stupid early morning calls, or not as many
Went to a different agency and explained the situation got a whole weeks work next week on 7.5t @ £9.25 an hour paying £10.25 an hour when I go on bigger class 2.
