mac12:
I have being driving class 1 for the last 12 years the last 4 for an agency, about 5 weeks ago a man in the village asked me to drive his 7.5 tonner for £9.50 per hour delivering his plants to garden centres. This job should last until the end of November will I get back on artics then or will the agencies say no experience.
Sounds like a good’un for the summer… Assuming you get to work 5 days, you could always do an odd weekend day for an agency here and there to keep your hand in.
It is a goodun only few minutes from home so no cost traveling, very easy work and has many shifts as I can work.
Mac cant you give me the job ? and you go back on artics ? lol, sounds like a decent number you got there, i dont think you will have any concerns about returning to artics, cheers, shytalk… 
I know wot your saying Wheelnut…i suppose i could have given them a load of flannel…he did say they needed referances as to last 2 yrs driving a 7.5 tonne…to be honest ill keep looking but i wont be fussed if i dont go back driving even on puddle jumpers, i know and you know we could jump back in an artic tomorrow and do the job…but the criteria and red tape…and little oiks so called assesors that take drivers out before they mite get through the door + dcpc = all barriers for the old ■■■■■ club, the more i look at the situation do i need all this crap…not realy but boredom does creep in even with my hobbys , we all need money and my hobbys take money so a bit extra here and there wouldnt be bad…ill keep on looking for now.
I called Manpower three months ago after being jerked around by one of the High Street Agencies; the girl said send CV and call me next week. Next week she said come and fill in some paper work to register. The week after she asked me if I wanted 45 hours guaranteed. I said sure she put me out to Jewsons where I was last year with the Idiot Hgh Street Agency. She made my “home branch” the one closest to me. Mileage 25p/mile over 30 miles/day extra 1/2 hour over 20- extra1 hour over 21 miles. So this turns into 50 hours/week and mile age was £25.40 (last week). 7:30 start most of the time I am home by 4:30. You are “on call” every other Saturday but that rarely happens and if it does it will be one run loaded the night before and you are home by 10:30. 
I figured out that Manpower is on contract for all Saint Gobain agency work so the only way that the Idiot Hight Street Agency Crooks get their work is when Manpower cannot fill the spot and they throw the bone out to tender so all the Idiots bid on the job. This is why all the scams and deals/umbrella expense/deals ruses are in place. So the moral of this story is talk to the Organ Grinder not the Idiot!
Research the company you want to work for then find out from them who their agency is and apply to that agency. For example Saint Gobain own these companies:
saint-gobain.co.uk/Footer/Co … tails.aspx
If you want to work for any of these then register with Manpower. Once you have spent time as an agency W.O.G. you know the ropes and then apply to the company direct; then bye bye agency. Don’t register with any agency and take what you get. You’ll get F----d!
There must be some others besides me who are wondering why we’re talking of “Idiot High Street Agency” and “Manpower” as if they are separate entities here… 
Winseer:
There must be some others besides me who are wondering why we’re talking of “Idiot High Street Agency” and “Manpower” as if they are separate entities here…
My point is that atl east Manpower are an international company and have a structure that works opposed to the Fly by night franchises that make up their own policies that exist only to line their own pockets.
he said this agency has provided nowt but clowns…one didnt do his checks and did a good job of defrosting a few grands worth of goods…another smashed the truck up first time out, and others that have been booked for at least 4 shifts didnt bother turning in after day one, says it all to me
Exactly why experience/ references are asked for, think you should have been told you are more than qualified to do 7.5t work but you’d need matching to the right sort of 7.5t work. Maybe it’s me but if a driver needs work or wants temp work then you register with an agency and they help get the work, an agency is only as good as the drivers they have and supply to the client, if they put the wrong person into a job and they do any of the above, crash vehicle, dont turn up or defrost the goods, then they arnt doing their job right and more than likely lose the client.
I wouldn’t hesitate to register an experienced driver but match their experience to the work/ clients available ie some 7.5t drivers that multi drop are expected to do alot of drops compared to a removals which is little driving with more hand ball, we had a guy wanted a couple of days, was retired and was quite happy delivering ‘posh’ cars for a client of ours.
The agency needs to get to know their client what sort of work/ runs/ vehicles they have and the local area and put the appropriate driver forward for the work.
Another problem is competition and the current economic climate, a big firm local to me, I know the runs, area, local drivers etc the ‘head office’ agrees to a ‘big agency’ getting a national contract probably agreed to supply for a great price. The ‘big agency’ who is based miles away rings asking us for local drivers. All wrong.
well for my 2p’s worth I now work in recruitment but have been on the other side of the desk as a driver! (awaiting the usual comments), however for me I would have been snapping your hand off a couple of days a week guys are like gold dust (most drivers want full weeks very few want the odd day here and there!).
anyway one of the more stupid guidelines we have is 180days work on the class of vehicle in the last 2 years, which Is maybe where this chap was coming from?
don’t always shoot the messenger as the rules we have to adhere to are often as frustrating for us as it is for you (its just who has the balls to go against his/her manager/company) like I say my personal opinion would be sod it your coming in.
now to sit back and wait to be barracked
flunkey your right with jewsons but in Nottingham artex is run by hardstaff’s who use a local agency! british gypsum is run by ceva etc etc etc! so research is only as good as the interpretation/local knowledge. I believe in leeds its w h Malcolm who does the artex/british gypsum?
This is a re-do since my last vanished-poss operator error? So war1974 tell all from behind the desk as a non-lorryist! Try “transparency”! Let us mere workers know the devious calculating protocols of the recruiter at an agency-tthe shams/umbrella tax breaks that never quite make sense the fluctuating hourly rate to embellish you commissions- the silly multiple guess questions that are required at “registration”-Reveal if you will?-Which agency are YOU with? I can smell the lightning…
haha flunkey I am a hgv driver before a consultant! if a driver comes into me and is with an umbrella company or ltd then fine however I have never suggested that one should go down that route, if asked I will advise and let the driver decide but when you mention no holiday pay etc they normally go paye.
the agency I work for is one of the biggest! do we pay fair rates for the job? not a chance but we pay the same as every other agency!