I’ve been offerd a job by an agencie garenteed 45h per week working for two company’s on same industrial estate I’ve never worked for an agencie before just looking for some info on how it all work with payment ect
You do the work, fill in a timesheet and get the company you’re working at to sign it, send in the timesheet(s) for the week usually before Monday teatime, they pay you on the Friday the same week into your bank account and deduct tax/NI if you’re on PAYE the same as a normal job.
Beware the guarantees they offer. Basically regard everything that spews from the mouth of the person on the phone as a half-truths at best and believe it when it happens - if possible get bookings and rates confirmed by text message so you have proof when they conveniently “forget” they offered you an extra £1/hr for a shift. As long as you go into the arrangement with the understanding that everyone who works in an agency will say anything to get bums on seats then you’ll get along OK.
it depends on the agency in all honesty.
most on here will say avoid (willy waving full timers), but as with everything you get good and bad, if you know the firms and are confident you will get the 45 then go for it. personally I would be asking for it in writing with the rates etc.
best of luck.
oh and you will be paid weekly in arrears if paye will get holiday pay etc. if ltd you wont.
if they offer pay by an umbrella company its your choice if you accept but they use these companies to pay your wages,and these companies take between £10 and £20 a month for themselves from your wages if you agree,they sort your tax and insurance,saves the agency doing it,some can save you money others are rip off merchants,you can also find yourself sitting at home if they do not have enough work,they also have their blue eyed boys who get all the work,personally I would not touch an agency unless I really had to,make sure also that you have some kind of insurance for illness or accidents cos most agencies will not pay you if you are off with either,i found out the hard way after an accident[6 weeks without income]apologies for sounding down on agencies but there are some good ones, just a question of finding them
“How does it work ?”
Easy… You are at their beck and call, they send you to work hard for poor wages and conditions and make a fortune out of you by charging the company they send you to at least twice what you get paid, then the owners enjoy their 8 weeks of holiday time at their villas in the Med.
DON’T WORK FOR AGENCIES.
Bend over and brace yourself 
Firstly they will promise the earth and deliver very little, nothing including hours is guaranteed and you will be generally treated like an idiot at most of the places you will be sent and by the agency itself.
Look upon them as thieves criminals and liars and you won’t go far wrong.
Learn and rehearse the story that you earn more than the full timers, you’re only doing it for pocket money and you can work when you like*
(*except for the whole of January and most of February)
So what makes a good agency for you guys? What do you want to see from them and what will you give in return?
What rates would you like to see from them compared to the standard rates in the full timers industry?
Are you put off by promises of a decent rate only to find it has been made up with travel and meal allowance?
I have no limp nor wear my vis in the cab, but do own and use a bluetooth 
. Just chewing the fat.
war1974:
most on here will say avoid (willy waving full timers)
Avoid…hey you were right!
Willie back in kecks.
What Pat says, and prepare to be sat by the phone so they can tell you your load has been cancelled, they will then give it to someone else who will invariably not turn up so they will then ring you at an hours notice and lie to you that it is back on.
Most would tell them to ■■■■ off, but if you do that you end up upsetting them and they offer you nothing else.
So as Orangeboy says, brace yourself.
Oh one more thing, always wear your hi viz at all times, especially when driving 
Just joking mate although most of what’s been said is accurate.
If it was me I would say don’t bother they are parasites, get a decent full time job.
However some of the lads on here sould argue as it suits them.
I aint sure it has the 2 way flexibility it had originally as they tend to have you by the ■■■■■■■■, but it may suit you and you won’t know until you try it.
Best of luck with it anyway…you will need it. 
been on agency for last 5yrs by choice I don’t want full weeks (I’m semi retired ) most will lie promise you the earth cancel bookings at last min but if you find a good one they can be ok just don’t trust them
The agency cant guarantee you 45 hours work or any thing else for that matter.If you are new to driving agency work can get you a start and a foot on the ladder.Most peoplewho dont like agencies have been lied to and cheated by them.
i have been agency for ten years, i am a blue eyed boy at the agency i work for and will get work before some other people as i have been there so long , and they know i am reliable and flexible,(a couple of others also worked there long time). if you really want to know what the guaranteed hours/wages are you will have to try the job for a few weeks and when you go to your bookings ask them exactly what the crack is and what they are prepared to guarantee. at heathrow was always a guaranteed 12 hours before the crash but now is usually 8 some times 10 tho an 8 hour shift is pretty rare. try too avoid umbrella schemes. what part of the country are you in ? the agency may be guaranteed to get 45 hours pay from the customers but might not give it all to you if you work less.
As you can see, different folk have different opinions based largely on their own experience, and partly (though they may not care to admit it) on their own attitudes to and suitability for agency work.
I won’t add anything else apart from to say that it is not considered a wise move to jack in a permanent full-time job to go on agency.
It’s obvious by what’s written here, that there are some terrible Agencies, but I would happily recommend the one I was with. They did everything they said, and considering I moved 300 miles on the back of it I was grateful. I got between 40 and 50 hrs pretty much every week sometimes more, rarely less and only less than 35 twice in the year I was there, most of that on £10+ an hour. Ok they sometimes changed the booking the night before, but not often.
I am full time now and do prefer the work and security, but would have no issue going back to them if things went wrong.
Firstly it depends on your circumstances and what you want/need.
If you can’t or don’t want to commit to a fulltime job with a company then agency is the way to go
If you want/need the security of full time work and guaranteed pay then go full time with a company.
Good and bad in both, plenty of both kinds of drivers on here who can probably point you in the right direction in your area.
I’ve worked through several agencies over the last few years and found them all to be reasonable and have never come across some of the things I hear on here. Sure you’ll get the occasional cancellation, and if you turn too much work down you’ll find the phone won’t ring so often.
I’m currently on 4on/4off nights, guaranteed 12 hours a night and it’s regular work throughout the year so it just proves there is some decent agency work out there.
After Xmas you seat at Cafe and wait for Call
I’m currently working full time as a bus mechanic and would prefer to work part time.
Agency driving seemed like the obvious choice, but after reading some of the comments here, I’m not so sure now.
Can anyone recommend a good agency to work for, if there is such a thing, in the Kidderminster area?
Can I pick and choose the hours I work to a certain extent? Could I just do the higher rate weekend work if I wanted, or do you just have to take it as it comes?
How reliable is the work likely to be? Am I likely to find a regular three days a week job for example?
Sidevalve:
As you can see, different folk have different opinions based largely on their own experience, and partly (though they may not care to admit it) on their own attitudes to and suitability for agency work.I won’t add anything else apart from to say that it is not considered a wise move to jack in a permanent full-time job to go on agency.
this is the main part any decent agency will say don’t leave a full time job, I do as its a risk and I wouldn’t do it. if your that sick of where you work and are going to leave either way this is the only time I would say go for it. any decent agency will also offer you the choice of PAYE/LTD or umbrella (LTD for lazy people 
), I would avoid any that ‘force’ or try to onto something you know little or nothing about.
I work in recruitment now but when I drove I dealt with both good and bad agencies (same as good and bad drivers and firms to be honest), a good agency will keep you working during the Jan and Feb quiet times. but you will need to be flexible, most who moan about agencies (and I get these guys through the door) are normally (not all) the sort who only want to start at 6am 0545 is too early and 0615 is too late, will only work a mile from their front door, want paying to travel to work (I don’t get this and never have if I want to earn I have to travel).
personally these guys are the first stood if it does go quiet.
on another note if you know the firms and industrial estate could you not go perm direct?
Just a question for the other agency bods on here, have you found the Jan-March lull has happened in the last 3 years?