Working for agencies how does it work?

[robroy]

Carl Usher:

robroy:

Truckbling:
The agency I work for make about £1 per hour over and above what I charge them, I know this because I’ve seen the agency charge sheet for ALL the agencies that supply the company where I work most often.

Are you telling me that you seriously believe that?
You have probably seen a charge sheet that they ‘accidently’ left lying around for drivers to see more like. I reckon the genuine one would make for different reading.

Robroy, could I offer you some friendly advice? Instead of feeling the need to post on EVERY thread made with your uninformed and often wrong opinions based on what your mate down the boozer has told you, it would perhaps be better if you paused and asked yourself, “do I know what I’m taking about and will my comments have any constructive input on the thread?” before bashing away on your keyboard and ultimately looking rather foolish when people who do know what they’re talking about come along and post.

robroy:
If you are going to have a pop mate at least have the courage of your convictions and back it up, instead of taking the easy way out, back pedalling, and denying it in an attempt to create an air of innocence.

Clearly you still don’t believe Truckbling and the tiny profit margins the agencies make as you know better from listening to your “good mate of mine who has been agency for 10 years” (yet after a decade still lets agencies “[zb] him about and gets shafted on a regular basis” - sounds like a real pro at his game then!! ).

Here is the agency charge rate for the northern depot of a big logistics company for 2014 :

Agency charge rates 2014.

I sub-contract to them via the 3rd agency in the list. My rates early last year on nights were £11+VAT standard time, £16.50+VAT overtime & Sats, £18+VAT Suns/BHs. Profit margin for the agency per hour, £0.75, £1.13, £3.50 respectively. £1/hr profit on the standard rate is about as much as they can get in any area where there’s a lot of agency competition and they have to rely on volume if they want to make money and pay the driver as little as they can get away with.

robroy:
I couldn’t give a flying [zb] how much you love sitting by a phone every day, but I prefer the relatively secure aspect of a full time job

There is no such thing as job security. Contracts come and go all the time and if you become surplus to requirements then they wouldn’t hesitate to lay you off.

I have never sat by the phone waiting for it to ring with work either. I get a text from the transport company planning manager on a Monday morning asking what my availability is for the week and I can 99% guarantee I will be working on those days. The agency don’t have any input in it but I inform them as a matter of courtesy. The only thing the agency does is transfers the amount on the bottom of my invoice into my account every week.

Full-time employed drivers always seem to have infinite amounts of time available to bad mouth agencies yet most of them have never done it, or if they have, they have expected to have a full weeks work right from the off with no handball, no distance, no London, no nights out, only 8 hours, can’t start til 8 need to be finished for 3 etc and because of their inflexibility have stormed off home in a sulk and concluded that all agencies are parasite scum when they don’t get what they want. Those that haven’t done it absolutely despise seeing the same agency driver in all the time and it eats away at them knowing that they are earning significantly more money for doing the same job, so then it becomes “all agency drivers are scum” as well. Yet if you point out to them that they too could enjoy a much better work/home life balance with money in the bank and being able to sleep in your own bed every night if you follow some simple rules it’s nearly always met with some feeble excuse such as “yeah but I won’t get my own truck” or “sounds too complicated to me.” For those reasons alone it doesn’t matter how hard you try to convince them, they will always stick with the faux security of their comfort blanket which is doing 70 hours a week sleeping in a Topliner for £500 + £100 night out money and anyone that deviates from this “norm” who goes out there to better themselves is automatically labelled a “clever [zb]/nob/■■■■/[zb]” and this is where all the hostility, resentment and ‘them vs. us’ stems from - it’s sheer jealousy.

Personally, contracting to agencies and “mingling/networking” with the ‘right’ people has provided me with a lifestyle that I could have only dreamed about over a decade ago. I am in a very envious position of only working when I feel like it so I can enjoy my hobbies and pastimes and have a healthy sum in the bank allowing me to buy whatever I want when I want it. I also sleep in my own bed at the end of every shift, not some greased covered, sweat stained flea pit in a Topliner on a urine drenched MSA, layby or industrial estate with no room to swing a cat nor any basic hygiene provisions.

In summary, agency work is exactly what you make it. The opportunities are out there, seek and ye shall find, but in the meantime please quit the agency rhetoric and change the record if you’re not prepared to get off your behinds and do anything to improve your lot.

Bloody hell, I’m catching it from all sides today. and I was the one that said ‘we were all drivers, agency or otherwise’ and admitted that any remarks I made were ‘just banter’

I’ll be getting a persecution complex next, and mince off in a strop towards the sunset with my lip curled

Well mate Ì’ve certainly rattled your cage, 8 paragraphs a virtual essay and a breakdown of accounts as some kind of justification

Thanks for your life coaching style of advice, tell you what, I’ll get back to you if ever I feel the need for it, but don’t hold your breath.
…but hey thanks for your concern.

Oh and can I just add and only speaking for myself here. I am certainly not jealous of YOU fact!

[truckbling]

robroy:
You can drive anything! Wow. zipeee my hero. I didn’t realise I was in the co of a driving genius. …my hero.

You really are a bit dim arent you.

because of your appalling manner and air of self importance eh?

Yeh that’s right I am old school, been there done it. Maybe unlike you that have had their licence for 5 mins and still got his stabilisers on.

come back with an opinion when you have a few more years under your belt, until then try shutting the [zb] up.

maybe as your opinions are not thst importsnt to me.

I was merely responding to your conceited point of view and your evident inability to comprehend one of my posts.

Then you go on to excel your ridiculous opinionated views by labelling me as a wifebeater

maybe you should stop baiting the grown ups as you are only succeedding in making a bit of a fool of yourself now.

robroy:
I wasn’t intending or trying to put you down,

Clearly having lost the argument your last 2 post are basically insults with the sole intention of trying to belittle me. They say the truth hurts, you sir just proved it.

[robroy]

Truckbling:

robroy:
You can drive anything! Wow. zipeee my hero. I didn’t realise I was in the co of a driving genius. …my hero.

You really are a bit dim arent you.

because of your appalling manner and air of self importance eh?

Yeh that’s right I am old school, been there done it. Maybe unlike you that have had their licence for 5 mins and still got his stabilisers on.

come back with an opinion when you have a few more years under your belt, until then try shutting the [zb] up.

maybe as your opinions are not thst importsnt to me.

I was merely responding to your conceited point of view and your evident inability to comprehend one of my posts.

Then you go on to excel your ridiculous opinionated views by labelling me as a wifebeater

maybe you should stop baiting the grown ups as you are only succeedding in making a bit of a fool of yourself now.

robroy:
I wasn’t intending or trying to put you down,

Clearly having lost the argument your last 2 post are basically insults with the sole intention of trying to belittle me. They say the truth hurts, you sir just proved it.

Ok well you keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better
I’m getting bored with your drivel now anyway.

Belittlement? Nah, you do an excellent job of belittling yourself bud without me attempting to embellish it.
As for insults …you clearly bring them on yourself by your belligerent attitude, incomprehensible logic, and conceit. so hey…let’s call it a day.

[carl_usher]

robroy:

Carl Usher:

robroy:

Truckbling:
The agency I work for make about £1 per hour over and above what I charge them, I know this because I’ve seen the agency charge sheet for ALL the agencies that supply the company where I work most often.

Are you telling me that you seriously believe that?
You have probably seen a charge sheet that they ‘accidently’ left lying around for drivers to see more like. I reckon the genuine one would make for different reading.

Robroy, could I offer you some friendly advice? Instead of feeling the need to post on EVERY thread made with your uninformed and often wrong opinions based on what your mate down the boozer has told you, it would perhaps be better if you paused and asked yourself, “do I know what I’m taking about and will my comments have any constructive input on the thread?” before bashing away on your keyboard and ultimately looking rather foolish when people who do know what they’re talking about come along and post.

robroy:
If you are going to have a pop mate at least have the courage of your convictions and back it up, instead of taking the easy way out, back pedalling, and denying it in an attempt to create an air of innocence.

Clearly you still don’t believe Truckbling and the tiny profit margins the agencies make as you know better from listening to your “good mate of mine who has been agency for 10 years” (yet after a decade still lets agencies “[zb] him about and gets shafted on a regular basis” - sounds like a real pro at his game then!! ).

Here is the agency charge rate for the northern depot of a big logistics company for 2014 :

Agency charge rates 2014.

I sub-contract to them via the 3rd agency in the list. My rates early last year on nights were £11+VAT standard time, £16.50+VAT overtime & Sats, £18+VAT Suns/BHs. Profit margin for the agency per hour, £0.75, £1.13, £3.50 respectively. £1/hr profit on the standard rate is about as much as they can get in any area where there’s a lot of agency competition and they have to rely on volume if they want to make money and pay the driver as little as they can get away with.

robroy:
I couldn’t give a flying [zb] how much you love sitting by a phone every day, but I prefer the relatively secure aspect of a full time job

There is no such thing as job security. Contracts come and go all the time and if you become surplus to requirements then they wouldn’t hesitate to lay you off.

I have never sat by the phone waiting for it to ring with work either. I get a text from the transport company planning manager on a Monday morning asking what my availability is for the week and I can 99% guarantee I will be working on those days. The agency don’t have any input in it but I inform them as a matter of courtesy. The only thing the agency does is transfers the amount on the bottom of my invoice into my account every week.

Full-time employed drivers always seem to have infinite amounts of time available to bad mouth agencies yet most of them have never done it, or if they have, they have expected to have a full weeks work right from the off with no handball, no distance, no London, no nights out, only 8 hours, can’t start til 8 need to be finished for 3 etc and because of their inflexibility have stormed off home in a sulk and concluded that all agencies are parasite scum when they don’t get what they want. Those that haven’t done it absolutely despise seeing the same agency driver in all the time and it eats away at them knowing that they are earning significantly more money for doing the same job, so then it becomes “all agency drivers are scum” as well. Yet if you point out to them that they too could enjoy a much better work/home life balance with money in the bank and being able to sleep in your own bed every night if you follow some simple rules it’s nearly always met with some feeble excuse such as “yeah but I won’t get my own truck” or “sounds too complicated to me.” For those reasons alone it doesn’t matter how hard you try to convince them, they will always stick with the faux security of their comfort blanket which is doing 70 hours a week sleeping in a Topliner for £500 + £100 night out money and anyone that deviates from this “norm” who goes out there to better themselves is automatically labelled a “clever [zb]/nob/■■■■/[zb]” and this is where all the hostility, resentment and ‘them vs. us’ stems from - it’s sheer jealousy.

Personally, contracting to agencies and “mingling/networking” with the ‘right’ people has provided me with a lifestyle that I could have only dreamed about over a decade ago. I am in a very envious position of only working when I feel like it so I can enjoy my hobbies and pastimes and have a healthy sum in the bank allowing me to buy whatever I want when I want it. I also sleep in my own bed at the end of every shift, not some greased covered, sweat stained flea pit in a Topliner on a urine drenched MSA, layby or industrial estate with no room to swing a cat nor any basic hygiene provisions.

In summary, agency work is exactly what you make it. The opportunities are out there, seek and ye shall find, but in the meantime please quit the agency rhetoric and change the record if you’re not prepared to get off your behinds and do anything to improve your lot.

Bloody hell, I’m catching it from all sides today. and I was the one that said ‘we were all drivers, agency or otherwise’ and admitted that any remarks I made were ‘just banter’

I’ll be getting a persecution complex next, and mince off in a strop towards the sunset with my lip curled

Well mate Ì’ve certainly rattled your cage, 8 paragraphs a virtual essay and a breakdown of accounts as some kind of justification

Thanks for your life coaching style of advice, tell you what, I’ll get back to you if ever I feel the need for it, but don’t hold your breath.
…but hey thanks for your concern.

You are “catching it from all sides” because of your ill-informed, trigger happy posts and refusing to admit you are wrong when proved so. Instead of now attempting to avoid the topic by trying to brush it all off as “banter” and hoping the topic will slide off the front page, why don’t you address the points raised or if there is something in my post above that you don’t agree with, respond to it in a civilised and coherent manner with your own thoughts/concerns/argument. That is not specifically directed at you but any of the agency haters that this site seems to have a penchant for.

Feel free to prove me wrong but your closing comment above has the distinct air of a stereotypical knuckle-dragging wagon driver who thinks he knows it all and no matter what others’ opinions are instantly dismisses them as being wrong. Apologies to you if this is not the case but I generally find drivers that like the sound of their own voice (as you clearly do) tend to fit this stereotype.

[robroy]

Well at least you had the grace to include some kind of a vague hint of apology (albeit presumably begrudged) in there unlike your ignorant mate.
I can only speak from my own experiences of agencies, which I did so if you are interested here goes but stand by for my essay this time, and maybe an element of boredom.

When I had my own motors in the 80s agencies in transport were a relatively new concept. It worked on a basis of a qualified pro driver hiring out his services.on a work when he chose to basis. I used them a couple of times but found that they only sent me (and other firms I associated with) newbies with little or no experience, total knobs, general unemployed crap drivers or a combination of all 3, so I ended up paying more money for poor quality that were notorious for causing damage.

I know that has all changed today, and most are just normal drivers, (as I have said despite the aftermath of flak) but the whole format has also changed, the agency has the upper hand and call the shots, the driver’s flexibility has almost gone in most cases.
If you can not accept my opinion just trawl through this entire forum and read the opinions from a lot of agency drivers on here, and how they are penalised, abused and made to feel obliged to whatever type of parasite they work for.

On the other hand some on here swear by it, and make it work…again as I said.

My next agency experience was using one as a means to an end between jobs.
I had just come off 10 or more yrs on left hookers so I wanted to get back used to r.hand drives, for my next full time job I was offered, so I was not really bothered if, when, or how often I worked.
The agency were amazed that I had the ‘cheek’ to refuse work, and they actually tried to threaten me if I didn’t bow to their whims …so they were told to ■■■■ off in no uncertain terms, and appeared to be astounded by this also, as they were not used to any resistance displayed by drivers.

I moved to another and got the same look of surprise, but this time, on explaining my requirements, I actually got on well with the guy in charge and was even offered a job by his customer, but I declined and went to work for the Dutch again, so it turned out my agency adventure was a waste of time.

Now for my famous mate and his ex boss in the pub, …you know what I aint explaining again.for a third time.
Suffice to say he was told his money was getting creamed off for more than a quid per hour as matey states, and without getting off my arse ringing him and writing down the rates, I can’t give you exact details, so you choose to believe me or not I aint really fussed. Btw I note your insult aimed towards him, the problem is that he is a quiet inoffensive lad who will do anything for them,… and Jeeez do they take advantage of that fact, if you think that’s fair to criticise him, well that’s up to you mate.

So that is my agency experiences and sources of information.
As for admitting I am wrong, I can only play with the cards I am dealt, and like yourself only speak as I find, so I’m not completely sure what you want me to say.

[evil8beezle]

[robroy]

Evil8Beezle:

Yeh I feel like I’m getting wedgies from all quarters.

Think my legendary popularity on here is in decline, my fan club is dwindling fast, and nobody loves me.
What will I do?.. any suggestions anybody? ( only ones that do not include the last word OFF? )

[evil8beezle]

robroy:
What will I do?.. any suggestions anybody? ( only ones that do not include the last word OFF? )

- Change your username to “boredwithgivingacrap” Simples!

[sidevalve]

robroy:
What will I do?.. any suggestions anybody? ( only ones that do not include the last word OFF? )

Go back on agency?

[carl_usher]

robroy:
Well at least you had the grace to include some kind of a vague hint of apology in there unlike your ignorant mate.
I can only speak from my own experiences of agencies, which I did so if you are interested here goes but stand by for my essay this time, and maybe an element of boredom.

When I had my own motors in the 80s agencies in transport were a relatively new concept. It worked on a basis of a qualified pro driver hiring out his services.on a work when he chose to basis. I used them a couple of times but found that they only sent me (and other firms I associated with) newbies with little or no experience, total knobs, general unemployed crap drivers or a combination of all 3, so I ended up paying more money for poor quality that were notorious for causing damage.

I know that has all changed today

In actual fact it hasn’t! What you’ve said was true then and is still true today. The overwhelming majority of agency drivers are either newbies trying to gain experience or genuine thickies that can’t hold a perm job down because of their attitude and/or subpar driving abilities. There are very very few genuinely good drivers that take pride in their work and driving standards and those that do are in high demand.

and most are just normal drivers, (as I have said despite the aftermath of flak) but the whole format has also changed, the agency has the upper hand and call the shots, the driver’s flexibility has almost gone in most cases.
If you can not accept my opinion just trawl through this entire forum and read the opinions from a lot of agency drivers on here, and how they are penalised, abused and made to feel obliged to whatever type of parasite they work for.

On the other hand some on here swear by it, and make it work…again as I said.

Yes I agree. But all morals aside, this is how agencies have to operate due to the intense competition from other agencies all fighting for the same drivers. I don’t agree with it and I am in no way an agency apologist but the only thing the agency is interested in is putting a bum on a seat for the maximum amount of profit they can squeeze. They don’t care that you don’t want to do deliveries of Aga ovens to 5th floor apartment blocks with no lifts, nor do they care that you don’t want to do HIAB work delivering building supplies down cul-de-sacs in a 6 wheeler. All they want to do is give their client what they want so they can make money. It’s up to you as the worker to sort the wheat from the chaff and seek out the least bad agency that a) has work you don’t mind doing, b) will pay your rates, correctly and on time, c) has enough work to keep you going and d) treats you like a fellow human being and not like something they’ve stepped in. All that takes time and effort. Most do a week and give up, then post their sorry tales of woe on internet forums such as this.

My next agency experience was using one as a means to an end between jobs.
I had just come off 10 or more yrs on left hookers so I wanted to get back used to r.hand drives, for my next full time job I was offered, so I was not really bothered if, when, or how often I worked.
The agency were amazed that I had the ‘cheek’ to refuse work, and they actually tried to threaten me if I didn’t bow to their whims …so they were told to [zb] off in no uncertain terms, and appeared to be astounded by this also, as they were not used to any resistance displayed by drivers.

I moved to another and got the same look of surprise, but this time, on explaining my requirements, I actually got on well with the guy in charge and was even offered a job by his customer, but I declined and went to work for the Dutch again, so it turned out my agency adventure was a waste of time.

Now for my famous mate and his ex boss in the pub, …you know what I aint explaining again.for a third time.
Suffice to say he was told his money was getting creamed off for more than a quid per hour as matey states, and without getting off my arse ringing him and writing down the rates, I can’t give you exact details, so you choose to believe me or not I aint really fussed. Btw I note your insult aimed towards him, the problem is that he is a quiet inoffensive lad who will do anything for them,… and Jeeez do they take advantage of that fact, if you think that’s fair to criticise him, well that’s up to you mate.

So that is my agency experiences and sources of information.
As for admitting I am wrong, I can only play with the cards I am dealt, and like yourself only speak as I find, so I’m not completely sure what you want me to say.

My intial reply to you was (as quoted) in response to your implied claims that Truckbling was talking rubbish about the agency margins seemingly because he hadn’t posted evidence to quantify what he’d said. I rooted through my folders and found the agency charge rate spreadsheet for a company I subbie to and after some careful removal of names to protect various parties, posted it here as evidence to prove to you that the margins are indeed very small. Usually when one’s statements are proved to be incorrect it is considered polite to raise one’s hand and apologise for the mis-information, rather than hiding behind some bloke down the boozer who “used to work at an agency” .

[liberty_guy]

Problem I have found with modern agencies, is that many STILL try to con drivers into believing that clients insist on drivers being on Umbrella schemes, even though HMRC have declared most of these illegal and are actively chasing people for back payments. I myself have seen adverts in print for agency drivers that state Umbrella or Ltd company ONLY.

The other main problem I have found with agencies is that they frequently advertise work they don’t actually have, rather than advertising the crappy multi drop shop and home deliveries they do have. If someone tries to establish a relationship with a pack of total lies from the outset, it is never going to end well.

There are half decent agencies out there, but there are also a lot of disreputable rogues out there too, that are on the same evolutionary scale as a typical double glazing salesman.

[evil8beezle]

My agencies margin on me is £2 an hour.
I’ve seen the agency spreadsheet, and also had that charge rate confirmed by my TM.
End of…

[thetastytrucker]

If we all stop working for theese rats our wages would rise overnight we are paying for someone else to give us work and they are earning a wage from us

[contraflow]

Amen brother.

[robroy]

Carl Usher:

robroy:
Well at least you had the grace to include some kind of a vague hint of apology in there unlike your ignorant mate.
I can only speak from my own experiences of agencies, which I did so if you are interested here goes but stand by for my essay this time, and maybe an element of boredom.

When I had my own motors in the 80s agencies in transport were a relatively new concept. It worked on a basis of a qualified pro driver hiring out his services.on a work when he chose to basis. I used them a couple of times but found that they only sent me (and other firms I associated with) newbies with little or no experience, total knobs, general unemployed crap drivers or a combination of all 3, so I ended up paying more money for poor quality that were notorious for causing damage.

I know that has all changed today

In actual fact it hasn’t! What you’ve said was true then and is still true today. The overwhelming majority of agency drivers are either newbies trying to gain experience or genuine thickies that can’t hold a perm job down because of their attitude and/or subpar driving abilities. There are very very few genuinely good drivers that take pride in their work and driving standards and those that do are in high demand.

and most are just normal drivers, (as I have said despite the aftermath of flak) but the whole format has also changed, the agency has the upper hand and call the shots, the driver’s flexibility has almost gone in most cases.
If you can not accept my opinion just trawl through this entire forum and read the opinions from a lot of agency drivers on here, and how they are penalised, abused and made to feel obliged to whatever type of parasite they work for.

On the other hand some on here swear by it, and make it work…again as I said.

Yes I agree. But all morals aside, this is how agencies have to operate due to the intense competition from other agencies all fighting for the same drivers. I don’t agree with it and I am in no way an agency apologist but the only thing the agency is interested in is putting a bum on a seat for the maximum amount of profit they can squeeze. They don’t care that you don’t want to do deliveries of Aga ovens to 5th floor apartment blocks with no lifts, nor do they care that you don’t want to do HIAB work delivering building supplies down cul-de-sacs in a 6 wheeler. All they want to do is give their client what they want so they can make money. It’s up to you as the worker to sort the wheat from the chaff and seek out the least bad agency that a) has work you don’t mind doing, b) will pay your rates, correctly and on time, c) has enough work to keep you going and d) treats you like a fellow human being and not like something they’ve stepped in. All that takes time and effort. Most do a week and give up, then post their sorry tales of woe on internet forums such as this.

My next agency experience was using one as a means to an end between jobs.
I had just come off 10 or more yrs on left hookers so I wanted to get back used to r.hand drives, for my next full time job I was offered, so I was not really bothered if, when, or how often I worked.
The agency were amazed that I had the ‘cheek’ to refuse work, and they actually tried to threaten me if I didn’t bow to their whims …so they were told to [zb] off in no uncertain terms, and appeared to be astounded by this also, as they were not used to any resistance displayed by drivers.

I moved to another and got the same look of surprise, but this time, on explaining my requirements, I actually got on well with the guy in charge and was even offered a job by his customer, but I declined and went to work for the Dutch again, so it turned out my agency adventure was a waste of time.

Now for my famous mate and his ex boss in the pub, …you know what I aint explaining again.for a third time.
Suffice to say he was told his money was getting creamed off for more than a quid per hour as matey states, and without getting off my arse ringing him and writing down the rates, I can’t give you exact details, so you choose to believe me or not I aint really fussed. Btw I note your insult aimed towards him, the problem is that he is a quiet inoffensive lad who will do anything for them,… and Jeeez do they take advantage of that fact, if you think that’s fair to criticise him, well that’s up to you mate.

So that is my agency experiences and sources of information.
As for admitting I am wrong, I can only play with the cards I am dealt, and like yourself only speak as I find, so I’m not completely sure what you want me to say.

My intial reply to you was (as quoted) in response to your implied claims that Truckbling was talking rubbish about the agency margins seemingly because he hadn’t posted evidence to quantify what he’d said. I rooted through my folders and found the agency charge rate spreadsheet for a company I subbie to and after some careful removal of names to protect various parties, posted it here as evidence to prove to you that the margins are indeed very small. Usually when one’s statements are proved to be incorrect it is considered polite to raise one’s hand and apologise for the mis-information, rather than hiding behind some bloke down the boozer who “used to work at an agency” .

Well after all that it appears that we agree on more stuff than we disagree on.
I get the impression (rightly or wrongly) that you are lmplying that I was insinuating that you were some kind of liar when you laid out the rates. That was not my intention and if you did think that, then I do indeed apologise, that was not my intention. On the other hand I am also not calling my (now famous ) mate a liar either, so we will have to agree to leave that one open.
At least this time I have had a spat/argument/ slanging match, or whatever you want to call it with a gentleman, in direct comparison to the last character.

[robroy]

Double post (getting to excitable maybe )

[liberty_guy]

Not wishing to sound racist RobRoy, but a haggis fired from a mortar will settle all arguments quickly and efficiently.

Agency or permanent, you all stuck behind a steering wheel in the same traffic jams…

[robroy]

LIBERTY_GUY:
Not wishing to sound racist RobRoy, but a haggis fired from a mortar will settle all arguments quickly and efficiently.

Agency or permanent, you all stuck behind a steering wheel in the same traffic jams…

Not sure what you mean by your first point bud, but If you are assuming I’m Jock, I aint, …despite the username.

Your second point is what I’ ve basically said all through the thread…we are all just drivers, agency or otherwise.
It just appears that it’s me getting all the flak for the others that have been slagging agencies on here

And like I’ve said before on this forum,… I can’t really take it, I’m a fragile delicate soul

[james_the_cat]

Agency dissent.

1/ They are an entity not involved in the road haulage operation.

2/ They farm for work, field a worker then cream off the top.

3/ Due to the above the prevalence of agency workers facilitiates large companies to short staff the operation long term and reduce permanent employee costs.

4/ The man hours on the balance sheet being covered by someone not on a company balance sheet reduces exposure to costs on pensions and sick pay. The agency worker, self employed receives non of these benefits in kind.

5/ The agency worker is part of a damaging machine that is the erosion of their own industry, profiteering on their short term benefit.

6/ The very existence and prevalence of large amount of agencies allow companies to balloon and deflate the work force with less than 24 hours notice; this ability completely castrates any leverage a union may have had.

7/ Agencies are damaging for the long term chance of leveraged growth in terms and conditions due to self enflicted and coercive mobile worker mobility and self willing liability.

Now. A lot of agency workers on here are young and starting out. Fair enough, serves a purpose. The problem is the full time career agency workers on here shooting their gobs off how wonderful it is and then mouthing down those who take issue. You’ll get a bit of gip. Take it like a man. A lot of agency lads on here have a healthy sense of humour and take it like champs. The serious ones with an attitude deserve a little ■■■■■■■■■■■■. As the saying goes. Do not ■■■■ in my pocket though and tell me its raining.

[contraflow]

Amen brother.