Ok, going to try act all sensible now, this has gone on too long.
I am a career agency muppet, been Limited company since long before it became the “in” thing to do. I do it because I enjoy the freedoms it allows along with the money that I can earn doing it the way I do. Not everybody operates in the same manner and I generally try hard not to promote it as it would only undermine the success I enjoy.
I can and regularly do take a large portion of abuse because I am an agency driver, but that abuse is only on forums and not in real life. In my normal place of haunting they know who I am and what I can do. They know I look after the motors and regularly ask if I can have their motor should they be on holiday but that’s enough bragging.
Sadly for Robroy I am not wet behind the ears and started out in the industry just as curtain siders were being introduced so roping and sheeting was the norm. That should give a clue as to how long I’ve been at it.
I took offence at people telling us agency drivers how it is when they clearly have no idea or limited knowledge which tends to be the case as mentioned earlier. A driver has a week of an agency taking the proverbial out of them and it puts them off for life. Social media has certainly helped the agency bashers get the point across and to a large degree I agree with them. Most agencies are parasites whose every word should be regarded as a lie BUT and it is a big but, no not an arse but a but, if you get about a bit and stand up for yourself then you maybe just can make it work.
Many blame the industries woes on agencies but agencies would not be so successful if transport companies invested in their workforce. Think back to how many agencies were around when you used to be allowed to take your kids to work with you and the gaffer would set on a boy and put then through their class one. These lads were brought up in the yard and once on the road could hold their own from day one. Agencies did not exist.
Employers of today do not want to invest a penny in their staff and expect everyone to come to them fully trained and able to do the job, just look at job adverts now, most say " must have current dcpc". That is because they do not want to have to pay for it. The industry is and always will be a victim of its own greed and stupidity.
I am not defending agencies in any way, it is the agency drivers who I will defend or at least the ones who stand out for all the right reasons. The scum I will mock with the rest of you and I really do hate them because they tarnish the name of all the decent guys out there who actually give a ■■■■ but alas this could be said of many full time employees too but they never seem to get much of a kicking for it.
Robroy, I’ll agree to disagree with you if you like, if only to bring this topic to a close but please feel free to get in touch should you wish to know anything about being self employed on the agency circuit. To add, I do some direct work too but tend to stay where the regular work is for obvious reasons.
( 3 steps off a ■■■■■■ paedo in my book 
) over something so trivial prevents me from agreeing with you to do anything !
