Your thoughts please - what should I do?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

We have some quiet time in our place. We lost a big contract and there is not too much jobs around. I’ve been chatting with my boss, who is a nice chap, and I told him that sometimes some Polish companies ask me, and if he wants, I can check the market if there is anything worth looking for us on this market.

He liked the idea and asked me to do it for him.

So I did a small research and I found that there is many courier companies that are focused on Polish community here. They often dont even have websites in English etc. and they focus mostly on transporting goods and parcels to and from Poland for the Polish expats here. I also did some extensive research on Polish websites, trucknet equivalents etc and I found that rates for Polish companies went up. Nowadays nobody serious will ride the van for 50 eurocents per km, as it used to be few years ago and there are some companies who charge 90 cents per km and they make their living, so that makes that British companies often charging like pound per mile can think about competing with them.

Also: many companies have their stuff shipped to London and then they look for someone who will take it for them to Scotland, and since we have vans down to London every day, and often have space on the way up, that can be also done.

So I spoke with my boss about it and he asked me if I can speak with them. We also agreed that we can make some deal, i.e. I can do some runs to Poland for him cheaper, and in exchange he will give me 24 hours away when I am there, so I can visit my friends or family.

So I started to play salesman. I send some introductory e-mails to some companies around and started to get answers. Since I was not in position to negotiate the deals, I forwarded the questions to the office, as the sensible boss was away on holidays, they completely ignored the matter and as a result I got some soft abuse from one of the Polish guys who wanted us to do regular pallets from London to Dundee for him, he called me some timewaster and asked why I bother to write him an e-mails, if I can’t offer him anything. I can fully see his point.

So I decided that before I will go anywhere further will that, I ask my people to give me some example quotes so I know what I am talking about, but since they had no time to do it for me over several weeks despite I prompted them on every possible occasion, I just decided that I will not put myself for that any more, but since I already send all these e-mails, people do contact me on regular basis.

Now I have some woman from the Scottish depot of big Polish parcel company. She is looking for someone to do regular weekly run to Poland with dedicated van, loaded both ways - parcels to Poland, food and newspapers on the way back. She asked me for a quote, she said that if we can give her a good price, she will want us to do it every week, if we will be too expensive for her, she will use her own van to do it, but will still like us to do it from time to time, so her driver can take some rest and do not run to Poland every week. She was also interested in cooperating in other ways, I guess she was using some British company before and she was not happy with the service, hence she is looking to switch completely. And as I said, its a quite big company, known name and everything. I would say one of the leaders on this particular market. (saying that, it is a small market, so it is nothing like DHL or TNT, but still, there are some money in it).

So I gave her my bosss number, but he is not answering the phone, so she called back to me. I told her, that I will try to get quotes and come back to her.

I can’t catch my boss in the office, nor he is answering his mobile phone, so I went to the office and asked one of the other guys to give me our typical quote. He gave me, its quite dear, but he said “because this is our starting point for negotiations, and since it would be regular run, we can come well down with the price, but I am not allowed to make any discounts, it has to be the big boss, he will be back in the office tomorow morning, I will speak with him first thing and he will call you back”. He didn’t, I try to catch him, he is not answering his phone, nor answering texts and guys in the office, when I call them and ask what should I do, tell me “we’ll call you back in five minutes” and they never do.

Now, I promised I will call her back with the answers today and I have nothing to say to her. I feel totally ignored by my company. If they are not interested with me finding job for us, why they bothered to ask me to do that?

Now I feel I got set up, what should I do, call that company and tell her “I am sorry that I bothered you, but my company is not interested after all”? Or just call the office and be ignored again?

I have to say I do not understand that. About 30% of our fleet is sitting in the yard and drivers get just some silly local runs and not many hours… I know that it might not be a best deal in the world, but aren’t they at least interested how much these Polish people are willing to pay? It’s no obligation after all…

I made some contacts around, and I already know that many of these Polish courier companies use British companies to do some work for them, so obviously they are able to pay enough to make it worthy for Britons to get work for them?

Honestly, if not that I still have to finish my studies, I would consider starting on my own as a owner driver and I think just the offers I had over last few months would be sufficient to keep me floating for the first few hardest months…

I really struggle to understand what’s going on.

In your eyes: what should I do? I promised to call her back, I still have two hours to do it.

2

you’ve nothing to lose. try to work out a reasonable rate, you’re loaded both ways, so you can afford to be competitive.
if your boss is away, and the office staff are being lazy, then do the quote yourself.
your boss will either go ape, then you tell him his office staff were messing about, and the customer needed an answer.
or he’ll thank you, but make sure he knows that the office staff were useless.
just go for it.

3

I was thinking about it. But then: I quote, we agree on rate, and then boss says “no” and I am left with a good deal and no van to fulfill my obligations… :-S

4

Put your own van on the road and put a driver on it on a casual basis, taking it over yourself when you have free time.

5

Might be time for you to branch out on your own Orys, sounds like work could be short anyway if you stay there.

Just once or twice in a lifetime an opportunity presents itself and should be grabbed, this might be your time, think about it seriously, you have the rest of your life to kick yourself for not doing something you should have, i could write a book on that.

You’re halfway in front of many others as you are good at both languages*…to be quite honest you and other Polish/East European lads i’ve met put many of our own blokes to shame with good manners, well presented, reliability, courtesy and excellent spoken and written English, i’m not surprised many companies favour workers from your part of the world…and conversely many of our own younger people need a bloody good kick up the arse for making it so easy for you to get on by being bloody useless themselves.

Best of luck chap whichever way you jump.

6

Harry Monk:
Put your own van on the road and put a driver on it on a casual basis, taking it over yourself when you have free time.

That’s sounds like good idea… But it’s a long time solution, and since I am leaving for summer school to Brno in a month, I need some short term solution now…

Maybe some of trucknet members would be interested in taking over and seeing what that lady has to offer? Then PM me…

7

Juddian:
Might be time for you to branch out on your own Orys, sounds like work could be short anyway if you stay there.

Just once or twice in a lifetime an opportunity presents itself and should be grabbed, this might be your time, think about it seriously, you have the rest of your life to kick yourself for not doing something you should have, i could write a book on that.

You’re halfway in front of many others as you are good at both languages*…to be quite honest you and other Polish/East European lads i’ve met put many of our own blokes to shame with good manners, well presented, reliability, courtesy and excellent spoken and written English, i’m not surprised many companies favour workers from your part of the world…and conversely many of our own younger people need a bloody good kick up the arse for making it so easy for you to get on by being bloody useless themselves.

Best of luck chap whichever way you jump.

Thanks for that. I am considering it for some time now… Seems that I should look into what it takes seriously…

I still have one year of studies to go, and then either I will go that path, or I will try to go for PhD…

And btw: I speak three languages, and a bit of French as well :wink:

8

Instead of having to invest in your own van right at the moment, why don’t you negotiate for the work yourself, ditch your company they obviously aren’t interested, and then sub it out less 10% :bulb: That gives you time to finish your studies and be putting away some capital to invest later in a really good vehicle and possibly have a group of subbies and regular work to keep you going :smiley:
Wish I had this kind of opportunity at the moment :exclamation:

Regards
Dave Penn;

9

Orys - I agree with the other posters who suggest it may be time to branch out on your own. It seems you are in an almost unique position with you language skills, driving experience and local knowledge both sides of the water.
Education is good, but a PhD in sitting on your backside looking for a job is not! Maybe, as the academic year has ended, you could take a year out of your studies to set it up and then finish your degree later.
It seems that this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and you could regret not trying later on. I would certainly give some serious thought to your decision.

Whatever you decide, good luck! And if you’re in Lochcarron, say hello to my mother :laughing:

10

orys:
That’s sounds like good idea… But it’s a long time solution, and since I am leaving for summer school to Brno in a month, I need some short term solution now…

If you can put a van on the road and know of a reasonably sensible driver, there’s no real reason why you can’t run things from Brno with mobile phone / internet etc.

11

Harry Monk:
If you can put a van on the road and know of a reasonably sensible driver, there’s no real reason why you can’t run things from Brno with mobile phone / internet etc.

that’s right, you could get one of them polish drivers, they’ll work for nowt. :wink: :laughing:

12

limeyphil:
that’s right, you could get one of them polish drivers, they’ll work for nowt. :wink: :laughing:

Obviously my knowledge of Polish community is not sufficient, I can’t think about any Pole who would like to work for nowt :slight_smile:

13

Ory be very careful about branching out on your own. Talk is cheap,ask for running money up front, then you will see if its good or not. Good luck.

14

miketdt:
Ory be very careful about branching out on your own. Talk is cheap,ask for running money up front, then you will see if its good or not. Good luck.

Well, the problem is that I don’t really have any money to start now :frowning: I wasn’t earning much recently, because, you see, my company has not much jobs, and the vans are parked up, so drivers don’t get much hours… :unamused:

15

Defer you’re studies for a year and give it a bash. You’ve nothing to lose and a potential great opportunity here. Don’t be blind sighted by anything. Its once in a lifetime opportunity that a lot of lads would give they’re right arm for the chance. Don’t waste it.

16

orys:
Well, the problem is that I don’t really have any money to start now :frowning: I wasn’t earning much recently, because, you see, my company has not much jobs, and the vans are parked up, so drivers don’t get much hours… :unamused:

Lease a van off of your boss then, he’s got loads of them parked up.

17

I am also thinking about my brother in Poland, who just was paid off from his job, he has some money and maybe he can set up a van business there and drive for me? :slight_smile:

I will be the “Orys spedition” and he will be “Orys brother’s express haulage” and that how we start our imperium… :wink:

18

Now, that’s unexpected outcome…

I spoke with one guy in the office and he sounds reasonable, but he cannot really offer any deals without perimssion to our boss. But he gave me a basic price.

I called her and told her that, and then she asked me out of blue “you know, lets speak differently, would you be interested to drive OUR van on that route from time to time to give my driver a rest”?

I am going for an interview tonight (as she seems to be desperate), keep your fingers crossed!

19

Harry Monk:

orys:
Well, the problem is that I don’t really have any money to start now :frowning: I wasn’t earning much recently, because, you see, my company has not much jobs, and the vans are parked up, so drivers don’t get much hours… :unamused:

Lease a van off of your boss then, he’s got loads of them parked up.

^^ This…

Well, not exactly, but sell your car, then rent / lease a truck, the money from your car will fill the tank a few times whilst you’re getting on your feet, a leased truck would reduce commitment, and, as others have said, if you price it right, you’ll have no shortage of drivers willing to dive in your seat whilst you’re away - just weigh them up 1st, you don’t want an idiot (limeyphil) at the wheel of a vehicle you’re responsible for :open_mouth:

20

I say go for it Orys!! Good luck mate! :wink: