Agency drivers blacklist-

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
61

I’m writing as a representative from de Poel Consulting, with the intention to provide you with some information regarding the Agency Driver Database (add) in order to dispel the confusion / concerns raised.

Firstly, it is the responsibility of an agency to inform their workers prior to inputting any data that their details will be entered onto the database. To ensure that this has been adequately communicated to each worker, an automatic letter from de Poel will be sent to all individuals at the point when their details appear within the system.

I think it is important to highlight that the contents of the information contained within the database includes basic personal details that are given to an agency during the registration process and that de Poel do not own this information. Rather it remains the intellectual property of the registered agency and the information contained within the system will not be distributed into the public domain.

One of the main purposes of the agency driver database is to ensure that information regarding a drivers licence records, references and qualifications are kept up to date to ensure that companies are not exposed to the risk of having temporary drivers working on assignment that are no longer qualified. It is also possible to record specific training inductions and any incidents encountered whilst on assignment although there is not the opportunity for agencies or clients to input personal detailed feedback on a drivers working performance.

We are currently in the process of including a section on our website www.depoelconsulting.com on the main features and benefits of add which we hope will provide you with a greater insight into both de Poel and our products.

62

weemack:
I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME OUR NEWIST MEMBER DEPOEL WHO JOINED TODAY. SO DE ,WOT KIND OF RIG DO YOU DRIVE,

As a new member yourself, please read my post and respect all members! regardless of their profession!

Thank you!

63

and any incidents encountered whilst on assignment

  • Would the agency worker been informed of any such “incidents” placed on their file?
  • would the agency driver be able to place on file with you a rebuttal against any incorrectly enetered “incidents”?
  • Will De Poel compensate any agency driver for loss of earning due to the driver being refused work due to incorrect information being held by DePoel?
  • Can you please post the name and contact of the person at De Poel responsible for compliance with the Data protection Act
  • Will De Poel start a list of disreputable recruitment agencies and directors of the same as a service to the industry?
64

I think it is important to highlight that the contents of the information contained within the database includes basic personal details that are given to an agency during the registration process and that de Poel do not own this information

So you confirm that personal details WILL be held on your system, administered by yourselves, and therefore information that is protected under the Data Protection Act will be revealed to subscribers for a fee?

How will YOU ensure that agency employees are FULLY aware of the implications of allowing their details to be enetered on a central database?

How will De Poel ENSURE that those details held are not released against Agency drivers wishes?

65

We understand that you have some concerns about the system and think that the most constructive way of dealing with them would be for everybody with a query to post in on this site and then on Monday we will collect all the questions and generate a question and answer sheet.

We will then post a link on this site to the question on answer sheet on Tuesday. Hopefully this should dispel all major concerns.

66

looking at theon-line entry portal for the agency drivers database…
dp-add.co.uk/

add is a revolutionary agency driver database designed to provide companies and agencies with easy access to essential driver information, enabling them to dramatically reduces the risks associated with using this resource.
add records and maintains information regarding drivers:
Qualifications
Inductions
Skills
Incidents
Accidents
And more

Automatic reminders and internal checks ensure that the information is kept up to date and relevant to your business.

I can see no guarentees that the information held within is compliant with the DPA.

I can see no way for drivers to easily contact the administrators of that database and gain access to the information held about them.

There is no mention at all of drivers being allowed to input and or correct inaccurate information held about them.

Surely ALL of this should be clearly shown on the webpage

67

De Poel,

As soon as you get information on a driver should you not first contact that driver so as to ensure that the information is in fact correct. By your own admission all the information you are gathering is at best second hand, but at worst could be 3rd or 4th hand info. I would like to know just how you will be checking the integrity of the data you are/have been compiling? I would also like you to justify your “Admin” charge for you to release this info to the person concerned. Surley a charge of a couple of pounds rather then a charge of £10 or more would be more suitable, it looks very much like the charge you are making is to enable you to make a profit? or perhaps this is the whole point of your database, to enable you to make a profit out of drivers who are contacting you to find out what details you hold on them.

I await your response with great intrest.

68

De Poel

I personally have registered with several agencies both in the Manchester area and in the West Midlands.

As I understand should one of these agencies supply you with my details, you will in turn send me an automatic letter advising me of this.

Your company will be making money from this information, and yet you are asking me to pay you to find out what information you have on me that you are selling onward.

Surely when you send this letter to me, it should state exactly what the information will be that you will be passing on. I don’t see why I should have to pay to see my details that you intend to make money selling to another party.

thank you

69

will you post a list of all agency s that use your data base.?
if they have done as they say they have, then wot posable objection could ther be,i could save alot of time,if my agencys are not on the list then i dont have to contact you (or pay your fee $$$$$$$)
if an agency has 30 clients,who all have this system.does this mean thay can all view my info.if i sine up with that agency.?
wot hapens if you find that a agency has added info without the persons knowlege,?
how many drivers are on your system?
wot happens when i leave an agency, who tells you?
are online job clubs on your system .ie total jobs .fish 4 jobs ect
im a hgv driver on your system and a company called blogs and blog at law. wants to veiw my info will you let them?

70

Some very good points/questions, Rikki.

I actually think that there is potentially some good in this system provided that it is a voluntary thing i.e. if you say ‘no thanks’ to your agency passing on the info, it means ‘no thanks’!

Also satisfactory replies/answers need to be provided to all the questions posted on here.

There is always the thought “If you’ve nothing to hide…”

71

I am not at all ammused with this post ,about a possible list of my

details. who have been given to another person or agency with out

first getting in contact with me and asking for my perrmission,IN what

year are we and also what laws have been passed and if so by whom

to allow this misuse of apersons personnel.private,details. I would like

that this ill advised person–or the agency to publish its address and

also its e-mail address so that myself and others who are also

outraged and concerned may take the appropiate action, IN my case

they will be hearing from my solicitor with the required response

which I expect them to observe or reap the consequences …

72

Having just come off the road and recently started working for an Agency as a Consultant, I can see both sides to the argument.

At branch level, I know we don’t enter driver information onto any form of database. However, driver’s particulars must be held on a database at Head Office to assist with payroll. Whether this information is passed onto De Poel by Head Office, I don’t know (I’ll try to find out tomorrow).

Nevertheless, any Agency wishing to place drivers into any TNT depot have to register with De Poel. Why? I haven’t got a clue! What information the agency has to provide, I don’t know either. If you’re an agency driver, ask not to be sent to TNT.

Why anybody would want to work for TNT as an agency driver, I don’t know! TNT blatently disciminates against agency drivers. For example, agency drivers are not allowed to drive at night, or at weekends, or have nights out! The reason is that an agency driver hit a bridge at night. Yet last year, a TNT driver was involved in a head-on collision with another truck, in the early hours of the morning, and both drivers were killed! It doesn’t make sense!

73

iv driven for tnt around northamptonshire for years!!! with diferent agencys
when did this data base start?
are ther other data bases like this one ?

74

brummie:
Having just come off the road and recently started working for an Agency as a Consultant, I can see both sides to the argument.

At branch level, I know we don’t enter driver information onto any form of database. However, driver’s particulars must be held on a database at Head Office to assist with payroll. Whether this information is passed onto De Poel by Head Office, I don’t know (I’ll try to find out tomorrow).

Nevertheless, any Agency wishing to place drivers into any TNT depot have to register with De Poel. Why? I haven’t got a clue! What information the agency has to provide, I don’t know either. If you’re an agency driver, ask not to be sent to TNT.

Why anybody would want to work for TNT as an agency driver, I don’t know! TNT blatently disciminates against agency drivers. For example, agency drivers are not allowed to drive at night, or at weekends, or have nights out! The reason is that an agency driver hit a bridge at night. Yet last year, a TNT driver was involved in a head-on collision with another truck, in the early hours of the morning, and both drivers were killed! It doesn’t make sense!

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:
I’m agency in TNT on nights and weekends and have been for 3 months :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: and I’m one of many I have never been contacted to say I’m on some sort of list so as per usual I’m confused! :open_mouth:

75

de POEL

Have you actually read the Data Protection Act?

If so, can you tell me why you have set the fee for providing the details of an individual upon request at £25 WHEN THE DATA PROTECTION ACT STATES THAT A FEE OF NO MORE THAN £10 can be charged?

Having shown such a blatant lack of even one of the basic priciples of the act, how can we be assured that you are complying fully with the rest of it?

In addition you state:

"One of the main purposes of the agency driver database is to ensure that information regarding a drivers licence records, references and qualifications are kept up to date to ensure that companies are not exposed to the risk of having temporary drivers working on assignment that are no longer qualified. "

Isn’t that the job of the agency? The agency I work for requires me to physically present my driving licence ( and other driving related certs.) every 6 weeks whereupon a copy is made and placed on my employees file. How are you going to find out if a HGV driver has had his/her licence revoked? You can’t get the information from DVLA…

As well as that (and more worrying) you state:

“It is also possible to record specific training inductions and any incidents encountered whilst on assignment although there is not the opportunity for agencies or clients to input personal detailed feedback on a drivers working performance”

Does this mean that even though an incident is recorded, there is no opportunity to allow additional information regarding the circumstances of that incident? What happens if a car pulls out in front of me, I slam all on and jacknife the lorry? It’ll be on file that I’ve damaged a vehicle even though it was through no fault of my own.

I personally feel that de Poel are actually going to harm the very clients they intend to serve. Once word of this gets out, one of the questions a driver is going to ask of his agency is “Do you use de Poel?” If the answer is yes then that driver is most likely to go elsewhere.

We have enough people spying on us courtesy of HM Govt via VOSA, Police and the Traffic Commissioners. What we don’t want and DETEST is some company trying to find a way to make a quick buck off the backs of those actually doing the work.

As a final note de Poel…the HGV driver shortage in this country is hitting crisis level. No matter what database you have, if you’ve a HGV licence then you’ll be offered work…it’s already happening.

76

De Poel.
Is there any legal opt out for our information being held as there is with other data holders ?.
Is there any way, other than by payment, that we may check the accuracy of your information held about us?.
Are you under any legal obligation to check the validity of the information & if so how ?.
Who do you share this information with & do we, under the DPA, have any legal right to know with whom ?.
MUST we be informed before information is passed to you ? if so how must this be done ?.
Must every agency that shares infomation with you make it clear that they do so & if so HOW ?, can it for example be hidden in small print ?.
How many drivers do you currently hold data on ?.

77

Hi ,I HAVE SENT THIS FIRM A E-MAIL STATEING THAT I HAVE

NOT GIVEN ANY PERMISSION TO ANY PERSONS OR AGENCY AND

THEREFORE I REFUSE TO GIVE THEM PERMISSSION TO USE ANY

DETAILS THAT THEY MAY HAVE ABOUT ME ; ALSO WROTE THAT

I WOULD BE WRITEING TO MY MP WITH MY WORRIES AND

THE EFFECTS OF FALSE INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY DID NOT

DEAL DIRECTLY WITH ME AND THEREFORE THE INFORMATION

CAN BE COMPLETELY WRONG; SEND A E-MAIL STATEING

WHAT YOU WISH THIS FIRM TO DO WITH ANY INFORMATION

THAT THEY MAY HAVE; AND KEEP A COPY THIS IS WHAT I HAVE

DONE ;; ALSO EITHER VIST YOUR SOLICITER OR THE LEGAL AID

OR CIVIL RIGHTS OFFICE:: AND SPEAK ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL

MISSUSE OF DATA–INFORMATION::

78

DATA PROTECTION
The Data Protection (Subject Access) (Fees and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2000

Made 31st January 2000
Laid before Parliament 7th February 2000
Coming into force 1st March 2000

Maximum subject access fee
3. Except as otherwise provided by regulations 4, 5 and 6 below, the maximum fee which may be required by a data controller under section 7(2)(b) of the Act is £10.

Can DePoel explain why I today recived a letter from
Sean Gibbins
add Project Manager

Stating…

An Administration fee of £25 as is our prereogative under the act

For a company that claims to work under the Data protection Act, you seem to have a very vague knowledge of the law :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

I ask again, who is De Poel’s Data protection Officer, and why is their details not clearly shown on either the add or De Poels website?

79

Another thing I’d like to know…

As someone with 20 years experience in IT, the first login page of their ADD website doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence especially knowing the kind of usernames and passwords that the agencies are likely to use, i.e WEAK.

What assurances can be given about security?

After all, its likely my driver licence number would be there. That allows any unscrupulous person to get enough personal details to forge documents using genuine specific details which would pass a check by Police. With a “fake” driving licence and personal details they could then obtain credit and all sorts.

80

From de Poels registration with the information commissioner…

PURPOSE 4

Consultancy and Advisory Services
Purpose Description:

Giving advice or rendering professional services.The provision of services of an advisory, consultancy or intermediary nature.

Data subjects are:

Customers and Clients
Complainants, correspondents and enquirers
Advisers, consultants and other professional experts

Data classes are:

Personal Details
Family, Lifestyle and Social Circumstances
Education and Training Details
Employment Details
Goods or Services Provided
Racial or Ethnic Origin
Physical or Mental Health or Condition
Offences (Including Alleged Offences)

Why isnt this part mentioned on either your website, or on the letters you have sent to us??