Agency driving - can it work out?

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

I’ve been driving for the same firm for 5 years now, on a salaried contract. I got into this arrangement because I needed to prove consistency of income, but the requirements by which I have to do so have got more lax over time and now, that contract is looking more like a burden than a boon. (Especially as this company’s conduct during the pandemic was some absolutely disgusting stuff that belongs in a dystopian sci-fi movie.)

I’d like to be able to be less committal to idiotic companies like this, and to not have to even pretend for even 5 minutes that I care about their facile obsession with profits, or their pathetic pseudo-feudal power fantasies. I have driven for agencies in the past and had mixed experiences, but at the time I was a brand new driver and there were some waits between jobs while recruiters fished around for companies who would take a chance on a newbie.

Well I’m a newbie no more, so instinct says I would have better luck out there now. No contracts, no notice periods, an entirely different professional relationship with companies where we can be honest about what we really want out of each other - I want your money, you want my time. The mercenary aspect of that appeals to me and if memory serves the agency pay at the time was a lot higher than most employment contracts out there (though given the Living Wage etc. has come in since then I imagine there have been some knock on effects as stingy bosses try to justify having the smallest possible gap between warehouse floor staff and drivers.)

So, have any of you done it for long periods of time? Taking bits an bobs from various agencies, working in fits and starts, saving up money and then coasting on it for a while etc.? What was it like? Did the numbers add up? Was it stressful dealing with the uncertainty, or liberating because you weren’t tied down?

Obviously I can’t trust recruiters to tell me the whole story - they have a financial incentive to recruit me. So you lot are my best chance of hearing the voices of widsom on this one!

2

Firstly, the accepted wisdom is, dont give up a salary or wage for agency work. There can be a lot of false dawns and lies with agencies. Is there any possibility of meeting management and getting your current grievances sorted out. ? If you go down the agency route register with lots of them.

3

Haulier_Mal_Fet:
an entirely different professional relationship with companies where we can be honest about what we really want out of each other - I want your money, you want my time. The mercenary aspect of that appeals to me and if memory serves the agency pay at the time was a lot higher than most employment contracts out there (though given the Living Wage etc.

More like they need to fill positions that most drivers won’t/don’t want to take on.They’ll be more than happy to pay class 1 rate to fill 7.5t or even van driving multi drop jobs.In addition to building trade work like scaffolding deliveries which generally also means working as a site labourer to help erect and strike it all.

4

Yes it can.

But you have to be in a position to ride out any quiet periods.
If they know you need a certain amount of money each week…they’ve got you by the ■■■■■■■■.
Not good.

Stand me down for a week…and I’ll stand you down for another.

5

Harry Monk has been doing this for some time.
Maybe he will add his thoughts to this

For my 2 cents here is what I can say from doing it.
Save up enough money so you can turn away work if you need to. (Have a cushion)
Now, never get in a position where you are desperate for work. If an agency knows you will take any job then you will get the crap work.

I personally enjoyed it massively.
Some weeks I worked 1 day other weeks I worked 6 days.
If the agency phoned me and said they have no work I was fine with it.
Other times they phoned me desperate for me to help cover a shift and I told them to jog on.
The key is never be in a position in which you need them more than they need you.

Thats my advice. Agencies get a bad rap here but if your desperate for work and there stringing you along I see it as no ones fault other than the driver.
As a rule you should never be loyal to any job agency and they in turn are never loyal to you.
There are exceptions but never believe you are that ‘special’ driver. Your disposable and they are replaceable.

6

adam277:
Harry Monk has been doing this for some time.
Maybe he will add his thoughts to this
Save up enough money so you can turn away work if you need to. (Have a cushion)
Now, never get in a position where you are desperate for work. If an agency knows you will take any job then you will get the crap work.

Don’t think that there could have possibly been anyone less desperate than me when I was doing agency.Single no ties living with parents plenty of savings in the bank didn’t really need to give a zb financially.
How was it that I still got lumbered with the crap to the point of being taken off a decent distance bulk pallet delivery job that the customer wanted me to stay on, for yet more 7.5t and building delivery zb.I finally told them they were avin a larf and walked away.There were no calls please come back.

Ironically even that decent job was only a 4 wheeler curtain sider rigid.They were all prepared to pay class 1 money and I didn’t work for one customer who wanted a class 1 driver.Most wanted vans and 7.5 tonne multi drop and the rest all wanted what was the old ‘class 3’ in the day.Mostly building trade delivery work like scaffolding etc and all involving lots of heavy labouring work.
Things don’t seem a lot different to that now at least for anyone unlucky enough to be based near London.

7

commonrail:
Yes it can…

It only IF:

  1. Your debt free and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  2. You don’t have a young family to feed and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  3. Your not up to the neck in debt and don’t need to rely on a regular income

The kind of driver it Ideally suits:

  1. You don’t need to rely on a regular income
  2. Your young living with parents, and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  3. Your an older single driver and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  4. Your an older driver, married, the wife has her own job. the kids have long ago left home, your debt free, the mortgage is paid off, and don’t need to rely on a regular income.
  5. Your flexible and will take last minute crappy assignments, driving dog rough trucks for peanuts while you get a reputation for being reliable, and not causing damage. Then after 5-10yrs when you have climbed up the pecking order of who gets the good jobs that pay more. But until then you are faced with poor pay rates because Stanislavsky, Petre and his buddies are willing to work max hours for peanuts and don’t need to rely on a regular income.

So if you think you tick the boxes I’ve stated above, get on the phone to the agencies and sign up, then wait patiently for the phone to ring. I did and that’s why they cancelled 4 of my shifts this week, and I only worked 8hrs on Monday. But I don’t need to rely on a regular income

adam277:
Harry Monk has been doing this for some time…

AFAIK Harry now has a full time job for a firm

Never say the word NO to an agency, it’s the fastest way for the phone to stop ringing, there are many ways to imply it without saying NO.
Like:
sorry I’m not legal to start when you want me to, as I ain’t had 9hrs off.
Sorry I’ve just got In from working elsewhere and I’m just about to go to bed. Why not call me back this afternoon and we can arrange work for tomorrow/the day after etc
I’d love to go there but my car is booked in for it mot later

8

Haulier_Mal_Fet:
So, have any of you done it for long periods of time? Taking bits an bobs from various agencies, working in fits and starts, saving up money and then coasting on it for a while etc.? What was it like? Did the numbers add up? Was it stressful dealing with the uncertainty, or liberating because you weren’t tied down?

I’ve been doing it for most of the 26 years I’ve been driving lorries. I think I’ve had just 5 years in that time as a permanent employee. I’ve been where I currently am on agency for 6 years, now in my 7th.

It’s provided me with a house, it’s put plenty of money in my bank.

9

peirre:

commonrail:
Yes it can…

It only IF:

  1. Your debt free and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  2. You don’t have a young family to feed and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  3. Your not up to the neck in debt and don’t need to rely on a regular income

Absolute rubbish. I started driving on agency two years before my first son was born, I was still driving agency when he left home to start his own family. I’ve still been driving agency for the entire 6 years my grandson has been alive. I bought a house, I brought up a family working on agency, I’ve put money in the bank, I’ve put money in a pension and I’m far from skint. And that’s despite living in East Yorkshire and mostly working out of Hull hardly renown for good pay.

If you’re a crap driver then what you were bleating on about is probably an accurate description as they tend to not want to give work to the incompetent unless they absolutely have no choice. If you’ve been with an agency more than a few months and you’re still only getting sporadic work then you really want to think of doing something else other than lorry driving for a living because you’re not good at it or even barely competent. You don’t need to be a driving god to get regular work from an agency, merely the fact you’re able to get a wagon from A to B without bending it, throwing the load all over the back, getting lost and doing an extra 100 miles or getting a load of tacho infringements is sufficient to ensure you plenty of work. Companies expect agency drivers to be incompetent so even if you can manage to do the job half-assed they’ll ask for you back.

10

My short stint on agency worked out ok for me, as the recession’s effects took hold around 2009 the shifts got fewer though (to be fair i was getting fussier)and i was glad to get another good full time position, i am however in one of Peirre’s groups, debt free and not needing a regular income, though a regular one is always preferable.

Agencies can be decent but they will also stitch you up in many ways, forget to mention that the job they offered you doesn’t pay the normal rate until you’ve done it, they’ll drop you at the last minute in order to place one of their mates, just make sure you get any accrued holiday pay when you leave (this was easier when we had tacho discs as you had a bargaining chip to get your money), and if the agency goes bust contact the receiver, i did who informed me i was a preferred creditor and i was paid out in full.

Depending on the placement and how good your work is, the client can be your best mate, had it before where the agency wanted to put one of their mates in where i was on a regular job, the client wanted me to do the job and phoned the agency and reminded them who paid the bills in this relationship, agency didn’t like but i stayed on that job for months which suited me fine.

Agency does have downsides, unless you find a semi permanet gig you’ll spend hours on box ticking bloody assessments and inductions, boring as hell, you’ll have to drive absolute dogs and i don’t mean old tackle i mean fleet stuff with poxy eco set manual option deleted gearboxes (frustrating beyond belief) and despite being only months old are damaged filthy and stink of ■■■■ and body odour, we are after all lorry drivers at heart hopefully and there should go with that a certain pride in doing this job.

You also have to deal with utter bell ends behind desks in logstics operations almost every day of your working week, mincing sarky little bleeders who wouldn’t say boo to a goose in a pub, yes i know even on full time jobs that can be the case but i couldn’t take a full time job where i’d be working out of or delivering to such places again, if you can put up with such people and driving around in filthy stinking vehicles then fine, each to their own, i can’t.

I’d do agency again if needs be but it wouldn’t be my first choice.
It’s a handy way of seeing what else is out there though (before committing to a job), if i hadn’t done the agency route i’d have completely forgotten about the place i’m at now, didn’t go there on an agency shift but next door to it on yet another bloody assessment, which triggered me knocking on the door.
At one time agency did often pay better than full time, this isn’t the case everywhere though and not where i work.

11

Been doing fulltime agency for about 10 years on Ltd and done very well out of it. It does depend on the area you live, I am in the east midlands and there is usually plenty of work in the area.

In the last 12 months I have only lost about 5 days work but I work every weekend and take my rest days in the week. If you willing to do the ■■■■ shifts you always kept busy but if you want mon-fri 6am starts the agencies will allways have a choice of drivers.

At the moment with this pandemic going on I think you better looking for another full-time job than going on the agency. When they do inforce the IR35 I will most probably go back to full-time as I carnt see the sense to go paye and get the same rates as the full-timer but without the sircuŕty.

12

Conor:

peirre:

commonrail:
Yes it can…

It only IF:

  1. Your debt free and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  2. You don’t have a young family to feed and don’t need to rely on a regular income
  3. Your not up to the neck in debt and don’t need to rely on a regular income

Absolute rubbish. I started driving on agency two years before my first son was born, I was still driving agency when he left home to start his own family. I’ve still been driving agency for the entire 6 years my grandson has been alive. I bought a house, I brought up a family working on agency, I’ve put money in the bank, I’ve put money in a pension and I’m far from skint. And that’s despite living in East Yorkshire and mostly working out of Hull hardly renown for good pay.

If you’re a crap driver then what you were bleating on about is probably an accurate description as they tend to not want to give work to the incompetent unless they absolutely have no choice. If you’ve been with an agency more than a few months and you’re still only getting sporadic work then you really want to think of doing something else other than lorry driving for a living because you’re not good at it or even barely competent. You don’t need to be a driving god to get regular work from an agency, merely the fact you’re able to get a wagon from A to B without bending it, throwing the load all over the back, getting lost and doing an extra 100 miles or getting a load of tacho infringements is sufficient to ensure you plenty of work. Companies expect agency drivers to be incompetent so even if you can manage to do the job half-assed they’ll ask for you back.

This Driver is trying to break into the agency game, so theyll have to start from the very bottom of the pecking order, so will be way down the pecking order from a driving God like you when it comes to getting regular work. With the impact of the pandemic and the bleak season effect, now isnt the time to be considering jacking a job with a regular income to venture into the unknown world of agency driving, especially if they rely on that income for paying the bills. You and I are probably in a tiny minority for making agency driving a long term gig and prospering out of it, even in the last couple of years where its getting harder to get a regular assignment and keeping your feet under the table

13

peirre:
You and I are probably in a tiny minority for making agency driving a long term gig and prospering out of it, even in the last couple of years where its getting harder to get a regular assignment and keeping your feet under the table

Maybe so, maybe my views are tained by being at a place where I’ve seen the same 15-20 agency drivers in year in, year out for the last several years pretty much full time most of the year. There’s quite a few lorry drivers at my agency who have been there several years as well who aren’t on the gig I’m on, I’d say probably the majority of them. It is one that pays for us to go through our DCPC and when you go you’ll see familiar faces you’ll have maybe not bumped into for a couple of years or more but talking to them they’ve still been at the agency on different contracts.

Certainly around here there are a lot of agency drivers who do it full time and have done it for a long time. Maybe it’s to do with the area.

Sure the first few weeks/months are going to be hit and miss, especially at this time of year, but if you can stick those out then the work should be coming in enough to be fulltime or at least enough hours you’re getting what you did in a permanent job. The timing is probably right to start it now or in the coming month because once it gets to Easter holidays then the demand ramps up over the summer, you may get a quiet period around the end of September then demand ramps up again for Xmas. When it comes to Jan 2022 you’ve then got your feet well under the table and should see enough work to keep you happy.

14

It’ll take him a couple of years to get that “good regular gig” till then he’ll have bills to pay. Like you I’m on an “old contact” that only maybe a dozen guys are on with this mob, it was that contact that got us furlough pay last year, and it’s the same contract that has guaranteed me 24hrs pay/work this week after work was cancelled due to servicing schedule of a load of hire trucks. So even I’m not immune from work being cancelled

15

peirre:
It’ll take him a couple of years to get that “good regular gig” till then he’ll have bills to pay.

Having that good regular gig doesn’t matter though. I spent 15 years doing agency where I’d be at a different place every week or sometimes at two or three different ones in the same week and that was the time where I was able to buy my first house and start putting money in the bank. It would be rare for me to be somewhere more than a couple of weeks and when that happened it tended to be in say July/August when the client would have a constant stream of people taking holidays or if they had someone on long term sick. Once you’ve proven competence and flexibility then you’ll get plenty of work, it just won’t usually be in the same place week in, week out.

16

Back then as you put it agency work was a totally different thing to what it is now

17

Remember firms such as Argos dont employ their own drivers. I had some stuff delivered a while back . I had met the driver before on another job and he said that he had been six years with Argos through Driver Hire. I think that the bed and sofa firms are much the same.

18

alamcculloch:
Remember firms such as Argos dont employ their own drivers. I had some stuff delivered a while back . I had met the driver before on another job and he said that he had been six years with Argos through Driver Hire. I think that the bed and sofa firms are much the same.

Argos does employ there own drivers both in the DC’s and the home delivery drivers. Round about 50/50 core and agency drivers

19

elsa Lad:

alamcculloch:
Remember firms such as Argos dont employ their own drivers. I had some stuff delivered a while back . I had met the driver before on another job and he said that he had been six years with Argos through Driver Hire. I think that the bed and sofa firms are much the same.

Argos does employ there own drivers both in the DC’s and the home delivery drivers. Round about 50/50 core and agency drivers

Do they?
I swear at a few RDC’s that you are employed through wincanton.

20

adam277:

elsa Lad:

alamcculloch:
Remember firms such as Argos dont employ their own drivers. I had some stuff delivered a while back . I had met the driver before on another job and he said that he had been six years with Argos through Driver Hire. I think that the bed and sofa firms are much the same.

Argos does employ there own drivers both in the DC’s and the home delivery drivers. Round about 50/50 core and agency drivers

Do they?
I swear at a few RDC’s that you are employed through wincanton.

Think you splitting hairs :laughing: Yes wincantion and DHL run the transport but the drivers go with the depots who ever wins the contract at renewal time. Home delivery vans are Argos staff