Good evening, I would like drivers views on working solely as an agency driver as opposed to being employed. I live near Plymouth and have a class 1 licence but I am currently driving for a local farm on fixed paye contract. I’m getting to the point at 57 that I just want to work 2-3 days a week and being able to take time off for holidays when I want not when I’m told. I’ve been doing a day here and there for an agency in Plymouth which I enjoy. Plus sides and Down sides please.
Thanks for all advice, Glynno.
Proper company PAYE = secure job and guaranteed salary, paid holidays, all ex’s eg uniforms and safety clothing and equipment supplied, all ex’s regarding licencing paid plus paid to attend dcpc, medicals paid, parking paid if nighting out, you get used to the routine which usually makes for easier working days.
Whether you can find the hours you want on a permanent job remains to be seen, maybe you could job share with someone in a similar situation if you want a 3 day week but fully expect to be chased to buggery for those 3 days.
Agency, yes you can do the hours to suit you but only if there’s enough work that coincides with your requirements.
When busy the agency will expect you to cover extra shifts, turn them down too often and expect to be the last bod they ring when there is work, not a place to be in when work is short.
None of the extras thrown in for agency.
Depending on the type of operation you might be better paid on agency, but that won’t be the case with proper employers.
If you like varied work then agency would more likely provide it.
I believe there’s 2 very distinct models of working for an agency. One where you could work anywhere, the other where you are only placed with one single client. So if it’s the latter you get all the benefits of familiarity, but with more flexibility than working directly as employed by that client
You don’t say which of these models are available or attractive to you?
Juddian:
Proper company PAYE = secure job and guaranteed salary, paid holidays, all ex’s eg uniforms and safety clothing and equipment supplied, all ex’s regarding licencing paid plus paid to attend dcpc, medicals paid, parking paid if nighting out, you get used to the routine which usually makes for easier working days.
Agency - paid holidays, workplace pension, often a uniform, safety clothing and equipment supplied, parking paid if nighting out.
None of the extras thrown in for agency.
Regulations on parity pay mean that they have to for some so any bonuses, fuel bonuses, damage bonuses, meal allowances etc and if the client has additional holidays over what the agency standard is you’re entitled to all of those once you’ve been there 12 weeks which doesn’t have to be a continuous 12 weeks either.
I too have been looking to step down to 3 days a week. The trouble is nobody wants a permanent driver for just 3 days, they are still wanting drivers to bang a 5 day followed by a 6 day. Its looking like I too may have to become a limper.
Juddian:
Proper company PAYE = secure job and guaranteed salary, paid holidays, all ex’s eg uniforms and safety clothing and equipment supplied, all ex’s regarding licencing paid plus paid to attend dcpc, medicals paid, parking paid if nighting out, you get used to the routine which usually makes for easier working days.
Whether you can find the hours you want on a permanent job remains to be seen, maybe you could job share with someone in a similar situation if you want a 3 day week but fully expect to be chased to buggery for those 3 days.Agency, yes you can do the hours to suit you but only if there’s enough work that coincides with your requirements.
When busy the agency will expect you to cover extra shifts, turn them down too often and expect to be the last bod they ring when there is work, not a place to be in when work is short.
None of the extras thrown in for agency.
Not having any mortgage or dependents and a good reserve of cash in whatever form, especially close to pension age, is a game changer in the employee’s strength of bargaining position, in that regard.Especially with a good attitude to short notice bookings/jobs, possibly even a couple of hours notice, on the days you’re available.While ironically employers could make being full time employed more attractive by making more use of agencies to provide time off at short notice and as required.
I’ve been lucky that way, I dropped down to 4 days including Saturday.
A lot of the time it is only 3 and half days, the odd time I’ll get stitched up with a long day Saturday…as tomorrow. 
Can’t complain though tbh, its swings and roundabouts.
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For just…
2 or 3 days a week, agency work is ideal.
Make sure you get paid properly and ignore any umbrella company shenanigans.
Don’t expect to do much if anything in Jan, Feb and March every year.
Make sure you put the agencies number on silent when you go bo bo’s mate.
I Currently have a very well paid full time (50-60 hrs per WK) job with a single employer through an Agency, but would rather a permanent (employed) contract even if for slightly lower money.
My employer is a very large national logistics company, employing exclusively agency drivers.
It’s a great job, well paid, good conditions, friendly & helpful staff.
But…
My shifts are all over the place (early start one day & late the next) & I don’t know what shift I’m doing or even IF I’m working until 5pm the day before.
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WideWolf:
But…
My shifts are all over the place (early start one day & late the next) & I don’t know what shift I’m doing or even IF I’m working until 5pm the day before.
Same as me, I’ve been at Howdens for coming up to 10 years, being on nights I find out what I’m doing the following day at some point in the afternoon. Then again that’s better than their own drivers because they get to find out what they’re doing the following day when they hand their keys in at the end of the shift. They tend to keep you on the same times give or take, start times vary from around 3pm at the earliest til 8pm at the latest and if you do shift it tends to be from early to late rather than the other way around, if you start on lates you tend to be on that all week. It’s common to end up on early all week then get a late on Friday. It’s a bit better because we get a text on a Monday asking for availability the following week so you can at least plan intended days off during the week so for example I can’t really work 5 days a week because of my disability so I’ll typically take Wednesday off to split it up. I long since learned not to plan to do anything during the week without saying I wasn’t available but then again that’s not really any different to working full time.
As someone has pointed out, the type of placement you are in can mean a lot. But the current economic climate is throwing a wrench in the equation, as non food related industries are beginning to see an effect on their work.
In my opinion as long as you can avoid the agency rubbish of different pay schemes etc and actually get a set working week agreed with them in advance there is no issue Yes occasionally you might be stood down with little notice which is annoying when you work nights as you have slept all day expecting to work. Other than that if the client doesn’t want you for what ever reason they can just boot you out where as employed directly they have to go through a process.
positives are able to choose when you work and book holiday as much or as little as you like.
Pay parity is a lot more common now and sometimes even without having to work 12 weeks at the same client to qualify.
In my experience I have noticed that the one way clients can claw back is take advantage of the fact that hours are not guaranteed. You may find that the actual minimum can be as low as 4 hours (per shift), which is usually agreed with the agency. On the other hand, if you are required for more than this you will usually be expected to stay.
This can and does change during busy periods when the minimum hours to be paid will go up to make sure clients can get drivers.
I went onto a part time contract in April.
Fri/Sat 19.2 hours.
Usually do 36,though.
Best thing is…2 days holiday gives me 12 off.
Wasn’t at work much in june/july 
I don’t know the right answer yet, but will soon find out as I’m currently in the process of switching from a full time Monday to Friday job (non-driving) to agency employment.
I’ve been driving every other Sunday for 18 months and really enjoying the learning curve and the job itself (supermarket work via agency), so have finally decided to take the leap. I trust the agency contacts I’ve been working for since passing my class 1 last February, so fingers crossed it all works out OK.
Rising nursery costs for our 2 year old has meant that if I can get 3 shifts (Sunday to Tuesday), I can spend time with the toddler Thursday and Friday and end up with more money overall.
I expect the first few months of the year to be a bit quiet so have registered with another 2 agencies as backup and have some savings built up, so fingers crossed it’ll work well and I’ll get a better work/life balance in the process, after working 11 days a fortnight for the last few years.
Any advice on this switch in terms of changing tax codes and anything else I may not have thought of is much appreciated!
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I spent 3 years on agency in north London and I learnt more in that three years than the rest of my career combined. Lots of crap is talked about agencies, most of it bs
I am an agency driver for an agency with a few branches and live in the same county as you. If I refer you to my agency and you work a few shifts with them, I’ll get a bonus. PM me!
I’m signed up with 4 agencies but only one supplies me with work.
I constantly vacillate between getting a job and staying on agency. Agency always wins because I would not get the annual leave that I require if I was employed. I like to have the whole of August off plus Easter plus a week or so at Christmas plus some days at the three half terms if I want. I manage to be pretty much full time in term time. I reckon when all said and done I work the equivalent of 40-42 full time weeks a year, taking into account the quiet weeks. I tell the agency in plenty of time when I am unavailable and when I want to get paid holiday.
So I have to put up with the downsides of staying with the agency to get what I want. One of the main reasons I vacillate is because of the time and money I spend commuting but if I worked locally, which I could, the only firms are of the max out your hours every week variety. Not interested.
As it happens at the moment I am working relatively long term for one client so I have the best of both worlds for a bit, and that gets me vacillating again …maybe I should take the job they have offered me and try and negotiate terms to my advantage!
Another reason is that having to play agency games is tiring and doesn’t come naturally to me so I’m not very good at it.
There are absolutely no frills, unless you count providing DCPC as a frill.
I think, as you are experienced, if you tell them what you want and when you want it and sprinkle liberally with flexibility you will be fine.
Hey Goff118, good to hear from you and that you are making the move!
There is always the stink if being agency that you’re not good enough to be employed full time by any reputable company, nothing personal it is what it is, it’s also about respect for yourself, it can be a bit off putting when out in company and someone asks you who you work for
It’s like your scabing a living and couldn’t ever get a real job, nothing wrong with having a job but you asked the question and people in that situation don’t have much choice
There are all sorts of people in this world and it takes all sorts to make it work
Full time job with a real company is the way to go hands down
If you want to work for a agency expect to stress yourself out every week worrying weather you get a living from week to week from some company that has two desks in a shared office
Until I retired i worked for different agencies for several years.With all due modesty I think i was good at the job and experienced in different types of work and vehicles,including A frames.On the other hand i was awkward.In the beginning i laid out what i would not do and stuck to it,particularly when it came to hours worked such as nights only and 10 hours max.On odd occasions I may have been the victim of circumstances but that’s how it goes.Like Driveress I liked my time off,plus I bought my place in spain in 2005 so obviously I spent a lot of time there whenever the mood took me.
The old adage comes to mind.
Don’t leave a full time job to go on agency when you have a young family and a mortgage to pay, due to the uncertainty of the work