With the agency I am with there is a cut of time for the client to cancel a job. After that time I will get the minimum 8 hours whether I have left home or not. Before that time they will try to sort me something else for that day, or night.
Fred:
SuperSmiley:
From the agencies point of view…they’re running a cut throat business…If your in with a good client…and you can’t afford to lose them…it’s easier and better to upset a driver…than the client…otherwise the possible knock on effect for them as a business…could be a lot more upsetting…especially…if rival down the road sneaks in …
quote]sound words Smiley - but from my perspective if it happens once with a client, that’s unfortunate and maybe I deal with it by sorting the driver out myself. If it happens too often I’d actually rather lose the client… there’s always another of them just round the corner, good drivers on the other hand are less common.
Thats what I call a balanced view,but it in my experience what you guys say and reality are another thing. But hey I do not know you so take your word for it you seem a fair guy.
Yes the ethical thing to do would be at least cover my exes.
SUPERSMILEY …I ight not have been cler so just to make the point again …
I see my agreement with that agency as being four days work tramping as detailed with dates and payrates in the email they sent me.
Not the day shift they say the client offered.My claim is for the loss of earnings for that 1 day given that I carried out work on that day i.e. moved tramping gear out of unit to store room and put my own in on their instruction…the fact that they then said no further work available is not my problem.
In fact the money is not a real problem but I have had enough of being dicked about by these agys…I am gonna let them know they have a scrap on their hands.
I was given some interesting info late last night by a peron that is quite interesting and can not post on here for legal reasons because the DTI maybe investigating later.
Thanks again all will let you know…
Coffeeholic:
With the agency I am with there is a cut of time for the client to cancel a job. After that time I will get the minimum 8 hours whether I have left home or not. Before that time they will try to sort me something else for that day, or night.
What is the cut off Coffee?
oh and btw - I have one client who paid 8 hrs (at Sunday rate - double time) to a driver that he booked at 10.40 on Sunday to go ‘ASAP’ and the cancelled at 10.55. I quote “he was good enough to drop everything to help us out so it’s only fair”. If only there were more like that.
Coffeeholic:
With the agency I am with there is a cut of time for the client to cancel a job. After that time I will get the minimum 8 hours whether I have left home or not. Before that time they will try to sort me something else for that day, or night.
Neil I work for a few different agys and they operate broadly speaking as you say.
The one in particular I am at loggerheads with when asked “will you be covering my travelling expenses”
Replied
“It will be a first if we do”
So with that I picked up the gauntlet.
Fred:
Coffeeholic:
With the agency I am with there is a cut of time for the client to cancel a job. After that time I will get the minimum 8 hours whether I have left home or not. Before that time they will try to sort me something else for that day, or night.What is the cut off Coffee?
To be honest I can’t remember what the guy said when I met him regarding the cut off time, he just explained what happens if that situation arises. There was a lot of info to absorb that day and it didn’t all stick. 
The situation hasn’t arisen anyway, so far, and he did say it was very rare for one of his clients to book a driver then cancel. Slightly more common would be to turn up somewhere and then they decide not to use you. That happened at Asda Bedford the other Sunday. Two of us turned up, I got a run of 5.5 hours and paid 8 while the other guy got sent home and paid 8. That’ll teach me for arriving first. 
Neil have you finished with the owner driver thing mate 
thecoder0:
Neil have you finished with the owner driver thing mate
Yeah, a while ago now.
too busy to read right now…and off to work soon…but fred your right…if a clients of just messing everyone about at will…then i agree…you ■■■■ em off…and i have seen this done before…
As I see it - IMHO MR Fred agency man. When you ask a driver to go somewhere and agree with him (or her) all the details, then you have a verbal contract. When the driver turns up as agreed with you as per verbal contract, and is then turned away for whatever reason then you owe him the minimum 8 hours. Whether you get and pay for it is your problem.
The minimum 8 hours pay thing has been in all agency contracts I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a few.
I agree too, that if you have a messer wanting drivers one minute and not the next, then dump them pronto. No-one needs that.
When the driver turns up as agreed with you as per verbal contract, and is then turned away for whatever reason then you owe him the minimum 8 hours. Whether you get and pay for it is your problem.
The minimum 8 hours pay thing has been in all agency contracts I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a few. Wink
Got to agree with that - if you have got there then you should certainly get the 8. Should get something for cancellation at short notice as well, since you may well have turned down other work … …
I was once offered a job from Manchester and was told 1 night out. I wasn’t told where I was going or anything.
When I got to the client I discovered I had 8 drops around Devon and Cornwall. They couldn’t provide maps and there was no sat nav. I had to buy my own maps which cost me about a tenner and I’ve never used them since.
Anyway, on the first day I got to my first drop (Travis Perkins, paington) 10 minutes before they closed. They tipped and I trotted off to Torquay and parked up for the night. I tipped in torquay, got to Plymouth and it was now midday.
I only had enough clothes and money for 1 night so rang the client to tell him I was on my way back. I was told to finish the 8 drops regardless of how long it takes. I think I’d have needed another 2 nights at least and my final destination would’ve been 9 hours from Manchester. A whole days driving just to get back.
I explained that I’d been told it was just 1 night and put it on a bit about going on holiday next day. I wanted to teach somebody a lesson about communications. I wasn’t going to budge and on principal took the truck back. I eventually finished at 10:35 pm (15 1/2 hour day) and never went back.
If I’d have been told properly exactly what the job was, told it could be 3 or 4 nights out etc… I would have done it. I was fed up with feeling that I could be so misinformed about such a job. That was probably the worst agency job I had.
Nice truck though. A new snow white Volvo FH12 Globetrotter. Alas, with all the other guys stuff in it, just like you thecoder0.
ezydriver:
I was once offered a job from Manchester and was told 1 night out. I wasn’t told where I was going or anything.
When I got to the client I discovered I had 8 drops around Devon and Cornwall. They couldn’t provide maps and there was no sat nav. I had to buy my own maps which cost me about a tenner and I’ve never used them since.
Anyway, on the first day I got to my first drop (Travis Perkins, paington) 10 minutes before they closed. They tipped and I trotted off to Torquay and parked up for the night. I tipped in torquay, got to Plymouth and it was now midday.
I only had enough clothes and money for 1 night so rang the client to tell him I was on my way back. I was told to finish the 8 drops regardless of how long it takes. I think I’d have needed another 2 nights at least and my final destination would’ve been 9 hours from Manchester. A whole days driving just to get back.
I explained that I’d been told it was just 1 night and put it on a bit about going on holiday next day. I wanted to teach somebody a lesson about communications. I wasn’t going to budge and on principal took the truck back. I eventually finished at 10:35 pm (15 1/2 hour day) and never went back.
If I’d have been told properly exactly what the job was, told it could be 3 or 4 nights out etc… I would have done it. I was fed up with feeling that I could be so misinformed about such a job. That was probably the worst agency job I had.Nice truck though. A new snow white Volvo FH12 Globetrotter. Alas, with all the other guys stuff in it, just like you thecoder0.
Yeah sounds like a nightmare that mate. sometimes you got to kick back a little for our own self respect. Respect mate 
coder0 read what u said…and fully back u…just turning up…is 8hr without question…
SuperSmiley:
coder0 read what u said…and fully back u…just turning up…is 8hr without question…
surely they have to pay 8 hours .you turn up for work and they cancel you .then thats not your problem .what you supposed to do go home and forget about it. earning nothing for that day. yer right 
youve gone out of your way to help them out and they [zb] on you.
thank [zb] im a employed driver
jonboy:
SuperSmiley:
coder0 read what u said…and fully back u…just turning up…is 8hr without question…surely they have to pay 8 hours .you turn up for work and they cancel you .then thats not your problem .what you supposed to do go home and forget about it. earning nothing for that day. yer right
youve gone out of your way to help them out and they [zb] on you.
thank [zb] im a employed driver
Maybe if you’d turned up for a job and they’d cancelled you, sending you back home, it was probably because someone had tipped them off about your reputation for stripping naked in other driver’s cabs 
.
DAFMAD:
The minimum 8 hours pay thing has been in all agency contracts I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a few.I agree too, that if you have a messer wanting drivers one minute and not the next, then dump them pronto. No-one needs that.
As I said earlier - I acknowledge the issue and do my utmost to make sure that the driver is looked after, BUT, I just reread our Terms of Engagement which are REC approved and there is no mention in there of any minimum hours. The only reference is to the minimum pay rate, which is set at Statutory Minimum Wage (although we have NO jobs that are that badly paid). Minimum shift length is set in the Terms of Business with each client, some at 8hrs, some at 10.
All the agency contracts I’ve seen and signed pay you 8 hours regardless of client or hours worked (under 8 (which isnt very often)).
ezydriver:
All the agency contracts I’ve seen and signed pay you 8 hours regardless of client or hours worked (under 8 (which isnt very often)).
because that is the agreement with the client. I’ve got a number of ‘job and knock’ clients - some of the Saturday shifts take 5 or 6 hours tops and still get 8hrs at time and a half.
But that isn’t the same issue as the one that started this thread…
rob [zb] off
if the money was not forth coming i would take the next rush job the agency come up with and not turn up for it… and never work for them again.
your buisness is based on drivers working for you, no drivers no buisness.
when it comes to cash i dont muck about
jon
jonboy:
when it comes to cash i dont muck about
Was there money involved in the ‘wasp stung my back’ story then■■? 
Or did you just get naked in his cab for free■■?