Contraflow:
Hey OP, do you want to come round and clean my house, wash my car and tidy up the garden a bit? Excellent rates of pay, but we’ll sort that out once you’ve done the jobs, yeah?
yes yes very productive, keep going:/
KCLeblanc:
Radar19:
Why is the tax so high?Probably because the OP didn’t have a P45, so the agency gave him an emergency tax code. He will however be able to get the extra tax refunded.
Am kinda leaning towards this being this being the issue, thanx for the info KC:)
Radar19:
KCLeblanc:
Radar19:
Why is the tax so high?Probably because the OP didn’t have a P45, so the agency gave him an emergency tax code. He will however be able to get the extra tax refunded.
I hope I can do that. My last pay slip said I paid £38 in tax.
Id dream to pay £38 in tax!
I read these kinda threads and it reminds me how lucky I am to be on a 4on 4off for nearly double what the OP got; take home a week!
Agency rates are very poor,the pay hasnt kept up with real inflation.The O.P. will get his over paid tax back in due course.Where is the incentive to become a commercial driver nowadays?
alamcculloch:
Agency rates are very poor,the pay hasnt kept up with real inflation.The O.P. will get his over paid tax back in due course.Where is the incentive to become a commercial driver nowadays?
If your low on skills & qualifications, compared to most other dead end jobs you could do the earning potential is quite good if you play your cards right. Anyone can train up and become a capable steering wheel attendant.
Not everybody can be a professional driver though & theres a lack of people with this asset being drawn to the job these days.
(OP - this is not a dig at you btw!)
alamcculloch:
Agency rates are very poor,the pay hasnt kept up with real inflation.
Depends where in the country you are. The agency job I’ve just gone to do an induction for pays very well for the area and you have to be in a skilled or managerial role in this county to get better pay.
don’t know about other drivers but I was talking to a couple of lads where I work and we were discussing wages,i said I myself am sick and tired of working just to pay my debts as an agency driver cos that’s all that a lot of drivers are doing,they earn enough to pay debts and just about have enough to last until their next payday,and that’s through economising,as I have said before drivers in general should be on £30,000 minimum pa but that will never happen,i know a lot of haulage bosses are struggling but you also get the ones who say they cannot give you a rise because of some reason or another and yet every night they get into their top of the range cars and go home to their £600,000 pound plus houses,some of them do work hard for such luxuries I don’t dispute that,but even a small wage rise every year or so would help
So, for fellow newbies to the commercial sector.
LESSONS LEARNT
- Do you homework on any potential agency.
- With P45 in hand, check the wage and the job before accepting.
- Build a rapour with the agency (explain to them what jobs and rates you prefer etc).
- Get out of agency work as soon as possible (unless SE) or it suits?
- Go wash Contraflows’ car for him, he pays better:)
- Stay clear of UMBRELLA companies if you can.
truckman020:
don’t know about other drivers but I was talking to a couple of lads where I work and we were discussing wages,i said I myself am sick and tired of working just to pay my debts as an agency driver cos that’s all that a lot of drivers are doing,they earn enough to pay debts and just about have enough to last until their next payday,and that’s through economising,as I have said before drivers in general should be on £30,000 minimum pa but that will never happen,i know a lot of haulage bosses are struggling but you also get the ones who say they cannot give you a rise because of some reason or another and yet every night they get into their top of the range cars and go home to their £600,000 pound plus houses,some of them do work hard for such luxuries I don’t dispute that,but even a small wage rise every year or so would help
+1, I’m struggling to make ends meet & I can’t even find a decent paying job:(
Got my first class 1 trunk run tomorrow. (Thetford to Brum). Agency rate £9ph. By the sound of it, could be a lot worse!
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Got my first class 1 trunk run tomorrow. (Thetford to Brum). Agency rate £9ph. By the sound of it, could be a lot worse!
With all due respect, for Class 1 in the current climate could also be a lot better. At this moment in time if you’re not earning a MINIMUM £10.50 per hour (PAYE), £11.50 (Ltd Co.) then you need to look harder.
I don’t like seeming harsh but I also get annoyed that agencies will try and GET AWAY with paying peanuts and that drivers take them up on their crap rates.
I worked agency for a while it suited me at the time depends which company I was working for & what the hr were ( weekends early mor starts etc) depended on the rate I did build up a good relationship with 1 of them & got plenty of work but always went PAYE at 1st didnt have a P45 but it soon sorted out
Now I do work full time pay is good for what we do work anything for 5 hour upto normally around 10
At the induction for an agency client I was at yesterday, two of the drivers hadn’t even been licensed a year - one of them had only had theirs three weeks. This is one of the best places to work in the county and it used to be 2 years min experience to get in there on agency. Times have definitely changed.
The two lads who had only passed their test, one 3 weeks ago and another a few months, had signed up to an agency when they had and immediately got work mostly with YDL doing depot trunking and for decent money.
Times are certainly changing.
tmcassett:
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Got my first class 1 trunk run tomorrow. (Thetford to Brum). Agency rate £9ph. By the sound of it, could be a lot worse!With all due respect, for Class 1 in the current climate could also be a lot better. At this moment in time if you’re not earning a MINIMUM £10.50 per hour (PAYE), £11.50 (Ltd Co.) then you need to look harder.
I don’t like seeming harsh but I also get annoyed that agencies will try and GET AWAY with paying peanuts and that drivers take them up on their crap rates.
I fully appreciate what you say tm, and im gonna be twisting the ol thumbscrews on em soon. Transport gaffer at my place is convinced that the parasites - sorry - agencies - are going to struggle to supply enough credible drivers come the deadline, which will hopefully mean that their paltry rates are gonna have to be hiked up. As im brand spanking new to class1, i see it as getting a modest wage while learning the ropes, but ill defo be putting the pressure on em if i detect the status quo has changed in my favour.
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tmcassett:
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Got my first class 1 trunk run tomorrow. (Thetford to Brum). Agency rate £9ph. By the sound of it, could be a lot worse!With all due respect, for Class 1 in the current climate could also be a lot better. At this moment in time if you’re not earning a MINIMUM £10.50 per hour (PAYE), £11.50 (Ltd Co.) then you need to look harder.
I don’t like seeming harsh but I also get annoyed that agencies will try and GET AWAY with paying peanuts and that drivers take them up on their crap rates.
I fully appreciate what you say tm, and i
m gonna be twisting the olthumbscrews onem soon. Transport gaffer at my place is convinced that the parasites - sorry - agencies - are going to struggle to supply enough credible drivers come the deadline, which will hopefully mean that their paltry rates are gonna have to be hiked up. As im brand spanking new to class1, i see it as getting a modest wage while learning the ropes, but ill defo be putting the pressure onem if i detect the status quo has changed in my favour.
Fair comment but just because your a new class 1 driver doesn’t mean that by default you have to put up with crap jobs or crap wages. When I started 3 years ago I had no experience obviously but I managed to secure good money from the off and times weren’t as fruitful then as they clearly are now. The point I’m trying to make is tell them their rates are not enough and if they don’t pay what they should then there are many others at this moment in time who will.
Just out of interest which region are you in?
East Anglia mate. Living in Norwich and running out of Thetford/Snetterton. I`ll take your words on board tm, and will have a ring around over the next week or two to see what others are prepared to pay. Thanks for the input. 
Balls to that our lass works in a call centre and gets paid more