I’ve a question about employees - drivers - and loaning them to other companies.
I’ve had a few other hauliers want me to do jobs for them; but need to stick to my own work due to resources. That said, where do I stand if I ask an employee to drive someone elses trucks ad-hoc?
Do they drive under my insurance? The other companies insurance?
Seems a bit of a minefield…
Iirc lending a driver is not the done thing it’s a no no ,although I can’t remember why I think that .
Punchy Dan:
Iirc lending a driver is not the done thing it’s a no no ,although I can’t remember why I think that .
I thought it might be…but again, nothing I’ve done any hard and fast research into - just a gut feeling.
Is that not what Agencies do every day of the week?
cav551:
Is that not what Agencies do every day of the week?
Agencies don’t have operators licences though,hopefully someone will know why I think this 
Several years ago I used to work part time PAYE for an Agency. Quite regularly I would go to Tesco Strood which was an Exel depot, along with others I would then be sent ,by Exel, to Tesco Snodland which is a Wincanton depot, for the day. In most instances I would actually drive an Exel vehicle, but on more than one occasion two drivers were sent in one vehicle, so one drove a Wincanton vehicle for the day.
As far as operator’s licensing compliance was concerned two copies of the analogue tacho chart were taken.
My logical brain would suggest that if a driver works for more than 1 company, he would be under the control, insurance and be paid by the company he is actually driving for at the time. There is no problem with this in my view as I have done this type multi company working myself in the past and know of many friends who do the same. Indeed the comment about agency drivers above is a resonant point.
However, there is always a ‘but’, if you are paying the driver yourself, you are open to some insurance complications as the driver is not under your control and is not driving a vehicle insured by you. You would need to have some sort of drivers agency set up to do this, as seen in the traditional agency sector. It is probably more trouble than it’s worth to go down that path for a one off.
If it were me I’d loan the driver free of charge and get him paid by the other company, after all it might grease the wheels for you with company and future tenders. If your employee, and/or your customer don’t like this arrangement then forget it.
This is just my common sense view of course, no basis in fact.
Steve
I would say it might be an issue with your employers and public liability insurance. If “hiring out /lending your drivers to other companies to drive their trucks” is accepted by your insurers as part of your business operation then it will be fine. Just ring and up and ask / tell them, if it is only occasional they might say OK, just do it 
Alternatively they might want a fortune off you 
as happened to me when we wanted to do something slightly different to our usual line of work. I changed insurers 