No wonder agency drivers get bad names!

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

I had an agency class 2 driver in on Friday, nice easy job, take an empty 18t from Depot in Southampton to Catford, load empty cages and return to depot. Not a very taxing day by any stretch of the imagination. Agency send me a driver who has only had his licence since March, not a problem we all have to start somewhere, we self insure so I can take on drivers with any expierence and at any age.

Driver turns up 20 minutes late…not a good start…was only an 8am start, not silly o clock. show him brand new 18t, never been on the road in anger, only delivered 14 hours before. Tell him where he has to go, round M25 to A21, follow A21 to catford. Ah, dont know that area, is that M25 towards M1, No M25 anti clock, Which way is anticlock. By this time I am starting to wonder what planet this muppet is from.

Finally get him away by about 9am, should be at Catford by 12 at the latest. Phone him at 12, You there yet mate. Not yet. Where are you. Not sure. What do you mean not sure. I think I’m on the A3. Inside or outside of the M25. Inside, But am on my way back out to M25, I took a wrong turn. You dont say!!

Phone him an hour later, how you getting on? Just on the A23. Uh, what you doing on the A23. On my way to Catford. Not via the A23 you aint. Thats what you told me. No it wasnt, I said M25 to A21. Oh, I will turn round and get back on the M25 then.

Finally get a call at 14.00, I’m at Catford. So where did you take your break then. What Break. Well it has taken you 5 hours to get there, you must have taken a break. No I am going to take it on my way home. How do you work that out driver, you have been on the go for 5 hours!(silence) Just load it up and get back here asap.

15.00 he decides to leave catford. Phone him at 17.30, just by Gulidford.What the [zb] you doing at Guildford. Thought I would take the scenic route!

Now by this time I am having a serious sense of humour failure, I cannot leave work until this muppet has bought our wagon back.

He finally pulls in at 19.30 driving like Jenson Button (not a good way to impress me) and looking like a failed ■■■■ star with the shades on and shirt off. Now most of us have enough sense to put our shirts back on b4 we get back to the yard, not this egit.

Needless to say his agency will only get paid 8 hours.

When you work as a driver we are paid not only on our ability to drive a truck but also on the knowledge we hold about the best way to get somewhere, this guy (in his mid 20s) was not in the slightest bit intrested about the true job as a driver, all he wanted to do was to pose in a big lorry.

No wonder agecy drivers get bad name!!! :imp:

2

You just can`t get the staff…

But then, why would anybody in their right mind choose a career as a truck driver these days?

Poor roads, poor parking facilities, a total lack of respect everywhere you go… Im sure you know what its like yourself.

And, at the end of the day, hes probably only earning a tenner an hour, so will earn £80 for his days work today. Well, you could earn more in McDonalds.

So thats why you get numpties like this in the industry. He wont care if you won`t have him back.

Employers are ten-a-penny.

Vince

3

Vince:
You just can`t get the staff…

But then, why would anybody in their right mind choose a career as a truck driver these days?

Poor roads, poor parking facilities, a total lack of respect everywhere you go… Im sure you know what its like yourself.

And, at the end of the day, hes probably only earning a tenner an hour, so will earn £80 for his days work today. Well, you could earn more in McDonalds.

So thats why you get numpties like this in the industry. He wont care if you won`t have him back.

Employers are ten-a-penny.

Vince

Do McDonalds pay more than £10 ph?
You do get numpties in all industries, I’ve work in warehouses and offices and met many people who say they can do a job, but look blank when given a simple instruction. Then go about doing completly the wrong thing after being told how to do a job.
Agency Drivers seem to get a bad press, sometimes it’s justified, but others it has more to do with them not knowing the companies way of working or exactly were the places are. Can’t know every address in the country.

4

Vince:
You just can`t get the staff…

But then, why would anybody in their right mind choose a career as a truck driver these days?

Poor roads, poor parking facilities, a total lack of respect everywhere you go… Im sure you know what its like yourself.

And, at the end of the day, hes probably only earning a tenner an hour, so will earn £80 for his days work today. Well, you could earn more in McDonalds.

So thats why you get numpties like this in the industry. He wont care if you won`t have him back.

Employers are ten-a-penny.

Vince

Hit the nail right on the head!!!
if people like this gets work then its only our fault!

5

please don’t think that every agency driver is like that numpty you had on friday,there are good ones out there.

vince as for mcdonalds if you can get 10 quid per hour then please feel free as you’ll get the same amout of respect in one of there places as you do delivering with your artic.none and sod all. this is not a dig at you vince its simple as this, you driving your truck or serving in a mcdonalds place you are dealing with the general public and as you know they are always right and your always wrong,we are in a no win situation.your dammed if you do and dammed if you don’t.

:wink: :wink: :wink:

6

let me start buy saying ive done agency work twice and it wasnt for me but there are good and bad its just you never here about good agency drivers this guy obviously had no common sense if you want to be a driver then correct me if im wrong but wouldnt ya carry a map of the uk as a start everybody has to start somwhere but he was just taking the pee this industry has enough idiots in it we dont need anymore .its about time they put a common sense test and more importantly a route finding test included in the theory test .my own personal view is that i can;t understand how people can do this just as a job cuz i know i wouldnt put up with the crap we get thrown at us everyday.i stick it cuz i like trucks and everything about trucking.ive heard agency drivers at a certaian dairy ndc in nuneaton ask how do i get to the m6 from here (only a mile down the road)one guy had never heard of chepstow when he was told its in east wales right on the english border he said how do i get to wales. :unamused: :unamused:. rant over :laughing: :wink:

7

Ok, so this driver was green as grass. But, the amount of places I go where they don’t want to tell you anything about the job or where you are supposed to be going is amazing. Oh we havn’t got any directions and nobody here has been there, we think its near whasname. And often when you get directions they are very vague.
Tip, always give the driver all the information needed, especially if it is a new driver to you. All directions should be in plain writing and or in map form. Verbal directions or part of get forgotten. Sorry, but, you said yourself, you knew the driver was new to the game. When a driver goes to a new job, he or she has to take in and learn a hell of a lot in a short amount of time, and often has to listen to and take in a lot of verbal info.
Every company does things differently, so there is usually a lot to remember.
No offence intended, it gets my goat, some of the companies attitudes, that I have been to. Often the driver can’t do any homework on where they are going, because either you don’t get told beforehand or its changed when you get there.

8

I have no problem agency drivers as the majority of them are very good drivers/workers :sunglasses: but the 2 i came into contact with this week were like dumb & dumber IE

driver 1
class 2 about 50 yrs old ish agency sends him in for a nice easy job 1 drop in brum no problem when he gets to us in the morning my boss has changed the run its still 1 drop run back empty but now going to bedfordshire the driver then starts to kick off saying he’s supposed to be doing brum boss says what diference does it make you will still be back before your CONTRACTED 10 hrs are up. so of he trundles then about 4 hrs boss gets a call of said driver he’s stuck at J16 on the M6 and the engines blown up
Eventually (6pm) we get the truck back to find the engines not blown up its just blown a seal out and has started dripping oil and smelling a bit no problem [zb] happens. it turns out the driver had checked the oil thought it was a bit low so topped it up TO THE TOP OF THE FILLER NECK causing the seal to go pop.

Driver 2
Saturday night i roll in the yard to start my shift 11pm and theres this agency guy there he asks how to switch the fuel on (you need a key fob to start the electricity) so i turned it on for and showed him what to do then i sort my gear out he backs of the pump and i pull on whilst im filling up im watching him at the other side off the yard whats he doing so i wander over and he’s only checking the oil WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING

simon

9

I recall an incident a few years ago,where I was running a new contract in Hartlepool for the company I worked for then.

We had 3 artics,and a rigid then,and the rigid was used during the day for local deliveries,from basically the Tees to Tyne area.

Agency driver booked,turns up at 8am on the morning in question,and asks what he is doing. ‘8 drops,’ says I, ‘easy day.’ ‘No problem,’ he says,and after the formalities,he sets off.Good,I thought,that’s one problem less,it shouldn’t take him long to do those,and I estimate he should be finished and back by about 3pm,and he’ll get paid his 8 hours,so he’s on a winner.

At 7pm,he rolls back in the yard,and I ask where he’s been. ‘Delivering,’ he said. ‘Then why have you brought 5 drops back,’ said I., :imp: ‘Got lost’ he replied. ‘Well all you had to do was phone me,and I would have rung you back and pointed you in the right direction.’

Now you can imagine the customer was not happy about this,so I had to guarantee that these items would be delivered next day FOC,and the next day,I summoned the manager of the agency to my office,and read her the riot act about this driver,and told her,in no uncertain terms that we would not be paying for the guys services.I then rung my gaffer back at Ossett,and told him what had happened,to which he backed me up 100% :open_mouth:

Now,yes,you will get bad a agency drivers,as my experience proved,but there are also a lot of good ones out there who do make a good impression,and are often asked for by name to go and do a job for a company,as I also had that experience on the job above.

Ken.

10

One of the problems is that as a new driver you are told to go and do some agency work to get some experience. Most people who need an agency driver really need someone with experience enough to walk in and do what the regular drivers do straight off.

I’ve had bad days - one job of about 15 drops in an area I did not know. I made this clear before I took the job, but the directions I was given were next to useless. On the other hand, I’ve just been asked for for another week with another company where I know the area and most of the drops as well.

As has already been said, there are good and bad agency drivers and good and bad agency driver employers (not suggesting you smcaul :smiley: ). I certainly try to do a good job so that they do ask for me by name next time. It’s a nice feeling when it happens too :sunglasses:

11

The one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb about these dire agency drivers is the lack of ability of finding ones way from A to B. Surely the freight note has a delivery address, and are maps now out of fashion in the UK? :unamused:

My UK driving experience is practically zero, but if I turned up in the UK and applied for a job at an agency I can guarantee that I’d get the job done quicker than those muppets above, and thats without knowing ones way around :sunglasses:

I think getting used to RHD would be easy enough, it’s driving on the left again that will be my biggest problem … but I’m sure that the oncoming traffic would let me know I’d got it wrong again. :open_mouth:

12

Just to add a point,I have been doing this job for the last 6 months (transport Manager) previous to that I was an Agency driver for 18 months, So the one thing I always do is give very clear instructions, Most would say fool proof, they have my Mobile number and are told let it ring once and I will call them straight back, so it dosent cost them anything. On monday last week I had another agency van driver, on his first drop wrote off the front wing of a car and damaged the side of the van, I did not crack off at him, just said ah well these things happen. It was the guys attitude that got to me on Friday, Truck driving is a Professional job, It has cost most of us a substantial amount of money to get the licence and then you get muppets that really let the industry down. As I said I gave clear instructions on the route he was to take and exactly how to get there,but at the end of the day he thought he knew better :imp: :imp: :imp:

I will still use Agency drivers and have had some very good ones, even taking 2 on permantly, I even had one all last week who was not the best multidropper in the world but he tried and worked hard so i am having him back this week.

Needless to say I have spoken with the agency in question and it turns out mine is not the first complaint about this driver. Looks like he is going to be looking for another agency to work for as of Monday :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp:

13

smcaul:
I will still use Agency drivers and have had some very good ones, even taking 2 on permantly, .

All the good agency drivers get STOLEN!!

14

Too right, Dapper. It is difficult enough to get drivers for the type of work we do and the wages we pay, so when I get good agency I try and hold on to them :wink: :wink:

15

gardun:
One of the problems is that as a new driver you are told to go and do some agency work to get some experience. Most people who need an agency driver really need someone with experience enough to walk in and do what the regular drivers do straight off.

I agree with you Gardun, it’s difficult enough to get used to driving trucks without having to change units and find new locations each day or week.
The agency I work for require that you have 2 years experience and have done at least 180 days driving work. For that they pay a bit more than most in this area and most likely charge a bit more.
However you don’t just have to get an agency driver to employ a numpty. I know company who employed a driver and he did £6000 of damage in 3 week. The only day it didn’t cost the haulage company money was the day he had off. :smiley: and he was supposed to be an experienced driver. :open_mouth: after getting rid of him the boss said it would have been cheaper to pay him to stay at home. :smiley:
smcaul, It’s obvious you got a [zb] and hopefully he’ll leave the industry or sharpen his ideas up a bit.

16

I’ve been on the Agency now for nearly two years.and I can honestly say that I’ve never let anybody down.

I will even buy a street atlas for the area I’m delivering too if I don’t already have one, will phone up if I can’t find the place (I’m not lost, I know where I am but not where the delivery address is!!!).

I can say that I have been given some delivery addresses that bear no resemblence to it’s actual location.

As has already been stated it did look like one person was out for the ‘pose’

Once again you cannot tar us all with the same brush.

There is no way that I could arrive at a job, be given ten drops in an area I don’t know and do the shift in the same time as the usual driver. But I would not expect to take more than two or three hours more!

One thing that could help is for the TM to supply the driver with street maps for the area that the deliveries are in. I know that it means having to get them back off the driver at the end of his duty.

I have worked for Tesco (Dartford - Tibbett & Britten run) and they give you a laminated A4 sheet with a basic line map and written directions to the store you are delivering too. If you are going to a store in London at night they even give you the route to use allowing for the London Lorry Ban.

Once again, there are good and bad in all jobs. The only thing to do is to tell the agency that you do not want that person back and why! Why not write down the name of the agency driver you did like and ask for him/them by name. I have given a few TM’s my home/mobile number so they can ring me to make sure that I’m available before they ring the agency because I don’t really think they are too bothered about who they put in, but it might not be me!

17

I started driving with agency work when it would have been better for me to be with a company in one particular wagon on one route. I’ve asked a load of daft questions and made some mistakes, though so far never the same one twice. I’m back on agency work as from Monday, so please don’t anyone offend me with any ill thought out remarks :unamused: .

As a driver we are paid not only on our ability to drive a truck but also on the knowledge we hold about the best way to get somewhere, this guy (in his mid 20s) was not in the slightest bit intrested about the true job as a driver, all he wanted to do was to pose in a big lorry.

You say you told him how to get there, but it’s did you print him any maps? I find the jobs that have gone well are the one’s where I’ve had all the info in a folder say including maps that I can follow and use along with my truckers atlas and paperwork. It’s off the A21 in Catford somewhere doesn’t help when your trying to find a needle in a haystack (I assume it’s not a major RDC your talking about). I don’t know the route like your regular drivers do, I’m not psychic and I don’t know every street in Catford.

It does sound like you got a numpty and I’m not having a pop at you, but when will employers/other drivers learn that for a driver to turn up and get eight drops or something off when they don’t know the route or the vehicles (having once asked not so long ago where the oil was on a Scania artic to get ■■■■■■ agency drivers in return - you can imagine my reaction) like their regular driver is nigh on impossible because they don’t know said drops, you get back later than so and so and you hear dark mutterings about dipstick agency drivers :unamused: .

Like I say, I’m not having a pop at you, but whenever I’ve been on agency, I’ve tried to do a good job. Sometimes you have one of those days and it all goes pear shaped, but please don’t tar us all with the same brush :open_mouth: :confused: :unamused: .

Rant over.

18

Driver turns up 20 minutes late…not a good start…was only an 8am start, not silly o clock. show him brand new 18t, never been on the road in anger, only delivered 14 hours before

prolberbly had trouble finding your company,andi would have [zb] myself taking a rigid into london after only a few hours experience.did you notify the agency it was a london job ,if you did then it was stupid of them to send a driver with limited experinece.

by the way i had to look up where catford was on the map (did he have a map,a to z’s)londons a big place and you don’t know where catford ends.

So where did you take your break then. What Break. Well it has taken you 5 hours to get there, you must have taken a break. No I am going to take it on my way home. How do you work that out driver, you have been on the go for 5 hours!(silence) Just load it up and get back here asap.

you told him to load it and get back :exclamation: hes new tell him to take his break now.

19

hi all

i do agency work now and again. ive had jobs were you dont get maps instuctions etc like trying to find farms and the like in a 40 ft wagon. were a transit van would of been better for the job. . also i aint going back into the haulage industry till it gets its act togeather. and drivers get a bit of respect

regards

ricky

20

ricky61:
also i aint going back into the haulage industry till it gets its act togeather. and drivers get a bit of respect

regards

ricky

Does’nt look like you’ll ever be back then because its just getting worse and worse :wink: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

simon