Hi all,
I have been offered an assessment with Royal Mail via Pertemps, for some temporary agency work and just wondered if anybody has any experience of working for them?
Ideally I’d like to use them as a backup for my current agency work, for when things go quiet.
Any information much appreciated!
I worked for Pertemps for a while without any problems, it was years ago but the money was quite good at the time and it was always paid on time etc etc.
Like any agency with multiple offices how you get treated will depend to some extent on the branch staff.
I can’t comment on working for RM as I’ve never done it, I used to park regularly next to a RM driver and he always spoke well of them but that was quite a few years ago.
Thanks for that info. Good to hear.
i did an assesment with them. the site i went to had all renaults and was the first time i had driven one with the quirky gearbox. I failed on the reverse because i screwed up with the gearbox and carried on backwards when i wanted to go foward. (compleatly my fault) i did point out ti was the first time that i had driven one and the assessor said well you would of failed anyway because you took too long. Turns out you have 30 min from getting your keys to being loaded (self load). When i spoke to the agency about it they said everything was timed to the minuet and no exceptions were allowed for like traffic.
All Royal Mail traction work should be sub contracted now it would save them MILLIONS
Aren’t they usually double deckers?
How can you find the vehicle, do your vehicle checks, couple up with a trailer and load a decker in 30 minutes? 
Be aware that RM generally have a zero-tolerance for all infringements, so make sure you know your Drivers Hours rules and WTD/RTD before you rock up for an assessment.
All went smoothly at the assessment and passed with no issues, but there was one question on the hours quiz that I was deemed to have got wrong, but still think I was right…
Q. You work for 6 hours and take a 15 minute break. How much longer can you work for until you need to take a break?
A) 3 hours
B) 4 hours
C) 5 hours
D) 6 hours
I answered 6 hours, but was told the correct answer was 3 hours.
Surely as long as you take another 30 minutes break before the end of the shift to give you 45 minutes overall break (for a shift over 9 hours) you are legal?
If working beyond six hours and up to nine hours, you need a total of 30 minutes WTD/RTD break. If going beyond nine hours you need another 15 minutes.
@goff118, I would say if you take the question literally, you are right. One of those ones where the person that made the question up knows what he/she means, but didn’t manage to convey that using English.
You are correct the answer is D 6 hours.
It appears that they’re going with the must have 30 minutes break before exceeding 9 hours working time myth.
That may be a company rule but it’s not law 
Thanks. It seems that they tell you where to take your breaks anyway, unless there are unforeseen circumstances, so shouldn’t be an issue.
Yes, and there’s apparently a mandatory “no breaks within the first 90 minutes” rule.
Not hard to see why they would stipulate where to take your breaks, can’t have the post being ripped off in a layby or MSA
@tachograph. As you say it might not be a law, but it looks like the sort of company rule to be encouraged.
Again looks like a good idea to me. Avoiding doing the full 6hrs or whatever possible.
I’m wondering when a newbie gets the special training that tells them “See the Royal in Royal Mail? That means we’re working for the Royal Family so we own the roads, anyone gets in your way, just floor it and run them off the road, OK?”