Nigel Deacon Westbourne Services
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Nigel Deacon is general manager of driver agency Westbourne Services and also managing director of general UK and international haulier Caragen, based in Evesham, Gloucestershire. His week included stowaways and a 5am call from a customer...
Monday
At the office at 8.15am to find Richard is already in. A labourer on the council contract hasn't turned in for work but Richard has calmed the customer down. I open the post—mainly time sheets—sort them and leave them for my wife Debbie to deal with. We have the first discussion of the week on how to attract more drivers.
In the afternoon I interview one new HGV driver. A female driver starting next week brings in her bank details and licence for checking. I ring a new client to check how our driver is doing on his equipment training day. I phone a Caragen driver in Italy to check he is loaded and en route. At 6.30pm I discuss terms with a driver who has been offered a job with a client. Spend from 8.45 to 9.30pm talking to drivers about contracts.
Tuesday
At 9am *driver Tony calls from France, returning from Italy. He stopped for a break and noticed the trailer seal had been broken and thought he heard movement inside. I ring Mike Freeman at the Road Haulage Association for advice. At 10.15am Tony rings back saying 12 people have come out of the trailer with more "popping up like rabbits". The police are alerted. The final count was 26 men, one woman and one child. Tony is taken to the Gendarmerie; the Embassy in Paris and the Consulate in Lyon are informed.
I spend rest of the morning doing administration.
In the afternoon I check on Tony, who is still in the Gendarmerie. I ring Calor Gas about staff contracts and book five drivers for Salvesen tomorrow. Receive a fax for a load out to Italy—Tony needs a "Get out of jail free" card! Head for home at 5pm. Tony phones. He's still in jail; I tell him to phone the Consulate. At 6.30pm Tony is released. Take calls all evening for work tomorrow. Last call of the day: "We've been let down by an agency—can you bring your man forward to 1.00am?"
Wednesday
A planned change-over at Calais takes place 12 hours late but thanks to an extra driver the delivery is made almost on time. Later I meet a customer to increase charge rates for drivers due to holiday pay. Write a confirmation letter of new rates and draft proposals for new pay structures for drivers. Deliberate over increased hourly rates on paid holiday for agency staff.
Go to Birmingham in the afternoon to look at secondhand trucks—nothing very inspiring. Back to the office to book drivers' times for next day.. still eight short. Spend until 8pm job juggling!
Thursday
Take a call from a new customer at 5am—have we got an HGV Class 1 driver? No, but thanks for the alarm call. Early to the office, trying to think of inspirational advertising methods to attract drivers. Sort out PODs and invoices for last week's work. Interview a driver who can start Monday! Spend the afternoon booking drivers out for next week. Nearly all our customers now book for at least a week at a time, some for months. The trouble is they want a discount for long-term bookings!
Friday
Take several early calls for drivers but have none. Spend the morning invoicing, sorting out CMRs, booking backloads from Italy, sorting tacho charts and checking maintenance records, Interviewed another Class 1 driver who can also start Monday. Take a phone call at 7.30pm saying our old Daf has died at Swansea West Services—its compressor has blown up. Organise a hire unit and borrow a low-loader but there's no unit to pull it. Also no driver for Saturday morning, so I go. To bed at 11.30pm with alarm set for 4am. Off we go again...
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