NC

6th June 2002, Page 38

6th June 2002

Page 38

Page 39

Page 38, 6th June 2002 — NC

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Agency drivers tend to have a had name in the industry. While this poor image may often he deserved, the desperate shortage of Class 1 drivers means that hauliers, especially in the summer months, may have to call in the agencies if their trucks are to run. As David Taylor reports, operators may be relieved to hear that some agency drivers actually do the job rather well...

June is upon us and with it comes the holiday season. Your drivers will be looking forward to their two weeks on a sun-soaked beach, but how do you feel about arranging holiday cover? It's a fair bet that most hauliers won't xactly relish the prospect of bringing in gency drivers. At the very least it is an unwelome expense in an industry where margins re tight; at worst it is seen as a necessary evil: We tend to get more accidents with agency rivers," says one haulier. "Invariably, if we Lave an unreported accident, I can guarantee : involved a hire driver."

‘eputation

'here's no denying that driver agencies are addled with an unenviable reputationome hauliers won't touch them with a bargerole. "We don't use agencies; we have our ,wn holiday relief drivers," says Joe Gilbert, /ID of Lincolnshire operator Geoff Gilbert nternational. "We employ more people than

have vehicles for so we always have a conae floating. We also try to make sure that we lever have more than two drivers off at any ne time." Gilbert believes you simply cannot trust an agency driver. "I've heard a lot of horror stories and I don't want to become the subject of one myself" he says.

That attitude to agencies is perhaps an extreme one; clearly, a great many hauliers do use their services, and many are satisfied customers. Nick Valiance, MD of Devon haulier WL Valiance, says he uses six agencies, and not just for holiday or sickness cover.

The bulk of the work is multi-drop pallet distribution, but the firm has some fuel distribution, car-parts delivery and tipper clients too. 'We use agency drivers mainly on the general distribution jobs where the workload tends to be a bit up-and-down," says Valiance.

The company also uses agencies to provide holiday cover although, perhaps surprisingly, it doesn't book drivers very far in advance. Valiance says he knows several reliable agency drivers and always tries to get somebody he can trust.

He likes to see who is available when he needs a driver and, as they tend to switch agencies fairly frequently, it doesn't do to place a booking too far in advance: "It's not viable to book holiday cover too early because you never know who they're going to have avail able when the time conies; the agencies arer interested that far in advance anyway."

Valiance is not surprised that many haulie have an aversion to agencies and their driver "They have got a poor reputation, and r doubt in the past they earned it. But the qt,u ity of agency drivers has improved no end the past two or three years. They are relative well turned-out and well-mannered the: days... yes, you get the occasional guy wt doesn't come up to scratch, but you sinm don't ask for him again."

As for the agency driver's reputation fi treating the customers' vehicle and custome with equal contempt, Valiance believes th too is over-stated: "Your own drivers at resent agency people sometimes, but not 4 much as they used to. My drivers will argt that they look after the vehicles better tha somebody brought in on a temporary basi but I don't see much evidence of abuse."

The popular image of the careless, insole: and untrustworthy agency driver persist even though many agencies take care in ti selection of their drivers and bend over bac wards to keep the best ones.

Service

"If you upset an agency driver he is likelywalk out and probably get a job very easil) says Darren Bishop, driving consultant wii B RS Workforce. He says that although ft average length of service is around thr( months, all B RS drivers are treated as fu time employees during their time with ti company.

Staffordshire-based Omnia goes even fu ther; supplying drivers to a variety of cu tomers is just one string to its bow. Onin has branched out into driver training, becor ing a City and Guilds Centre and bringir newly qualified drivers up to NVQ Level First Assessment standard.

"We try to get raw drivers, fully mentorE with the customer and into their first job :

WHO'D BE AN AGENCY DRIVER?

• "There are three types of agency driver," says Greg Walter, the Southampton Driver Hire franchisee. "There's the full-timer who likes the freedom and variety of agency work; there's the short-termer who's between jobs, perhaps because the company he worked for has gone bust; and there's the driver who can't hold down a job for love nor money" Although in a minority, it's the drivers in the last of these categories who give the agency sector a bad name.

Waiter, who generally has up to 130 drivers on his books, chooses them carefully: "I tend to go for the more mature drivers with plenty of experience. They may be retired—in fact two of my drivers are 68—and they only want a couple of days' work a week."

Many agency drivers are ex-servicemen who are just entering the industry. Walter finds they are well-trained, well-disciplined and keen to learn.

Darren Bishop, driving Consultant with BRS Workforce, says he often has police officers on his books working one or two shifts a week in addition to their main job—something to bear in mind for any operators thinking of pressurising agency drivers to 'bend' the hours regs!

Rates vary across the country, but as you'd expect, the more qualified the driver, the higher the rate. Greg Walter says the basic Class irate in his area is about 16.50/hr. Devon haulier Nick Valiance pays 28 or 29/hr, and up to 212/hr for ADR-qualified fuel tanker drivers.

"I make a point of charging every customer the same rate," says Waiter. "I will also pay for someone's licence, not for the type of work they're doing, so if a customer asks my Class 1 driver to drive a van, I'll charge him the Class 1 rate," he adds.

about six weeks," says spokesman Len Gair. He sees it as part of Omnia's role to bring new blood into the industry, so the company straddles the boundary between temporary employment agency and recruitment consultant.

This is a rare approach. More usually an agency will provide a driver as a temporary replacement for a staff driver, or to help cope at peak periods, but not as a prospective employee.

Most agencies base their terms and conditions on the Recruitment and Employer Confederation's Model Terms—these stipulate that the agency reserves the right to compensation if one of its drivers is poached by a client for whom he or she has worked within the previous six months. Some agencies demand up to 13 weeks' notice, while others charge a percentage of the driver's first year's wage.