FOR the nation’s HGV drivers, the law of supply and demand is back in their favour and it is time to make it pay.
Scarcity of labour is here and workers now hold bargaining power. Here is how to take advantage of the situation.
For the past two weeks I have been advising a group of HGV drivers on how to utilise their bargaining power within the transportation and distributional sector.
After witnessing their success I have decided to publish a letter that I hope will help many more HGV drivers bargain for higher wages. Feel free to copy it, edit it, and send it to many companies within your sector. Do not let these companies dictate to you – they are not in a position to do so, and you should dictate to them.
There are two bits of advice I would give to any HGV driver:
- Firstly, stay away from recruiting agencies because many are not passing on the rise in wages to HGV drivers on their books. One London agency is getting paid £20-£22 per hour for HGV drivers but only offering £13-£15 an hour, so agencies are not a saviour but a hindrance.
- Secondly, always remember you hold the power and not the company. Without workers the company will not survive, so always keep in mind you hold the cards.
If you do decide to heed my advice on this then the right contact within a company is the human resources department because they deal with all recruiting processes. This tactic bypasses the recruiting agencies, and that puts a driver into an advantageous position. If a company needs a driver then they will most likely contact the driver directly rather than through a recruiting agency, this process is much quicker and easier for the company. This tactic puts a worker at the top of the list and it also bypasses third-party complications and costs.
I have added the letter below. Good luck!
THE PROPOSAL LETTER
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is [Name] and I am contacting you because I would like to offer my service to your company. I have [number of] years experience and I have had my licence for [number of] years. I am licensed to carry [type of] goods and cargo and I have worked with more than [number of] companies. I have put my prices below and I am very flexible and open to contract periods that range from 3 months, 6 months, one year to two years. I have added all of my prices below:
Minimum hourly pay – £20 per hour exclusive of tax.
3-month period = £14,400*
– For a maximum of 720 hours.
6-month period = £28,800*
– For a maximum of 1,440 hours.
1 year contract = £57,600*
– For a maximum of 2,880 hours.
2 year contract = £115,200*
– For a maximum of 5,760 hours.
*These prices are the minimum price that I am willing to offer my service for and any negotiations over pay should exceed this amount. These prices are all exclusive of taxes.
If your company would like to speak more about my services and what I can offer you, then do feel free to contact me for more information and details. I have added my contact details below:
Email:
Phone:
Address:
Kind regards,
[Name]
