Yodel/Evri Self Employed Drivers

Yodel/Evri Self Employed Drivers

Author
Discussion

Oliver Hardy

Original Poster:

2,564 posts

75 months

Sunday 21st April
quotequote all
Has anyone got any experience of these?

The money on the face of it seems OK, Evri say it is around £16 per hour and Yodel £18 - £20, but you have to provide your own car/van, insurance, fuel,

105.4

4,097 posts

72 months

Sunday 21st April
quotequote all
Oliver Hardy said:
Has anyone got any experience of these?

The money on the face of it seems OK, Evri say it is around £16 per hour and Yodel £18 - £20, but you have to provide your own car/van, insurance, fuel,
Even before you take away your costs, you’re not going to be earning £16 per hour. Evri say that they “aim” for their drivers to earn £16 per hour. Yeah well, I aim to have a 12 inch cock, but the truth in both regards falls woefully short.

I’m the joint highest paid driver in my depot, and I run, literally, around my three rounds, which will earn me around £17-£18 per hour once I’m on the road. Most people don’t / can’t run for 8-12 hours per day. The only reason why my rate is so high is because I deliver to some really rough areas that no one else wants to deliver to.

If you include the time it takes you to sort out your load and drive to your first drop, most folk will be on £10 per hour.

My fuel costs on my two vans per week is around £300.
My annual insurance cost, (late 40’s, low risk area, zero points and 20+ years NCD), is £6912 pa. I put £250 aside each month for maintenance.

There is no sick pay. I’ve seen people get the sack for having cancer treatment or because they’ve ended up in hospital due to an accident at work.

There is no holiday pay. If you want any time off, you’ve got to provide your own cover. And if that cover screws up? Tough. That’s on you. I work seven days a week, 360 days a year.

The plus sides?

There are taxable benefits. I really enjoy serving MY customers and doing the best for them that I can. I enjoy giving all of my Christmas tips to a local children’s cancer charity. I enjoy being left to my own devices to do my job without some higher-up riding my arse all day long over trivial rubbish. I enjoy working long hours outside in all weathers, feeling like I’ve done a proper, hard, physically demanding days work.

If you can put in the hours, put in the graft, hit all of your targets, and constantly expand your customer base, doing a minimum of 250 drops per day, then £60k plus should be easily achievable. But if you’re not prepared to work 70+ hours a week, then you won’t.

As for Yodel, whenever I see their drivers on my rounds, they seem to last about a week before jacking it in. That works out well for me, as their work ends up back on my vans anyway.

Silvanus

5,253 posts

24 months

Sunday 21st April
quotequote all
105.4 said:
Oliver Hardy said:
Has anyone got any experience of these?

The money on the face of it seems OK, Evri say it is around £16 per hour and Yodel £18 - £20, but you have to provide your own car/van, insurance, fuel,
Even before you take away your costs, you’re not going to be earning £16 per hour. Evri say that they “aim” for their drivers to earn £16 per hour. Yeah well, I aim to have a 12 inch cock, but the truth in both regards falls woefully short.

I’m the joint highest paid driver in my depot, and I run, literally, around my three rounds, which will earn me around £17-£18 per hour once I’m on the road. Most people don’t / can’t run for 8-12 hours per day. The only reason why my rate is so high is because I deliver to some really rough areas that no one else wants to deliver to.

If you include the time it takes you to sort out your load and drive to your first drop, most folk will be on £10 per hour.

My fuel costs on my two vans per week is around £300.
My annual insurance cost, (late 40’s, low risk area, zero points and 20+ years NCD), is £6912 pa. I put £250 aside each month for maintenance.

There is no sick pay. I’ve seen people get the sack for having cancer treatment or because they’ve ended up in hospital due to an accident at work.

There is no holiday pay. If you want any time off, you’ve got to provide your own cover. And if that cover screws up? Tough. That’s on you. I work seven days a week, 360 days a year.

The plus sides?

There are taxable benefits. I really enjoy serving MY customers and doing the best for them that I can. I enjoy giving all of my Christmas tips to a local children’s cancer charity. I enjoy being left to my own devices to do my job without some higher-up riding my arse all day long over trivial rubbish. I enjoy working long hours outside in all weathers, feeling like I’ve done a proper, hard, physically demanding days work.

If you can put in the hours, put in the graft, hit all of your targets, and constantly expand your customer base, doing a minimum of 250 drops per day, then £60k plus should be easily achievable. But if you’re not prepared to work 70+ hours a week, then you won’t.

As for Yodel, whenever I see their drivers on my rounds, they seem to last about a week before jacking it in. That works out well for me, as their work ends up back on my vans anyway.
Hats off to you, that sounds rough for double the money.

normalbloke

7,461 posts

220 months

Sunday 21st April
quotequote all
Just don’t.

soad

32,906 posts

177 months

Sunday 21st April
quotequote all
Probably get far more in food production (factory/dairy) or warehouse jobs. Especially on the 12 hour shifts - 4 on/4 off etc.

Apply for the supermarket van delivery, makes more sense? Might involve carrying heavy water bottles up the staircases though.

Oliver Hardy

Original Poster:

2,564 posts

75 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
105.4 said:
Even before you take away your costs, you’re not going to be earning £16 per hour. Evri say that they “aim” for their drivers to earn £16 per hour. Yeah well, I aim to have a 12 inch cock, but the truth in both regards falls woefully short.

I’m the joint highest paid driver in my depot, and I run, literally, around my three rounds, which will earn me around £17-£18 per hour once I’m on the road. Most people don’t / can’t run for 8-12 hours per day. The only reason why my rate is so high is because I deliver to some really rough areas that no one else wants to deliver to.

If you include the time it takes you to sort out your load and drive to your first drop, most folk will be on £10 per hour.

My fuel costs on my two vans per week is around £300.
My annual insurance cost, (late 40’s, low risk area, zero points and 20+ years NCD), is £6912 pa. I put £250 aside each month for maintenance.

There is no sick pay. I’ve seen people get the sack for having cancer treatment or because they’ve ended up in hospital due to an accident at work.

There is no holiday pay. If you want any time off, you’ve got to provide your own cover. And if that cover screws up? Tough. That’s on you. I work seven days a week, 360 days a year.

The plus sides?

There are taxable benefits. I really enjoy serving MY customers and doing the best for them that I can. I enjoy giving all of my Christmas tips to a local children’s cancer charity. I enjoy being left to my own devices to do my job without some higher-up riding my arse all day long over trivial rubbish. I enjoy working long hours outside in all weathers, feeling like I’ve done a proper, hard, physically demanding days work.

If you can put in the hours, put in the graft, hit all of your targets, and constantly expand your customer base, doing a minimum of 250 drops per day, then £60k plus should be easily achievable. But if you’re not prepared to work 70+ hours a week, then you won’t.

As for Yodel, whenever I see their drivers on my rounds, they seem to last about a week before jacking it in. That works out well for me, as their work ends up back on my vans anyway.
soad said:
Probably get far more in food production (factory/dairy) or warehouse jobs. Especially on the 12 hour shifts - 4 on/4 off etc.

Apply for the supermarket van delivery, makes more sense? Might involve carrying heavy water bottles up the staircases though.
Many thanks, firstly insurance costs, Jesus, where are you? I have been quoted £1600, I have no NCD for a van. What sort of van do you have out of curiosity, do you put anything aside for when you need a new van?.

I was hoping to find something flexible where i can do 3 or 4 days a week and take time off from time to time.

The guy who used to deliver Yodel to my house used to have a big people carrier with a roof box, I think it was a regular route but not had a Yodel delivery for months. Tried to engage my last Evri delivery driver and ask him but he was a foreign gentleman who muttered something and ran off




Edited by Oliver Hardy on Monday 22 April 03:47

nordboy

1,471 posts

51 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Oliver Hardy said:
Tried to engage my last Evri delivery driver and ask him but he was a foreign gentleman who muttered something and ran off

Edited by Oliver Hardy on Monday 22 April 03:47
Not surprising really, he still had another 249 drops to get around that day!!!! wink

105.4

4,097 posts

72 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
nordboy said:
Not surprising really, he still had another 249 drops to get around that day!!!! wink
Or he might have been busy that day and had 350+ drops to do.

Truckosaurus

11,326 posts

285 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Oliver Hardy said:
....I was hoping to find something flexible where i can do 3 or 4 days a week and take time off from time to time...
Might be worth looking into Amazon Flex, UberEats, Deliveroo, etc. where you can do it in a medium sized car and pick and choose your hours.

Muzzer79

10,042 posts

188 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
105.4 said:
Even before you take away your costs, you’re not going to be earning £16 per hour. Evri say that they “aim” for their drivers to earn £16 per hour. Yeah well, I aim to have a 12 inch cock, but the truth in both regards falls woefully short.

I’m the joint highest paid driver in my depot, and I run, literally, around my three rounds, which will earn me around £17-£18 per hour once I’m on the road. Most people don’t / can’t run for 8-12 hours per day. The only reason why my rate is so high is because I deliver to some really rough areas that no one else wants to deliver to.

If you include the time it takes you to sort out your load and drive to your first drop, most folk will be on £10 per hour.

My fuel costs on my two vans per week is around £300.
My annual insurance cost, (late 40’s, low risk area, zero points and 20+ years NCD), is £6912 pa. I put £250 aside each month for maintenance.

There is no sick pay. I’ve seen people get the sack for having cancer treatment or because they’ve ended up in hospital due to an accident at work.

There is no holiday pay. If you want any time off, you’ve got to provide your own cover. And if that cover screws up? Tough. That’s on you. I work seven days a week, 360 days a year.

The plus sides?

There are taxable benefits. I really enjoy serving MY customers and doing the best for them that I can. I enjoy giving all of my Christmas tips to a local children’s cancer charity. I enjoy being left to my own devices to do my job without some higher-up riding my arse all day long over trivial rubbish. I enjoy working long hours outside in all weathers, feeling like I’ve done a proper, hard, physically demanding days work.

If you can put in the hours, put in the graft, hit all of your targets, and constantly expand your customer base, doing a minimum of 250 drops per day, then £60k plus should be easily achievable. But if you’re not prepared to work 70+ hours a week, then you won’t.

As for Yodel, whenever I see their drivers on my rounds, they seem to last about a week before jacking it in. That works out well for me, as their work ends up back on my vans anyway.
This man speaks the truth.

If you have limited experience/qualifications and want to earn £16 per hour, get a forklift licence and find work in a warehouse on shift.

It's less physically demanding, you get proper benefits and there may even be a career path.

Zetec-S

5,890 posts

94 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Interesting insight, I can see why it is so hard for most people to make work.

Our local Evri driver is amazing, but she only makes it work because her retired father joins her on the rounds, so I guess technically they're earning well below minimum wage.

JerseyRoyal

70 posts

1 month

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
I’m curious how insurance works for evri drivers, most that deliver to us appear to just be using their cars. Does Evri insure the car and contents while working?

r3g

3,189 posts

25 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Muzzer79 said:
This man speaks the truth.

If you have limited experience/qualifications and want to earn £16 per hour, get a forklift licence and find work in a warehouse on shift.

It's less physically demanding, you get proper benefits and there may even be a career path.
Where are you getting £16 an hour for driving a standard CB FLT? Nowehere is paying that except on weekends through agency. It's pretty much £11-12 /hr across the country, maybe a quid more through agency.

The ticket costs about 500 quid from what I remember and you can only drive that particular type on it. If you want Reach or Bendy they are separate tickets and the money is the same for those. That said, I agree with your closing line. Knowing what time you are starting and finishing every day has it's own 'value', especially if you have kids.

Muzzer79

10,042 posts

188 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
r3g said:
Muzzer79 said:
This man speaks the truth.

If you have limited experience/qualifications and want to earn £16 per hour, get a forklift licence and find work in a warehouse on shift.

It's less physically demanding, you get proper benefits and there may even be a career path.
Where are you getting £16 an hour for driving a standard CB FLT? Nowehere is paying that except on weekends through agency. It's pretty much £11-12 /hr across the country, maybe a quid more through agency.

The ticket costs about 500 quid from what I remember and you can only drive that particular type on it. If you want Reach or Bendy they are separate tickets and the money is the same for those. That said, I agree with your closing line. Knowing what time you are starting and finishing every day has it's own 'value', especially if you have kids.
We pay about £13.50 per hour for an early shift Reach truck driver in this area (Midlands)

With shift premium and maybe a bit of overtime, you'll be hitting £16 per hour

Don't forget that minimum wage is now £11.44 ph. You are not getting a FLT driver for minimum wage.....


r3g

3,189 posts

25 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Muzzer79 said:
We pay about £13.50 per hour for an early shift Reach truck driver in this area (Midlands)

With shift premium and maybe a bit of overtime, you'll be hitting £16 per hour

Don't forget that minimum wage is now £11.44 ph. You are not getting a FLT driver for minimum wage.....
With overtime, maybe. But you're not getting £16 standard, at least not on day shift weekdays.

"You are not getting a FLT driver for minimum wage....."

I recommend you have a look on the job sites like Indeed, TotalJobs, because that's exactly what they are paying for FLT drivers in the vast majority of ads that are direct and not via agency. wink

Muzzer79

10,042 posts

188 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
r3g said:
Muzzer79 said:
We pay about £13.50 per hour for an early shift Reach truck driver in this area (Midlands)

With shift premium and maybe a bit of overtime, you'll be hitting £16 per hour

Don't forget that minimum wage is now £11.44 ph. You are not getting a FLT driver for minimum wage.....
With overtime, maybe. But you're not getting £16 standard, at least not on day shift weekdays.

"You are not getting a FLT driver for minimum wage....."

I recommend you have a look on the job sites like Indeed, TotalJobs, because that's exactly what they are paying for FLT drivers in the vast majority of ads that are direct and not via agency. wink
In the area I employ warehouse staff and have done for over 10 years; I wouldn't get unskilled workers on minimum wage, let alone skilled ones.

But YMMV. If it's different where you are, it sucks to be a warehouse worker.


Legacywr

12,145 posts

189 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
This is why it's no good moaning about your parcel delivery/driver, it's a job you struggle to earn your money on, and they can't spend more than a minute waiting for a reply, before launching your parcel over the fence into your back garden.

Oliver Hardy

Original Poster:

2,564 posts

75 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
Muzzer79 said:
This man speaks the truth.

If you have limited experience/qualifications and want to earn £16 per hour, get a forklift licence and find work in a warehouse on shift.

It's less physically demanding, you get proper benefits and there may even be a career path.
Actually got a degree in IT and a HGV licence but because I have been out of work for a while, I need retraining and that is impossible to get. Worked last year in an office on contract but that finished in early December. Plus I don't want to be doing 60 hours a week like I used to, something flexible would be nice.


Truckosaurus said:
Might be worth looking into Amazon Flex, UberEats, Deliveroo, etc. where you can do it in a medium sized car and pick and choose your hours.
Thanks, not heard of Amazon Flex.

JerseyRoyal said:
I’m curious how insurance works for evri drivers, most that deliver to us appear to just be using their cars. Does Evri insure the car and contents while working?
You need to get hire and reward insurance, Yodel will cover you for a fee, I think it is about £5 per day but it is only third party.

Truckosaurus

11,326 posts

285 months

Monday 22nd April
quotequote all
I believe there are plenty of temporary insurance policies these days for self employed delivery drivers - I'm sure I read about one product that syncs with the Uber app and just insures you while you are on the job.