DPD Driver Franchise

I am unemployed and with a family of 4 (including wife) to support I thought about getting a driving job. Most of these tend to be self employed and PD were advertising in my area for Self Employed driver including use of van so I phoned them. They have sent me a pack which does not say how much I would be paid per delivery or how much the vehicle lease would cost. Merely that franchises start from as little as £1300.
Can someone here give me some pointers as to cost against potential reward?
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Comments

  • Gordon_Hose
    Gordon_Hose Posts: 6,259
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    Is there a number to call so you can ask the questions? Asking them directly would be my first port of call.
  • Thanks Gordon Hose but I don't think that it would get an unbiased view from them. I would like to hear from people like myself who are, have been or have considered this proposition or from those that would suggest I steer well clear.
  • Gordon_Hose
    Gordon_Hose Posts: 6,259
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    lol, why would it be an unbiased view?

    Call them and ask and you'll have the answers you need.

    As it's a franchise, I assume you invoice them the going rate.
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    edited 28 January 2011 at 1:50PM
    Can someone here give me some pointers as to cost against potential reward?

    I'm a former Geopost Linehaul driver - the ones that do the night trunks to the Interlink and DPD depots.

    I'll just let you into what you're getting into.

    1) Expect to start at 6.30am and finish at 7.30pm - thats starting at the depot at 6.30am, not your house. Also 6 day week.
    2) 100 drops per day, varying weights from nowt to 30Kg.
    3) In addition to 2), depending on where your depot is in relation to your drops you may have an hours driving to your first drop and an hour back from the last which means 100 drops in under 9hrs.

    4) Get a blowout requiring a callout and you can kiss goodbye to 30% of your income for the week.
  • Hammyman wrote: »
    I'm a former Geopost Linehaul driver - the ones that do the night trunks to the Interlink and DPD depots.

    I'll just let you into what you're getting into.

    1) Expect to start at 6.30am and finish at 7.30pm - thats starting at the depot at 6.30am, not your house. Also 6 day week.
    2) 100 drops per day, varying weights from nowt to 30Kg.
    3) In addition to 2), depending on where your depot is in relation to your drops you may have an hours driving to your first drop and an hour back from the last which means 100 drops in under 9hrs.

    4) Get a blowout requiring a callout and you can kiss goodbye to 30% of your income for the week.

    Not only that, but you get no paid holidays at all. If you are sick or can't make it in to work for any reason whatsoever not only do you not earn anything, but you will be fined £150 PER DAY.

    If there is anyway at all that the company can screw some money out of you they will. For example - Manual handling training? Arrive at the depot an hour before your shift start time (so that'll be 5.30am), sit and watch a 10 minute video on how to lift boxes, and get charged £25 for the privilege.

    There is nothing at all to recommend about getting a franchise with these guys. Noone I spoke to at the depot had a good thing to say about it. If you have a family and/or a life the don't do it.
  • Hammyman
    Hammyman Posts: 9,913 Forumite
    The best job at DPD is Linehaul driver. Pick up loaded wagon, drive to hub and park on bay or in trailer park. Go to sleep/watch TV in drivers restaurant until 10 minutes before your departure time. Go to loading dock, check its ready, drive to depot - 10hrs with 3-4 of it sat doing nowt. Years ago when I did it that was £600 a week plus monthly performance bonus.
  • Goli1
    Goli1 Posts: 7 Forumite
    edited 25 April 2015 at 11:02AM
    I've just stumbled upon this thread whilst searching for some details for my nephew, so I apologise for resurrecting a *buried* thread - however I feel it may be pertinent to correct some misguided or indeed incorrect information.

    I am a current franchisee for DPD with many years under my belt, and maybe an extra 1 as an employee of Parceline (DPD's former name).
    One of the biggest problems we have is the opinion of our *employed* colleagues who, frankly have no idea of what a franchise involves or the costs therein.
    Linehaul drivers do have it quite easy (one of my best friends is a current linehaul driver) - but they don't earn anywhere near the money I earn. And a blowout costing 30% of your income? Seriously, do you really actually believe that?

    A franchise at DPD is one of the cheapest start-up businesses around (£1300) and the current earning expectations of a new franchisee to earn up to £30k ish *after* direct expenses. Direct expenses are things such as vehicle lease, insurances, fuel and service costs. Other indirect expenses such as your own mobile phone, holiday cover, accountancy etc are not included in this figure but as they are tax deductable (and with different tax rates for self employed or limited companies) should be easily swallowed.

    Im not going to say its all roses. If you are don't turn in for work, you do not earn anything and you will get fined £150, but then if you are the sort of person who feels the need to stay in bed because you have a cold then don't run your own business. I have only been fined on one occasion, after an accident at work - and the only reason they fined me was to cover their own procedures as they knew I would have to sue them to cover my own losses (funny old world, huh?). There have been occasions when I have had an upset stomache, migraine etc and I have rung up explained the situation and either turned up later in the day when I was better or just been told to "get well soon, we'll cover it".

    If you have a blowout, you will have to pay for it - what did you expect, the tyre fairy to come and fix your van for you? When I leased a van from them I bought and carried my own spare tyre etc and researched which companies were cheaper to call out in cases of emergency. But even if you use ATS to fix your van it would never cost 30% of weekly profit.

    You have to pay for a manual handling course? Sure, but why not - YOU ARE SELF EMPLOYED! Just as an update I believe these courses are now supplied free, at least the refresher courses are.

    Long hours? Sure, i'm at the depot for 6:30 most days and some days I'll work 12 hours and others i'll work 8 - it's the luck of the draw and dependent on business/route.

    I do hear a lot of naysayers when talking about DPD franchises sometimes, mostly from the ill-informed, the jealous or just the plain ignorant. If you can handle the life, the hours and the work load you can earn a very decent living. I have managed to support my family to a very high standard and now own 2 houses - all thanks to my franchise career at DPD. I would throughly recommend a franchise to anyone who asks me, provided they walk in with their eyes open and realise that it's not an employed job. If you become self-employed then take responsibility for your own actions, prepare for the worst case scenario if you can (tyres?) and be prepared to work hard to achieve what you want to.

    Oh and mostly, I would advise those who have no in-depth experience of a subject matter to keep your opinions based on what you know, not on the hearsay or misguided opinions you pick up. Had I seen this message earlier I would have advised the OP, an un-employed family man, to go for it as it is certainly a less risky venture than the one he plumped for - I hope he was ultimately successful in what he did though.
  • I too have stumbled across this thread, and concur with goli's comments. Likewise i am a franchise holder and have been for 5 years, I start at 5.30 (by choice) and am always back in my depot at 4.30pm ish, i never work more than 12hrs, but do work hard in those 12hrs. But i do earn very good money for the effort i put in, which9 means my family can have a nice lifestyle with 2 holidays a year (DPD will give you 2 service breaks a year, which means they will cover your route whilst you take a week off, you dont earn, but you dont incure any penalties) I would reccomend a franchise but only if youre prepared to work hard and not expect an easy ride.
    HEN

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  • bozzy4
    bozzy4 Posts: 18
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    I too have stumbled across this thread, and concur with goli's comments. Likewise i am a franchise holder and have been for 5 years, I start at 5.30 (by choice) and am always back in my depot at 4.30pm ish, i never work more than 12hrs, but do work hard in those 12hrs. But i do earn very good money for the effort i put in, which9 means my family can have a nice lifestyle with 2 holidays a year (DPD will give you 2 service breaks a year, which means they will cover your route whilst you take a week off, you dont earn, but you dont incure any penalties) I would reccomend a franchise but only if youre prepared to work hard and not expect an easy ride.

    I am so glad have looked at this for info.last week I got made redundant after 16 years service the as a team leader/machine op and it has been the only thing I have ever known and the trader is dieting drastically. So I was looking at a different trade and I love driving so why not do something you love. I don't no anybody that has done this franchise so was good to see this. I have the money to start with my redundancy and I am prepared to do the hours as I have been doing for 16 years and not seeing anything for it. Just a few questions do you pay for your insurance if so is it high and what's the score on fuel? I have no points on my leicence and no convictions HGV was a option but not what I wanted to do so any info would be a massive help as I finish at Xmas and need to find something soon thanks in advance
  • 2 holidays a year (DPD will give you 2 service breaks a year, which means they will cover your route whilst you take a week off, you dont earn, but you dont incure any penalties) I would reccomend a franchise but only if youre prepared to work hard and not expect an easy ride.

    So hang on, you pay £1.3k and they only let you take 2 weeks off in total for a whole year of working 6 days a week?

    2 weeks? That isn't generous at all. Thats shocking and the fact that you pay for the privilege of as little time off as possible :eek:

    Strange how two posters have resurrected this thread in the companys defence as they have just started advertising their franchises all over the web ;)
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