16 | UK Transport Awards 2022 Established in January 2006, DH Team is the UK’s largest specialist coach and bus driver hire recruitment company. Based in Seaton in Devon, the business emerged from small beginnings and has expanded rapidly. In 15 years, it has placed thousands of drivers in permanent jobs, and operates with around 250 full-time, seasonal, and part-time drivers. Founder, Del Haggerty explains more. Prior to founding DH Team in 2006, I worked as a coach driver, and it was this background that led me to a change of career. Year after year, coach drivers are laid off in the winter and I wanted to develop a solution that was more flexible and prosperous in the industry. Therefore, we created DH Team as a specialist coach and bus driver hire recruitment company and have grown rapidly ever since. Going from driver to managing director was a steep learning curve and I had to develop a lot of skills quickly. I was forced to speak with the traffic commissioners and the employment lawyers to gain a proper understanding about how to run a business of this nature, and we went head-to-head with these people to ensure we are running things correctly. My greatest saying when taking on new staff is: “Don’t tell me how to run my business, show me”. Core purposes Currently, we have around 250 contracted drivers on our books and have placed 2,062 people into full-time employment during our 15 years of trading. We are proud of this achievement and feel it really underpins what we are all about – putting hardworking men and women into good jobs. As a specialist in our field, we have proven to bus and coach operators that it is easier for them to hire drivers than to employ them on a full-time basis. Believe it or not, COVID-19 puts us in a position where more businesses will look to us, rather than hiring their own staff, as we take on the responsibility of paying the drivers’ wages and providing them with job security. Over the years, we have been involved in several different prestigious events and provided coach drivers for the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and both state visits by Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Increasingly, we do a lot of VIP work in London and supply drivers to work at numerous important social occasions. Best Driver Recruitment Company 2022 Our flexibility is one of our primary strengths and we have drivers hired out for the day, the week, the season and even the year. The people that work for us are happy and we have proven that if run the right way, an agency can offer long-term employment. Some of our drivers have been with us for more than 11 years now and while we are technically an agency, we can offer genuine long-term employment. We run all of our own payroll and have brought the entire operation in-house, another example of how we are continuing to go the extra mile. Changing how employment works As we adapt to a post-pandemic world, we are offering our own bounce-back scheme for operators that hire our drivers. This way, if they agree to contracts for between 12 and 25 weeks, we give the operator £10 per person per week back. If we are providing 50 drivers to Transport for London or Arriva, for example, that works out over a year at £25,000. We want to shake this reputation that some agencies have developed and show how beneficial working with a well-run agency like DH Team can be for bus and coach operators. We offer our drivers the opportunity to become IR35-accredited, which provides them with the same status as an employed driver. The mixture of work we can offer gives our drivers an excellent variety, while can guarantee competitive or above average wage, holiday pay, flexible time off, and HMRC-compliant payroll. Next steps The next step for our business is to become a training provider of choice for people coming into the industry. I am currently looking to apply for grants so that I can help bring more people into the industry, with the offer of a role at DH Team for at least 12 months after they complete their training. I want people that are willing to learn the industry inside out, but I also want to hold onto people, rather than see them move on elsewhere. I often speak with operators about why they should continue to work with us rather than taking our drivers on full-time, as we can continue to offer training and keep them up-todate using our expertise. Whilst working with our agency, the drivers remain motivated, and from there are offered a varied and secure career. We specialise in coach and bus drivers and as such, our employees are better-qualified and highly skilled. All our drivers are DBS checked, have all the necessary qualifications and are eligible to drive the specific vehicle in question. I drove for several years myself and as a result, I understand what drivers and operators need and want to complete a job successfully. Company: DH Team Ltd Contact: Del Haggerty Email: hello@dhteam.uk Website: dhteam.uk Feb22243
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