Here’s what some of our franchisees have to say…

“Becoming a Driver Hire franchisee has absolutely changed our lives! I’ve gained allthe benefits of being self-employed: the opportunity to run and grow our business, the freedom it can bring and the ability to make decisions for ourselves. It’s certainly given me things I wouldn’t have had if I’d stayed employed.”

John Griffiths – Driver Hire Taunton franchisee

New Franchisees at Lincoln recruitment business

Two young local entrepreneurs, Peter Quittenton and Christian Salter, have bought specialist recruitment agency, Driver Hire Lincoln.

Peter (24) and Christian (24) already know the business well because they both worked for the previous owner.

“Over the last few years, at our appraisals, our boss asked us about our long-term plans,” says Peter. “We always said, when she decided to sell, we’d love to make the business ours. And now our dream’s come true.”

The UK’s largest specialist supplier with a nationwide network of franchised offices, Driver Hire provides temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to local and national organisations in both the public and private sector. If they’re short of staff – perhaps because of illness, holidays or seasonal demand – Driver Hire will supply them with a suitable replacement.

Before joining the Driver Hire Lincoln team, Peter, having successfully completed an Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 4 diploma, was working on a farm and doing evening work in a bar. Christian joined Driver Hire in 2014 as a school leaver apprentice. Over the past eight years he’s learnt the recruitment business from bottom to top and is now eagerly looking forward to using that knowledge to take Driver Hire Lincoln to new heights.

“Our respective skill sets work really well together,” Peter continues. “We’ve got away to a flying start and there’s definitely more scope for us to develop the business further. We both love working for Driver Hire and now the business is ours it’s even more rewarding.”

New Generation

Jordan becomes franchisee for Dundee & Perth

Jordan Tracey, Franchisee of Driver Hire Dundee & Perth, is proving that age is no barrier in franchising. At the age of 23, Jordan has already progressed from Recruitment Consultant to Franchisee to bfa HSBC Franchisee of the Year Finalist – demonstrating that hard-work, determination, and ambition can take you a very long way.

Having worked in a number of roles since the age of 12, hard work has never been alien to Jordan. He left school and decided to move straight into employment instead of further education – a decision that is paying dividends. After a short stint in retail sales, at the age of 17 Jordan applied for a role within a Driver Hire office (operated by one of its franchisees in Scotland). It was here that Jordan found his love for recruitment, and it wasn’t long before he moved up the ranks from Recruitment Consultant to Office Manager. 

After several successful years working for the franchisee, Jordan (pictured centre, with his team) was hungry for more. The next natural step in his progression was to run his very own Driver Hire business, and this was dependent on there being an opportunity available. 

“I was working really hard, and loving it, but increasingly felt like I’d like to be my own boss – and see a direct return for my efforts”

It wasn’t long until the right opportunity appeared for Jordan, when the existing Driver Hire Dundee & Perth business was put on the market. Jordan was immediately attracted to the business, and after a conversation with Driver Hire’s Franchise Sales Director, Graham Duckworth, he worked towards completing a purchase of the business, using his life savings for a deposit and initial working capital.

“After six years as an employee in a Driver Hire office, setting out on my own was a scary prospect. I remember sitting in my hotel room on the night before my Driver Hire Foundation Course thinking ‘What have I done’?” 

Jordan officially became the new franchisee of Driver Hire Perth & Dundee on 2nd March 2020 - just three weeks before the UK entered its first COVID-19 lockdown! Having initially got off to a good start, growing weekly revenue to around £6k in his first weeks, revenues dipped due to the impact of the first (and most extreme) lockdown, when many sectors temporarily closed.

“Instead of feeling sorry for myself I decided I had to man up. I hit the phones and worked really hard on calls. I turned a small corner and business started to trickle back in. What was particularly hard was keeping drivers on board whilst there wasn’t much work to offer them.”

Having shown great tenacity, by September 2020, Jordan was back on an even keel. His next goal was to take the business to another level. With his typical flair and energy he has taken the business to new heights, achieving over £1.3m turnover already this financial year, with 3 further months to go.

In recognition of Jordan’s success, in November 2021 he was selected as a “Next Generation Franchisee” finalist at the prestigious bfa HSBC Franchise Awards, in which he was described as one of the “Best in Franchising”. Nearly two years on, Jordan hasn’t looked back on his decision to take over as franchisee, adding, “this business is transforming my life, thanks to franchising, the Driver Hire model, and my own hard work.”

New Franchisees at Leeds recruitment business

Husband and wife team, Tim and Fiona Hennah have bought Driver Hire’s Leeds West recruitment office.

Before buying their own business, Tim’s career was spent in the travel industry, working for Thomas Cook and, most recently, P&O Ferries. For the latter, he launched a mini-cruise programme which, prior to the pandemic, had grown to £2m annual turnover.

Meanwhile Fiona has spent the last 15 years in nursing, working for the NHS and in private

health care at the Yorkshire Clinic. “Both of us have spent our careers working hard for our respective employers, but not really reaping the full reward for the effort we were putting in,” says Fiona. “We both agreed that it was time to start doing it for ourselves and become our own bosses. Franchising presented us with a perfect opportunity to do that.”

Tim adds: “We looked at a number of franchises – Driver Hire came out on top. We could see that the business model has been working well for over 30 years. Equally important, everyone at Driver Hire – from senior management through to franchisees – have been completely open and transparent with us as we moved toward our final decision. We’re both excited about the challenges ahead and really looking forward to contacting customers old and new as we drive the business to new heights of success.”

Graham Duckworth, Driver Hire’s Franchise Sales Director commented: “In common with many successful Driver Hire franchisees, Tim and Fiona have not previously worked in logistics or recruitment. However, they spent two weeks on an intensive Driver Hire Foundation course, joining other new franchisees in person for the first week, with the second week delivered virtually. Looking ahead, our support team will be working closely with Tim and Fiona to ensure their future success.”

The UK’s largest specialist supplier with a nationwide network of franchised offices, Driver Hire provides temporary and permanent drivers and other logistics staff to local and national organisations in both the public and private sector. If they’re short of staff – perhaps because of illness, holidays or seasonal demand – Driver Hire will supply them with a suitable replacement.

Franchise News

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