Top 10 Listing, and more, for Driver Hire

Build Your Recruitment Enterprise with Driver Hire

A Leading UK Franchise with a Demonstrated History of Success

If you are seeking to manage your own career, Driver Hire provides a unique path to business ownership supported by a reputable national brand.

As a multi-award-winning franchisor in the essential transport and logistics sector, Driver Hire enables partners to build scalable operations that deliver vital staffing solutions while securing sustainable financial performance.

An Established and Resilient Business Model

Founded in 1983, franchising since 1987, Driver Hire has over 40 years of experience and is one of the UK’s longest-established and most successful franchise networks, with more than 100 offices. The brand is consistently recognised for excellence, including:

Elite Franchise Top 100: Top 10 status for nine consecutive years.
Multiple British Franchise Association Franchisor of the Year awards.
Franchisee Satisfaction: Winner of the 2025 5-Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award.

This longevity is built on a foundation of regulatory compliance, professionalism, and enduring commercial relationships.

Financial Performance and Scalability

The Driver Hire model thrives on consistent demand for logistics staffing. Recent network performance data (2025/26) highlights the potential for generating excellent financial returns:

Performance Data:

Top Office Turnover - Up to £4 million
Average Office Turnover - £1.4 million
58% of offices exceed £1 million
Typical Net Profit Margins - 10–15%

Your Role as a Franchise Owner

Your role will be to run a local recruitment business supplying temporary and permanent personnel to industries such as manufacturing, retail, construction, and transport. Your primary role involves building local partnerships, understanding the specific workforce requirements of your clients, and helping drivers secure meaningful employment. Beyond commerce, you will serve as a vital link in your local economy, ensuring supply chains remain functional.

Comprehensive Training and Ongoing Support

You do not need prior experience in logistics or recruitment to succeed. The onboarding process includes:

Foundational Training: A comprehensive two-week induction course.
Expert Support: Guidance from a 70-person head office team covering marketing, IT, and legal compliance.
Mentorship: Regular guidance from dedicated area managers.
Proven Infrastructure: Access to established recruitment software and corporate-level national accounts.

Flexible Entry Paths and Investment

Driver Hire offers flexible pathways to ownership, allowing you to choose the entry method that best fits your goals:

New Start-ups: High-growth potential, territory-specific opportunities.
Resales: Purchasing an existing office with established revenue and staff.
Corporate Resales: Acquiring an existing business with immediate revenue

Investment Requirement: A minimum of £30,000 in personal capital is typically required, with comprehensive financial support available through major banking partners familiar with the franchise model.

Your Next Step

Are you ready to build a business that delivers both personal success and community impact?

Click the button below to explore available territories or to request an information pack:

Driver Hire Financial Data

The following financial information was provided by Driver Hire to give you more information about the costs associated with a Driver Hire opportunity

Your Financial Return

The Driver Hire franchise fee for a new start-up is just £32,000 however there are only a few remaining start-up areas available. You are more likely to invest in an established Driver Hire business and the price of these can vary from £50,000 to £500,000+.

Personal capital required: £30,000 would be sufficient for the lowest cost Driver Hire businesses (£30,000 personal and £70,000 bank lending gives somebody £100,000, which can be enough in some cases.

Funding of up to 70% is typically available from high street banks.

For the financial year 2025/26, the performance of the franchised businesses was as follows:

Average turnover was £1.4m, and top offices generated over £4m turnover.
74% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £750,000.
58% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £1million.
20% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £2million.

As you’d expect, profit levels will reflect your hard work, correct application of the franchise system, commercial skills, judgement, and market conditions. For example: at £1m annual turnover, net profits should be in the region of 10% to 15% (i.e. £100k to £150k).

Top 10 Listing, and more, for Driver Hire

March 02, 2026

For many years, Driver Hire has been a high-ranking franchisor in the HSBC Elite Franchise Top 100 (“The UK’s official Top 100 franchise guide”).

2026 is the ninth successive year the transport & logistics specialist recruiter has been in the Top 10 – this year coming in at #7, alongside household names including McDonalds and Dyno-Rod.

Rankings are based on core criteria that include size, growth, ambitions, and contribution made to the wider franchising industry and the community.

To further add to its success story, Driver Hire has been shortlisted for two awards from Elite Franchise Magazine: the ‘Businesses for Sale Innovation of the Year Award’ and the ‘Elite Franchise Sustainability of the Year Award.’

The ‘Innovation of the Year Award’ category highlights franchisors who have shown marketing innovation within the franchise model. This might be in the development of enterprising new ways to recruit franchisees, in the promotion of franchise resales, as well as marketing the brand.

The ‘Sustainability of the Year Award’ honours significant contributions to environmental and social progress, including energy efficiency improvements, climate initiatives, and leading practices in sustainability.

Commenting on the latest ranking, Graham Duckworth, Driver Hire’s Franchise Sales Director, said: “As Driver Hire heads towards another outstanding year’s trading – currently 7% up year-on-year, this is another reason to celebrate. Our latest appearance in the Top 10 of the Top 100 rankings speaks volumes about the strength of the Driver Hire business model and our outstanding franchise support, which continues to deliver for our franchisees. These two new award nominations highlight our business strength.”

Elite Franchise magazine is regarded as one of the definitive platforms for the franchise sector. Winners will be announced at the EF100 Awards Ceremony in London on 12 March 2026.

Driver Hire Success Stories

Driver Hire Testimonials

In my previous rote I was working very long hours. I've now been able to take control of my life. I still work hard, but see the rewards for the success and growth of our business.

Priyank Patel, Kingston

It has taken plenty of hard work, dedication, and passion to build our business - but it's been worth it.

Ash Mustafa, Southampton & Winchester

It's fair to say that being a Driver Hire franchisee has exceeded all my expectations. I Love the flexibility of being my own boss and, of course, the financial rewards.

Lee Statham, Crewe & Congleton

The support given to franchisees, from everyone in Driver Hire's central services team, is in my opinion, unrivalled.

Tim & Fiona Hennah, Leeds West

I love being a Driver Hire franchisee. There's a real family feel, with other offices always ready to help each other out. It's delivering financial stability for my family, and other rewards too. Joining Driver Hire was entirely the right decision.