Driver Hire is the UK’s largest specialist logistics recruiter, supplying customers in a wide range of sectors nationwide.Established in 1983, The Driver Hire network consists of 104 offices across the UK, all focused on supplying thousands of satisfied customers each year.
RUN YOUR OWN £1M+ FRANCHISE WITHIN THE AWARD-WINNING DRIVER HIRE NETWORK
Who is Driver Hire?
Driver Hire is also one of the UK’s most successful and highly respected franchise brands:
- BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year Silver Winner in 2022 & 2023, and Gold Winner in 2019
- Elite Franchise Franchisor of the Year 2023
- Regular Finalist (16 out of the last 19 years) and an eight-times award winner in the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards
Driver Hire's excellent reputation is based on the quality of service to both customers who need to find excellent staff and candidates who are looking for work. 98% of customers rated our service as Good or Excellent in our 2023 survey and 95% of candidates said they were proud to work for Driver Hire. In a highly regulated industry, this reflects the high standards of professionalism from our franchisees and throughout our business.
What Does Driver Hire do?
Since 1983, our 100+ franchisees have been supplying businesses and firms across the country with temporary drivers, as well as non-driving staff, for all sorts of needs; we are now the UK’s largest specialist logistics recruiter, and proud to be a franchised business.
Our near 40 years of experience have made us one of the top companies for finding different businesses the staff they need for permanent positions (we work on a no-success, no fee basis), long-term contracts or simply drivers for one-off jobs.
We don’t focus purely on drivers; we regularly help find people for non-driving roles that come with haulage links, such as warehouse staff and managers.
With all of this comes our robust central support system that provides both new and established franchisees with the training and support they need to succeed. This starts with identifying people who are suitable for running a Driver Hire recruitment business, to providing a comprehensive training programme, before then providing a level of operational support which is unrivalled in the industry.
Who is Driver Hire looking for?
Driver Hire franchisees come from all walks of life but there are personal traits that they all have in common; they are:
- Personable
- Driven
- Can-do attitude
- Confident relationship builder
- Tenacious
- Good communicator
- Consistency
- Effective people manager
Relevant industry experience is not necessary as we provide you with all the training you will need, however we do find that the following backgrounds can be beneficial:
- Sales or Business Development
- Operations Management
- Experience of supervising staff
- Any other role where winning business was a requirement, e.g. self-employed contractor who has to pitch to win work or develop relationships to win future business.
See what some of our existing franchisees think HERE
Why Choose Driver Hire?
Driver Hire is one of the UK’s leading specialist recruiters, providing logistics staff to the private and public sectors. For the financial year 2023/24, the performance of the franchised businesses was as follows:
- Net profit for a franchised business (single office) in 2023/24 was between 10% and 15% of turnover. Average turnover was £1.2m, and top offices generated over £3m turnover.
- 75% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £750,000
- 55% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £1million
- 11% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £2million
Additional reasons for considering Driver Hire include:
- BFA HSBC Franchisor of the Year Silver Winner in 2022 & 2023, and Gold Winner in 2019
- We are full members of the British Franchise Association (bfa)
- Regular Finalist (16 out of the last 19 years) and an eight-times award winner in the bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year awards
- One of the leading logistics recruiters, so you can have every confidence in the service you are selling. Plus, you are providing a service for which there is a clear and growing demand
- We have over 70 head office support staff when you need them, so you will never be alone in your business
- You will also have access to National Accounts, which deliver 24% of network revenue and our bespoke IT systems which have been developed to support the needs of a Driver Hire business, giving you the best possible tools to succeed.
How Much Do I Need to Invest?
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. If you are looking to invest in an established territory re-sale these start from £50,000. The minimum investment required is £60,000 and your minimum liquid capital amount should be at least £25,000.
Click HERE for more information on our available territories
Are you looking to join a proven business?
Find out everything you need to know about how you could join one of the UK’s most successful franchises.
Your Next Steps
The Driver Hire brand provides you with a huge advantage over the competition and is supported by a wealth of support from over 70 head office staff across several important departments. So if you can see yourself owning and running a Driver Hire office we want to hear from you today – we have a specialist in-house Franchise Sales team ready to help you learn more.
- Net profit for a franchised business (single office) in 2023/24 was between 10% and 15% of turnover.
- Average turnover was £1.2m, and top offices generated over £3m turnover.
- 75% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £750,000.
- 55% of Driver Hire franchises achieved sales of over £1million.
- 11% 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 a £1m annual turnover, net profits should be in the region of 10% to 15% (i.e. £100k to £150k).
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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. If you are looking to invest in an established territory re-sale these start from £50,000. The minimum investment required is £60,000 and your minimum liquid capital amount should be at least £25,000.
Funding of up to 70% is typically available from high street banks.
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Driver Hire's Famous Five
Driver Hire - Available Franchises Territories
Driver Hire Dynamic Duo -Tim & Fiona Hennah, Leeds West
When it comes to ‘Dynamic Duos’, Tim & Fiona Hennah’s headline figures at their Leeds West Driver Hire office clearly demonstrate they work well together.
After purchasing their franchise business in 2021, they achieved a substantial rise in turnover, moving Leeds West from 81st place up to 19th in the Driver Hire network rankings based on turnover.
They’ve built an enviable and growing client list, and they regularly find work for dozens of drivers every week. The business has just celebrated several record weeks in the current year.
Tim and Fiona are modest about their success and attribute much of it to the other – but it’s clear their structured approach, with a focus on their individual strengths, has played a major role.
Time for a change
Prior to Driver Hire, neither Tim nor Fiona (husband and wife) had any meaningful road transport or recruitment industry experience. Tim worked for P&O Ferries as a mini-cruise and events development director, and Fiona for the NHS.
The pandemic brought about a change in their situation. Tim was made redundant, whilst Fiona had never been busier – working on a Covid ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary. This was a time to consider their future. Tim explains, “We recognised we had different but complementary skills, and felt we could work well together running our own business.”
Tim had time to investigate their options, and a search for a suitable franchise business led them to Driver Hire.
“Whilst we both moved into uncharted territory, we had a good understanding of customer service,” says Tim. “We understood the importance of treating customers and drivers how we’d like to be treated ourselves, and this gave us confidence we could make our business work.”
Driver Hire core requirements
Driver Hire is a round-the-clock recruitment business which requires significant commitment. It also involves sales (winning new customers), recruitment (attracting candidates – typically drivers), customer service (caring for customers and candidates), and ensuring the business functions effectively (administration and finance).
Complementary roles
Tim and Fiona created a clear business plan with defined roles for both: Tim was going to focus on supporting customers and candidates, and Fiona was going to focus on more administrative tasks. However, Tim explains, “It quickly became apparent that Fiona’s naturally caring nature was perfect for engaging with clients and candidates and building trust.”
So, they quickly changed their roles to better match their skills and support the business.
Now, Tim focuses on three key areas: business strategy, business development, and finance. He sets the strategy for 3 months ahead – planning the customer sectors to target and identifying target customers. He then leads the business development activities (supported by their Senior Recruiter) to generate new clients and help grow revenue. In addition, he manages all the financial aspects of the business: invoicing, payroll, and cash flow management.
Fiona’s key focus areas involve managing the existing client and candidate relationships (to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction), handling the day-to-day bookings (matching candidates to clients), and managing and developing the team.
Fiona is supported by their Recruitment Consultant/Resourcer – to ensure the business has enough new drivers to meet customer demand, and of course, this helps more people into work.
This clear designation of roles provides focus and ensures all the key weekly tasks are consistently covered, week-in-week-out.
Client and candidate satisfaction
Fiona’s focus on supporting and helping clients and candidates clearly works. They asked every customer to provide feedback, and their Google score increased from 3 out of 5 in 2021 (when they first started), to the current score of 4.9 out of 5.
Perfect partners in life – and dynamic in business
This dynamic duo works well together. They’re both highly personable and care about doing their best for their clients and their drivers.
Fiona concludes: “There’s a real sense of achievement in running your own business, finding work for drivers and going above and beyond to meet customer needs. We’ve developed great relationships with people who we genuinely like and can have a laugh with. And we’ve found that we actually like working with each other too!”
If Tim & Fiona’s story resonates with you why not get in touch to see if Driver Hire is the right fit for you? Just click the button below to get the ball rolling
I just love the business. I could see the potential and the idea of making it mine was an exciting one. I still feel the same. The big difference I’ve noticed is that, as your own boss, you really cherish success.
Whilst the financial side is key, I just enjoy running a Driver Hire franchise. We’ve taken people who were unemployed on to our books and found them full-time jobs. That’s an amazing feeling. I love hearing a client say to me: “He’s perfect for the job, can I keep him?
I cannot recommend and thank Driver Hire enough for providing me with such an opportunity for a dream career and lifestyle. The support during the process, advise as well as guidance throughout my years with Driver Hire has been a key element to a great working partnership. They have the personable touch, yet a solid national brand that is associated with quality and expertise. Thank you to all at Driver Hire and to anyone thinking about it, don`t miss the opportunity!
Buying my franchise was the best career move I have ever made. I love the systems, quality control and high standards that Driver Hire embraces - follow the model, and it will work. I am very proud to be a Driver Hire Franchisee and delighted to have been able to renew my franchise agreement for another 5 years.
Operating at the £1m turnover mark, naturally I’m looking to grow the business even further to maximise its future sale price. The business has changed my life and my family life considerably compared to being employed. The business affords a good lifestyle, but you must put the work in at the start and have a good team around you to achieve this. It’s been a great move and I love what I do.
Becoming a Driver Hire franchisee has absolutely changed our lives! I’ve gained all the 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.
Driver Hire Interview | Franchise Expo London 2023
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