delivery driver

courier driver

truck driver

van driver

recruiter

Fast Despatch

Disappointed is an understatement. I managed to get an interview for this company for their recruitment admin role. The job description sounded fantastic so I was very excited to take a shot and do my best. 

Upon arrival I was told the original HR/recruiter who I was mean to be interviewed by, will not be seeing me-no reasoning for this, just that she won't. Instead I was met by another HR employee. Not a problem. 

The 'interview' was an informal chat and possibly the easiest interview I've had to date. Straight away I was told everything that was not advertised on the original job role online- this job was temporary, you are self-employed and need to work 6 days a week. No benefits, no sick pay, no holiday pay, but 'we're really flexible'. All for £400. Scraping JUST above minimum wage. I've worked in numerous office environments, but this takes the biscuit. 

I was willing to look past this as it's desperate times, desperate measures. Also worth mentioning that the current pandemic does not seem to exist in the Fast Despatch Logistic Limited office as there's no forms of social distancing and it's handshakes all around!

They had three open positions for this role as they're 'very busy'- understandibly with the current situations. Couple of days later I get the call to say I got the job. I asked to think about it, and shortly after I accepted the offer. Excited I've gone and told family and friends. 

Only to receive a call a few hours later from the same HR employee that they have to rescind the job offer as supposedly 'a previous employee has come back and will be taking the role. It's something that we really didn't expect'. Of course anyone with a braincell would understand and this sounds like the biggest load of drivel. 

Given the fact that I'd already accepted the job offer (and apparently the 2 other roles were filled), the job offer was no longer there, only to find they were now advertising for different roles within the company for Indeed. That is one way to make someone feel like a second-class citizen.

There's clearly something wrong within the company. Whether it's in dire financial straits, or so disorganised it needs to eliminate a role before it begins. I will count this as a blessing in disguise as I do not want to be part of a team that disposes of people in such way. 

Overall waste of my time and money, but if this helps other hopefuls of deciding to go elsewhere for a job, then so be it.

Fast Despatch Logistics are scammers who will withhold your hard earned money and charge you the most extortionate amount for the smallest of damages to your van. 

I started working for FDL in November. Desperate for a job as a young single mother trying to provide for my daughter. It seemed like a great job but I didn’t realise what on earth I was getting myself into.

160 STOPS per day, 250 parcels. 12 hour shifts but they will tell you that you will finish at a reasonable time (between 4-6.30pm) depending on “how hard you are willing to work”. Modern day slavery. This job will make you feel like you are inadequate, slow, not good enough, not privileged enough to have lunch because if you do you might finish at 9 o clock at night and you will be ridiculed by your manager who can track your van and progress everyday. They will threaten to sack you if you don’t move fast enough, change your hours when ever they want and get rid of you when the busy periods die down. 

You will have to pay £210 a WEEK for your van. I had the smallest dent in the back of my van and they have withheld the last 5 weeks of my pay (£413) and sent me an email stating I need to pay an extra £995 and will take me to court or send bailiffs to my house if I don’t pay £995 within 7 days. My last 5 weeks of work were over the Christmas and new year period. I worked Christmas Eve, I worked New Year’s Eve and I worked my self to the bone and they have taken all my hard earned money. It is a waste of time. Whatever tough situation you’re in, please do not stoop as low as to work for this company!!!!!! You will regret it.

FDL,  have a policy of working 3 laying weeks and get paid on your 4th. If you can afford to go a month before getting paid maybe you don't need a job.  At no point during training was this mentioned.. not even when management was asked for the information it still wasn't relayed. Your expected to pay your diesel to and from work and mileage is only paid while on route, not mentioned in training when asking about it, you are referred to your manager. When taking a van from company its costs almost 200 quid a week with them under no obligation to give you any shifts. The communication about routes is excellent the communication regarding getting paid or anything else that benefits you as an employee is little or none. I'd never have taken job if I had known all the above. The management is driven by metrics and have a very unprofessional approach to anything else other than metrics. Make the smallest error and you'll pay by being taking of the rota for as many days as it takes for management to stop huffing like a child. You will find out your shifts late the night before your shift. You have no idea until the night before if you've work or not, makes the work/life balance difficult. 

Worked here for about a year and half. The best advice I can give is that you should only apply for this job if you have your own van. The job itself can be physical, I consider myself quite quick and fit so I could finish the job in around 6 hours and collect a day rate which I enjoyed. I had no problems with management whatsoever. I got on very well with them and had help whenever I needed. However the van hire had stressed me out beyond belief. I left on good terms with no ill feeling, until about month later I had been sent a bill for £2000 for damages for the vans I used in my time there. All completely minor damages such as marks and minuscule scratches that you can’t even see. This completely changed my view about the whole company. You are self employed and replaceable so you are treated as a number. You have to pay your own fuel. You aren’t guaranteed 5 days and you have no idea of your work schedule for each week. Good for short term work, but wouldn’t advise for a long term career here. Absolute money grabbing snakes when it comes to the van hire. 

You'll be asked to be self-employed because they will treat you like if you are their employee. There's no exclusivity of service, but they will demand you to work X times, whatever suits them. You will never know if you work up until the same morning, around 7/8 am, regardless of whether the work notification was sent the day after.
I'd advise having a plan B for this situation.
They work with Amazon, so in peak times, there are plenty of jobs.
Again you are self-employed, and you decide when you work.
The bonus's hardly achievable; the statistics used are outdated and inefficient. They don't represent the effort you may put in. However, this is more fault from Amazon than FDL.
They'll charge you 200 a week for a van plus insurance, so better off renting your own!
If you are happy to accept these things, it's an excellent place to work.

I started with FDL in October after 20 years in a different industry and felt at home straight away. The work is fast paced but easy to learn and get up to speed. Cosmin The manager at Manchester was very supportive and went out of his way to help. The team is very multi cultural and everyone got on well with each other and if ever you needed help there was someone there. The only downside to the job was the van rental which had to be paid no matter how many days work you were offered. The manager did his best to share work out at low volume times ( out of his control as this is dictated by amazon) . If you were getting between 4 and 6 days per week happy days. I only left to pursue a career as an LGV driver but must say it has been a great experience and my favourite ever job! I would recommend that if you do this job register for flat rate VAT scheme using a proper accountant and you will see a little extra cash in your pocket each week ( FDL can point you in the direction of a great accountant)


I’ve been working for FDL since May now. I can genuinely say that it’s a really good job! The only down sides are no holiday pay, sick pay or pension as you are classed as self employed. However, you can pick and choose your working days. Management are very kind and caring and they do care about what you expect from the job. The pay is brilliant. You are your own boss! Amazon staff are kind and courteous. FDL staff will do anything to make your life easier! Really, really great bunch of people who together makes up a very strong team! You feel very proud at the end of the day. You definitely feel like you’ve accomplished something! There’s the opportunity to work away from home, your accommodation is paid for and they provide an incentive to go too! There really aren’t any negatives about this job apart from the things I mentioned! Some days can be busy, however, compared to other companies in the Amazon station our routes are so much easier than theirs! Brilliant company!

Fast paced, perfect for someone who likes to work at their own pace but alot better if you enjoy an energetic job. A lot of stops in a days work but once you get into the routine of it its not as daunting as it first seems.then managers are very supportive and will answer every question you need an answer to. Incentives in place to keep you on your feet and the team you work with at loading in the morning to debrief at the end of the day are great people. Always willing to help and also answer any questions you may have.
On a side note, the handling of covid-19 has been amazing, ppe provided every morning and strict enforcement of social distancing for the safety of workers, drivers and the customers.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Delivery driver 22 salaries reported	£156 per day
Courier driver 6 salaries reported	£170 per day
Truck driver 2 salaries reported	£45,036 per year
Van driver 2 salaries reported	£160 per day
Recruiter 1 salary reported	£20,000 per year

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