An award-winning franchise
What makes Driver Hire an award-winning franchise?
The 2019 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year
Driver Hire has a record for franchise award wins that no other franchise brand has matched. In 2019 we were named the British Franchise Association (bfa) and HSBC ‘Franchisor of the Year’. This was our sixth award win in this category, and we’ve been finalists 13 times in the last 14 years.
Established for over 35 years, Driver Hire has built a strong reputation for quality and compliance within the logistics and recruitment industries we operate.
But what is it that fuels our award-winning culture? Our combined years of experience, dedication and repeated investment in the Driver Hire network is our recipe for continued success and growth.
For Potential franchisees
Weighing up the pros and cons when looking at franchise options for investment, takes times and careful planning, and you need to be confident in your final decision. At Driver Hire, we’re serious about ethical franchising. We will help you to make the right, informed choice through a two-way selection process that works for both parties and helps to ensure a successful fit.
Transparency
As part of that process we provide potential franchisees access to every area of the business including;
- At least one full day at Driver Hire Group Services in Bradford
- Contact details for every franchisee in the network
- Unaccompanied Driver Hire office visits
- A meeting with the Area Development Manager
- Financial data and planning support
Initial Training
Whether you’re new to recruitment or logistics or have previous experience in these sectors, we provide comprehensive training support to all of our new franchisees before they step into their new role. Our intensive training, which lasts four to six weeks, is carried out by our Group Services and senior management team, covering all aspects of the business.
“Being able to attend a foundation training course was so invaluable for me so that I could get a deeper understanding of the Network support, processes and procedures. By the end of foundation, you are left with so many notes, ideas, tips and so much more compared to starting a business alone. It provides an opportunity to meet other people across the network who you can call on for support and put a name to a face early on creating a warmer environment for the network you are joining.”
Paul Crossley – Driver Hire Stoke
Support
All franchisees in the Driver Hire network have access to an 70-strong support team at Group Services. As well as having your own Area Development Manager to call upon for business and sales support, you will also be introduced to, and receive ongoing specialist:
- Training
- National Accounts
- Marketing & design
- HR
- IT Systems and helpdesk
- Finance and invoicing
- Compliance – audits; ISO9001
- Senior Management Team (SMT)
In addition to this, we actively encourage and facilitate franchisee-to-franchisee peer support and call on the advice of industry experts to speak at our annual conference. Every four months, you will be able to attend our regional meetings which are an excellent opportunity to hear the latest news and share best practice with your neighbouring franchisees.
Pride
We don’t just say we’re an ethical franchise or a good place to work – we live and breathe our company values. We’re extremely proud of the response to our annual survey sent out to the whole of the Driver Hire family – franchisees, Driver Hire employed staff, candidates (temporary workers) and customers. The results help confirm our ethical approach to and passion for the business:
- 99% of our office-based employees say they are proud to work for Driver Hire
- 94% of candidates say they are proud to work for us
- 96% of customers rating customer service as good or excellent
*results of 2018 survey
We have been accredited by Investors in People since 1995. On top of this, in 2018 Driver Hire ranked 43rd in the Great Place to Work® “UK’s Best Workplaces” list (Medium category).
“Throughout the training and on every level, you can see how passionate all the staff at Driver Hire Group Services are about the business and in supporting us.”
Ash Mustafa – Driver Hire Southampton
Sales Support
Your training and support don’t end once you have joined Driver Hire. We provide the following support and incentives which are there to help you grow your business;
- Training – through regional skills workshops
- Area development manager – targeted to directly generate revenue for franchisees
- Monthly sales and marketing plans
- National Sales Days – a network-wide competition
“When you’re busy it’s all too easy to put sales calls off to another day. National Sales Days (NSDs) address this. They’re competitive – offices vie to make the most appointments, and as a catalyst, NSDs helped us focus our sales efforts. We were the overall winners in 2017, collecting a £7,500 prize. I firmly believe that NSDs helped us achieve eight record trading weeks in 2016/17 and an all-time record year.”
Tony Goacher – Driver Hire Croydon
Investing for the future
In the last three years, Driver Hire has committed a £3 million investment in technology to help our franchised network thrive. With a view to the future, we have invested in:
- a new bespoke database system tailored to our specific needs
- a new website for our core business
- application development
- new online services to enhance our customer offer
Our in-house IT development and support teams help feed our innovative culture and these new systems have enhanced and made easier the integration of systems to improve communications with our clients on a mobile basis. Further supporting our franchisees on an operational basis and against our competitors.
Strength to strength
Driver Hire’s continual investment and support provided to franchisees have seen some great returns:
- The average annual turnover for a single franchise in 2021/22 was £1,230,163
- Average franchise pre-tax profits over £140k
According to the British Franchise Association, award winners must:
“demonstrate a passion and commitment to ethical franchising, evidence strong infrastructure and support for their network, ensuring franchisees have the best environment to succeed and reach their full potential.”
Register your interest now to see how you can share in our award-winning success.