To think I'm not getting paid a fair amount?

[blameitontheweathergirl]

I do deliveries for a company once a week. I was getting paid 10 pounds per hour plus 15 pounds on top of that for petrol. It usually takes me around 3 hours, so I get 45 pounds a week.

I have to drive to collect it which is around 30 miles from my home and then have to drive 30 miles back to my hometown to deliver. This week I tracked the miles I had used from start to finish and I clocked 100 miles in total. With the increase in fuel prices, I just don't think it's worth my time.

I agreed to this when I started a few months ago not realising the distance. I have been very reliable and hate to let people down.

Would it be unreasonable to approach the company and say I would only be able to continue if I was getting 20 pence per mile as well as my hourly rate? Or does what I'm being paid sound fair enough for the miles accrued?

Standard is 45p a mile if self employed or drive for work

OP there’s more vacancies than workers atm, you will walk into a job like this the moment you leave. So ask. They have more to loose than you and why should you work for nothing?

Is it a regular trip or one of many ?
Is the £15 a flat amount for petrol

If you travel from A to B and its 100 miles and you get £15 then you go from C to D and its 5 miles but you still get £15 you would break even after a while i think .

But if it is the only place you go and it regularly cost you more in petrol that the £15 then I think it would be worth asking for a increase in allowance.
Whether they agree to it or not would be down to how your contract is worded I think.

@NewYearCalavicci

Is it a regular trip or one of many ? Is the £15 a flat amount for petrol

If you travel from A to B and its 100 miles and you get £15 then you go from C to D and its 5 miles but you still get £15 you would break even after a while i think .

But if it is the only place you go and it regularly cost you more in petrol that the £15 then I think it would be worth asking for a increase in allowance.
Whether they agree to it or not would be down to how your contract is worded I think.

I don't have a contract, we just agreed verbally, but no it's usually around 80 - 100 miles each week and the 45 I'm getting is basically just going on petrol each week and just driving up my car mileage.

They are exploiting you.

It's not their fault you agreed to a job where the main site was 30 miles away.

Your commute of 30 miles to get there isn't their problem, why should they pay you extra just because you have chosen to work and live in two different locations.

It would be one thing to renegotiate the fuel payment for the driving you do as part of the job, but expecting them to subsidise your commute is CF territory

The HMRC approved rate for mileage (which has not been increased recently as far as I am aware) is 45p per mile. This is intended to cover wear and tear on the vehicle an£ fuel costs.

If you are driving 100 miles, then using the HMRC approved rate for driving your own vehicle you could claim £45.

Of course, an employer is not required to pay the HMRC rate, if they pay a higher rate there are tax 8 plications.

I empathise with anyone on a low wage but 30 miles in a crazy distance to travel for work and I live rurally. Surely it would be better to apply to work one day/evening in a local shop for minimum wage.

The 30 miles each way to collect the stuff, could be considered personal mileage in the same way that driving to the office would be, unless it was considered that the location is not your normal place of employment

@nosyupnorth

Your commute of 30 miles to get there isn't their problem, why should they pay you extra just because you have chosen to work and live in two different locations.

It would be one thing to renegotiate the fuel payment for the driving you do as part of the job, but expecting them to subsidise your commute is CF territory

They advertised that it needed to be someone from my hometown that knew the area. Regardless whether I stayed 1 mile away from the place of business I would still have to drive 30 miles to do the deliveries and then 30 miles back to the site. Do you understand?

@nosyupnorth

Your commute of 30 miles to get there isn't their problem, why should they pay you extra just because you have chosen to work and live in two different locations.

It would be one thing to renegotiate the fuel payment for the driving you do as part of the job, but expecting them to subsidise your commute is CF territory

its not a commute though, its collecting the stuff for the deliveries?

I'm friendly with the business owner that just makes it more awkward

I think they need to deliver the stuff to you or pay per mile from when you pick up the stuff. Whilst it could be argued that the drive there is a commute once you have the packages it is work,

Explain your cost and say it is not sustainable and see what they offer but be prepared to walk away.

They advertised that it needed to be someone from my hometown that knew the area. Regardless whether I stayed 1 mile away from the place of business I would still have to drive 30 miles to do the deliveries and then 30 miles back to the site. Do you understand?

This hasn’t changed since you started. It isn’t their fault you didn’t do the calculations. You should have factored in the commute when working out whether the job was worth it. If the rise in fuel prices is a problem, speak to your boss about a pay rise.

its not a commute though, its collecting the stuff for the deliveries?

It’s going to your place of work to start the job. It is a commute.