What Driver Hire does

Driver Hire, founded in 1983 in West Yorkshire and headquartered in Bradford, is the UK's largest specialist transport and logistics recruitment company, supplying temporary and permanent drivers and non-driving logistics personnel nationwide. The company operates through a franchise network of 100+ (reported as 120 in some sources) UK offices, with four additional offices in Australia (Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney), generating over 17,000 shifts per average week. Its core service is the supply of qualified drivers — covering Class 1, Class 2, 7.5-tonne, PSV, vans, and specialist skills including ADR, HIAB, and IPAF — alongside warehouse operatives, transport managers, and related logistics roles. Every candidate must pass a proprietary 150-point competency test before placement, and the group operates 24/7, 365-day service with a published 15-minute response time for urgent staffing needs.

The product portfolio extends well beyond transactional placement. Driver Hire Training delivers Driver CPC training (100,000+ training days cumulative, priced at £179 for a 5-day course), and the group operates dh Licence Check — an online licence verification service with eConsent and permanent audit trail that has processed 100,000+ checks. ClearCite is a proprietary Vendor Management System for enterprise customers managing multi-site temporary staffing, and dh Recruitment extends into hospitality and event staffing. Supporting technology includes the MyDriverHire candidate portal and a mobile application for self-service job search and application. Parent company Specialist People Services Group Ltd (SPS) completed a £25m debt refinancing with Virgin Money in June 2026 to accelerate growth.

The business model is multi-stream: (1) temporary staffing billed on a transactional mark-up on candidate hourly wages, (2) permanent placement on a no-success-no-fee basis, (3) training services sold at unit pricing, and (4) subscription / per-check pricing for dh Licence Check. Customer segments are verticalized within transport and logistics, spanning SMBs through enterprise accounts (e.g., Alliance Healthcare, Hillingdon Hospital, John Davidson Pipes) as well as the public sector. Distribution combines the franchise network for SMB and local coverage with a National Accounts team and ClearCite VMS for enterprise clients. The group has won bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year four times (2006, 2012, 2015, 2023) and ranked #3 in the Elite Franchise UK Top 100 in 2024.

Name

Driver Hire

Legal name

Specialist People Services Group Ltd

Website

https://driverhire.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Driver Hire is the UK's largest specialist transport and logistics recruitment company, supplying temporary and permanent drivers and logistics staff via a 100+ office franchise network, with complementary Driver CPC training, licence verification (dh Licence Check), and enterprise VMS (ClearCite) services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Staffing Services

NAICS

Limousine Service (485320)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)

akta.pro primary industry

Transportation (Drivers/Fleet) Staffing (BPACAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Driver Programs & Workforce Management (Onboarding, Scheduling, Retention) (TLABAIAD), Driver & Technician Training, Certification & Workforce Management (THAIANAJ), Driver Expense Management & Reimbursement (T&E for Drivers) (TLABAMAF)

Keywords

• Logistics recruitment
• Transport staffing
• Temporary driver supply
• Franchise recruitment
• Driver training

Headquarters

HQ city

Bradford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Temporary Staffing: Supply of temporary drivers and logistics personnel to transport operations. The company provides 24-hour, 365-day service with rates typically quoted per hour. Revenue generated through mark-up on candidate wages.
2. Permanent Recruitment: Permanent placement recruitment service operating on no success no fee basis, backed by generous guarantees.
3. Training Services: Driver CPC training (5 days for £179), licence acquisition services, and other training delivered through Driver Hire Training division.
4. Licence Checking Services: dh Licence Check online service for businesses to verify driving licences, providing recurring revenue through subscription or per-check pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Driver Hire supplies temporary and permanent drivers and logistics personnel to transport and logistics businesses across the UK via a 100+ office franchise network, operating 24/7 365 days a year with rapid response. The company also runs Driver Hire Training (Driver CPC and licence acquisition), dh Licence Check (online driving licence verification), and ClearCite (a vendor management system) as standalone service lines serving both candidates and business customers.

Product overview

Driver Hire operates as a unified recruitment platform offering temporary and permanent staffing for the transport and logistics sector. The core offering is the franchise-based recruitment service connecting employers with drivers and logistics staff. Supporting modules include dh Licence Check (online licence verification), ClearCite (VMS for national accounts), Driver Hire Training (Driver CPC and professional training), and MyDriverHire (candidate portal). The company also extends internationally through Driver Hire Australia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Driver Hire Training: Nationwide provider of Driver CPC training, licence acquisition, and professional development courses for drivers and transport managers.
• dh Licence Check
• dh Recruitment

Products and services

• Temporary Driver and Logistics Staffing Supply of temporary Cat C+E, Cat C, PSV, 7.5 tonne, van, car, and forklift drivers plus warehouse operatives, pickers/packers, and mates to transport and logistics businesses. Operated 24/7 365 days a year with rapid response, billed per hour with mark-up on candidate wages.
• Permanent Driver and Logistics Recruitment Permanent placement of drivers and logistics professionals including transport managers and logistics co-ordinators, operated on a no success no fee basis with guarantees. Targets employers seeking permanent hires and candidates seeking career progression.
• Driver Hire Training (Driver CPC and Licence Acquisition) Nationwide training services including Driver CPC (5-day online virtual classroom course for £179, includes VAT and JAUPT upload), licence acquisition and upgrade (HGV), and professional development courses such as Transport Manager training, delivered via online virtual classroom, tutor-led, and self-study formats.
• dh Licence Check Online driving licence verification service for businesses that provides an instant overview of all drivers, customisable settings, a permanent audit trail, 24-hour access, electronic consent (eConsent), and instant detailed licence reports. Has processed 100,000+ licence checks and achieves 97% customer satisfaction.
• ClearCite Vendor Management System Bespoke Vendor Management System (VMS) platform that streamlines logistics supplier network management for enterprise customers with multiple sites or volume staffing needs, providing centralised visibility and control over temporary and permanent staffing suppliers.
• Driver Hire Franchise Opportunities Franchise package offering entrepreneurs the right to operate a Driver Hire branded recruitment office under licence, with 40+ years of operational systems, brand recognition as the UK's number one recruitment franchise, and unrivalled group support. Ranked #3 in Elite Franchise UK Top 100 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of customers rated customer service as Good/Excellent (80% Excellent) - December 2025 survey with 330 responses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Driver Require: UK-based specialist driver and logistics recruitment agency offering temporary and permanent driving staff. Closest direct competitor to Driver Hire with very similar customer base (logistics operators needing HGV drivers) and same vertical specialisation in transport staffing.
• Blue Arrow: UK staffing firm with strong logistics, driving, and industrial verticals supplying temporary drivers, warehouse staff, and logistics personnel. Overlapping customer segments and comparable temporary staffing revenue model in the UK transport market.
• Pertemps Network Group: UK-based recruitment group operating across industrial, driving, and logistics verticals with a franchise-like branch network. Comparable in business model (temp/perm staffing), target customers (transport/logistics employers), and service breadth including Driver CPC training.

Broad incumbents

• Gi Group: Large European staffing group with dedicated logistics, transport, and driving verticals across multiple countries. Significantly larger scale than Driver Hire but directly competes in logistics staffing in overlapping UK/European markets.
• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing giant with logistics, manufacturing, and industrial divisions that include driver and warehouse staffing. Much broader portfolio than Driver Hire but provides the most relevant large-scale reference point for the logistics staffing market.
• Adecco: Global staffing leader with logistics, industrial, and driving staffing lines operating in the UK. Operates at much larger scale than Driver Hire but addresses the same UK logistics employer customer base with similar temporary staffing offerings.
• Randstad: Major global staffing firm with logistics, driving, and industrial divisions active in the UK. Comparable temporary staffing services and customer overlap in logistics and transport sectors, though broader portfolio than Driver Hire.

Emerging players

• Reed Specialist Recruitment: Large UK generalist recruiter with logistics and driving categories but not a specialist. Provides partial overlap in driver/logistics temp staffing while serving a much broader set of sectors.
• Hays Travel / Hays Recruiting: UK-headquartered global recruiter with logistics, procurement, and supply chain specialisms. Operates in adjacent recruitment categories to Driver Hire but with focus on professional rather than blue-collar driving roles.

Others

• Totaljobs / StepStone Group: Major UK job board and recruitment platform owned by StepStone Group. Adjacent player providing candidate attraction infrastructure that competes indirectly with Driver Hire's MyDriverHire portal and Driver Hire App for driver candidate flow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/driverhire
• Facebookfacebook.com/DriverHireUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/driver-hire-nationwide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Driver Hire