Two Drivers, One Team: How Steve and Xanthe Make Engineius Work for Them
When Xanthe struck up a conversation with an Engineius driver collecting a car during the COVID lockdowns, she had no idea it would lead to a whole new chapter; not just for her, but for her husband Steve too. Five years later, the Kent-based couple are both firmly established in the Engineius driver network, and by all accounts, they couldn't be happier.
We sat down with Steve and Xanthe to find out what it's really like to work in the same industry as your partner, how they coordinate their days on the road, and why they'd recommend the job to anyone who loves driving.
A Chance Conversation That Changed Everything
Their story starts, as many good ones do, entirely by accident. Steve was working in London at the time, and as the lockdowns took hold, the couple were also running a pub in Kent. When a colleague of Steve's retired, Xanthe happened to be there when an Engineius driver came to collect his company car. After a good chat with the driver, she was intrigued.
At the time, the pub was becoming increasingly stressful, and the couple were looking for a change. Xanthe became an Engineius driver first, followed by Steve, once he retired, and they haven't looked back since.
The Ultimate Flexible Career
For both Steve and Xanthe, the word that comes up again and again is flexibility. As a couple with grown-up children and grandchildren to consider, the ability to control their own schedules is invaluable.
"It's brilliant for me because I can do as many jobs as I want, or just one a week or one a month," says Xanthe. "It makes it easy to organise kids and looking after grandchildren because you know which days you're working. I love it."
Steve, who spent years in a demanding senior management role before retiring, values the contrast just as much. "I used to have quite a stressful, high-level job, full of complexity and managing people," he explains. "My life just doesn't have that complexity anymore. It's brilliant."
Working Together - Without Getting in Each Other's Way
You might wonder whether sharing a profession with your partner could cause friction. For Steve and Xanthe, the secret is simple: they've worked out who likes what.
"He knows he has to give me all the pickup truck jobs - the Toyota Hilux and things like that, they're mine," Xanthe laughs. "He can do all the vans. It works really well."
Steve is happy to be flexible, tending to go for longer journeys than Xanthe. The result is a natural division of jobs that plays to both their preferences and means they're rarely competing for the same work.
Where they do collaborate is in the planning. Steve has developed something of a passion for scouring the Engineius app for opportunities, and if he spots a job that would suit Xanthe, he'll send it straight to her on WhatsApp.
"He sends them straight to me if he sees something I might like, which saves me having to look. "He's my personal assistant in some respects."
Days Out on the Road - Together
One of the unexpected bonuses of working in the same network is the opportunity to co-ordinate routes so they end up in the same place. Whether it's meeting up in Worcester after delivering separate jobs, or timing their return journeys to travel home together, the couple have found that the job gives them more quality time together than many of their previous careers ever did.
"When I was working full time in London and you were running the pub, I was the only person in the world who went to the pub to see his missus," Steve jokes.
Now, a coordinated drop-off might mean lunch somewhere new, an explore of a town they've not visited before, or simply a scenic train ride home along the coast. Last Christmas they both took jobs to finish in Birmingham so that they could have an evening feeling festive and enjoying the Christmas market.
Steve is particularly keen on making the most of wherever he ends up: "I get in trouble sometimes because I've wandered around wherever I've gone before heading home."
The Support Makes the Difference
Both Steve and Xanthe are quick to praise the level of support they receive from Engineius, particularly having a dedicated driver services account manager they can call on when needed.
Steve really values the Engineius approach and enthuses: “It is easy to talk to you guys. I can get through to someone in never more than about five minutes."
Xanthe appreciates the peace of mind it brings: "It's like the fire brigade. We don't always want to bother them, but when we need them, they're there."
Their Advice? Just Go for It.
If you're thinking about joining the Engineius driver network or wondering whether it could work for you and a partner, Steve and Xanthe's message is clear.
"Go for it," says Xanthe simply. "If you like driving, it's a brilliant, reasonably stress-free, interesting career."
Steve agrees, adding that for couples in particular, being able to share the experience makes everything easier: "If you have a question or you're not sure about a route, you've got someone right there with the same experience. You can support each other instantly."
After years of long commutes, demanding careers and the pressures of running a business, Steve and Xanthe have found something that genuinely works for them, on their terms, at their pace, and more often than not, together.
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