Sod that for a game of soldiers!

I was passing the distribution centre/yard of DB Schenker, in Mechelen, Belgium tonight, which I pass three times a week, and once again I was thinking ‘sod that for a game of soldiers’.

The slip road to the motorway is on a raised level so you see clearly into DB Schenker. Every night, you see the EE’s that work for them parked up in just their units in a circle, in a muddy pot hole strewn far corner of the yard, camping out as best they can. I don’t know whether there are any toilet facilities provided, but it’s a fair old walk to the nearest building from where they’re parked so I imagine it’s normally a pee up the wheel job.

However, due to the heavy rain that we’ve had in the Benelux over the past week, the area where they park is under at least a foot of water. It certainly reaches the bottom step, and yet they still have to park there. I don’t know how they do it, wading through water to get in and out of their units, and the area has poor lighting at the best of times so they can hardly see where they’re going when it’s dark. I think the Calais jungle looked better than what I see below me as I pass by.

Jost Group is another one just around the corner. Their website looks all fancy but their operating centre seems to be a long laby in Sint Katerlijne Waver judging by all the company trucks with EE plates that are parked up every night and all weekend, the drivers sharing their camion stew among all the mosquitos in the summer.

Once again, I thank god that I manage to have a European trucking job that takes me to my home and family every night (well, the early hours of the morning anyway), and that I don’t have to camp out in a swamp or desolate layby like these poor sods.

Just to touch on the recent thread about someone spotting a dog in a truck cab, it seems to be an accepted practice over here for drivers to take their wives and girlfriends in the cab with them while out working, not that I’m suggesting any of them is a dog. The Dutch companies seem fine with it including my own and there doesn’t seem to be any insurance issues. I’ve tried asking my wife if she fancies spending a shift with me but she doesn’t seem too keen to spend ten hours in a truck. Can’t understand why??

No money for parking means parking where they can. EE’s will always park together, they have cameraderie and a will to share what they have amongst themselves (and others).
I also feel sorry for them and when theyre slated on here will always back them, its no life…

The muppets that slate them on here will be the ones that think they are long distance drivers 'cause they go Warrington to Birmingham daily, no idea of real life on the road.

No doubt about it the EU looks after the workers…

A subject that really gets my goat! Again yet another example of modern day slavery, the big speditions using them should hang their heads in shame, happy to make money from them but in some cases not even let them use basic facilities at their depots. Heard recently the case the FNV brought against Brinkman was successful but the report I heard didn’t say what penalty they got. I hope they had to pay all their drivers full back pay at the appropriate rate plus ‘eating money’ and make an example of them. Hoping Karma pays a visit to them all!

Look at the likes of ikea and mercedes benz, all put big contracts out to tender, all have modern day slavery policys(like most big firms). But through subsidarys/sub contractors end up being piloted by guys out the east.

Bring/hodlmayr etc are all the same. The eu is there to keep a steady stream of workers flowing west.

Im not surprised there allowed there wifes/children with them, if i was away for months at a time id want some campanionship aswel.

And most end users couldnt give a hoot, its all about what it costs on the shelf.

The only one to blame for modern day slavery are me and you!
As consumers we want to have our stuff as cheap as possible, we are not willing to pay for local produced goods.
We are not even willing to pay for local shops, hence the dying of complete town centres, no shops, just empty spaces.
We allow it, we moan about it, but none of us shops with the local community, local transpor companies or even british craftsmen in mind.

On another note the tone was set in the 70’s with tranport going further and further, first Middle east tranports where in small or even converted day cabs.
The British and Dutch drivers who went to Turkey and North Africa where not the best paid (made a lot of money with the hours we put in)
Loading car and van batteries back in Turkey for Ford Dagenham or Ford Genk or Cologne, because they where cheaper to produce there, and the transport costed relative peanuts.
The Brits and Dutch drivers (Mainly) where the Nomads of modern transport, and if you look back the circumstances where not that bright, used to be 5-7 weeks away, no hotels booked, a low cab Daf or Scania 141.
No communication, just going on and doing your job.

If you look back, nothing has changed but the players.
The Westies are replaced by the Easties, the money is still rubbish and the circumstances have not improved, the old lads probably remember parking in the mud around Hotel Europe in Budapest for days / weeks waiting on clearance from customs.
Or closer to home in the dust at La Jonquera.

Transport has always been behind against the rest of the world, and it will continue lang after I am not here.

I loved my job, when it was a proper job, but relaise most modern drivers would have died from the crab we had to put up with. (I don’t think many young drivers have repaired an inner tube of a tyre on the side of the road.
But you where Driver, load specialist, mechanic, tyre fitter, salesman, customer relations, customs agent, security all in one.
And you wouuld have just died if you where not able to do all these jobs, there was not contact for weeks with home, collegues been found dead weeks after they departed and somebody got suspicious why that truck was there for weeks.

I do and don’t feel sorry for any of the EE drivers, it’s a choice, however sometimes the range of choices is very poor when you need to bring bread on the table for your loved ones.
I do respect many of these men, many don’t know where they have chosen for, or been wrongly informed.
Many come from the poorer parts of the country, hence often poor hygiene and poor communications.

caledoniandream:
The only one to blame for modern day slavery are me and you!
As consumers we want to have our stuff as cheap as possible, we are not willing to pay for local produced goods.
We are not even willing to pay for local shops, hence the dying of complete town centres, no shops, just empty spaces.
We allow it, we moan about it, but none of us shops with the local community, local transpor companies or even british craftsmen in mind.

On another note the tone was set in the 70’s with tranport going further and further, first Middle east tranports where in small or even converted day cabs.
The British and Dutch drivers who went to Turkey and North Africa where not the best paid (made a lot of money with the hours we put in)
Loading car and van batteries back in Turkey for Ford Dagenham or Ford Genk or Cologne, because they where cheaper to produce there, and the transport costed relative peanuts.
The Brits and Dutch drivers (Mainly) where the Nomads of modern transport, and if you look back the circumstances where not that bright, used to be 5-7 weeks away, no hotels booked, a low cab Daf or Scania 141.
No communication, just going on and doing your job.

If you look back, nothing has changed but the players.
The Westies are replaced by the Easties, the money is still rubbish and the circumstances have not improved, the old lads probably remember parking in the mud around Hotel Europe in Budapest for days / weeks waiting on clearance from customs.
Or closer to home in the dust at La Jonquera.

Transport has always been behind against the rest of the world, and it will continue lang after I am not here.

I loved my job, when it was a proper job, but relaise most modern drivers would have died from the crab we had to put up with. (I don’t think many young drivers have repaired an inner tube of a tyre on the side of the road.
But you where Driver, load specialist, mechanic, tyre fitter, salesman, customer relations, customs agent, security all in one.
And you wouuld have just died if you where not able to do all these jobs, there was not contact for weeks with home, collegues been found dead weeks after they departed and somebody got suspicious why that truck was there for weeks.

I do and don’t feel sorry for any of the EE drivers, it’s a choice, however sometimes the range of choices is very poor when you need to bring bread on the table for your loved ones.
I do respect many of these men, many don’t know where they have chosen for, or been wrongly informed.
Many come from the poorer parts of the country, hence often poor hygiene and poor communications.

^^^^^^ well said.

Although I am confused now. All the old hands here keep telling us about the ‘good old days of Europe and The Middle East’… they keep telling us that the job was better then. I often lament the fact that I’m too join to have enjoyed the privalage of driving through Europe in a Mercedes SK or a DAF 3300.

Some of the old ways were better, more camaraderie and help from drivers, whatever nationality they were, there were no flip flops or eogs, we had slippery poles or billy Joel’s, teds, and jugheads, we were all in it together and helped each other.

We couldn’t have a shower every morning and everynight before getting your pyjamas on, we drove, we ate, we drank, we slept, sometimes we woke up and drank again, sometimes we drove again, but if you stopped for a ■■■■ one of these international drivers would stop to make sure you were ok, you could see them three weeks later on a border and they let you in, helped you out, or repaired your lorry.

That is why the old days were the best, it was an adventure for many.

caledoniandream…what a load of old tosh…half of what you say is not true…the tones set in the 70s…by trucks going further…NO, our exporters wee finding new markets…Iran, Iraq etc, BUT the deliveries took over 6 weeks, we could deliver in half of that time…i never saw any converted day cabs, they were either sleepers…or day cabs…never saw a day cab with a hammock…but i did have an AEC with one in the uk doing scotch.My money was quite good running to the M/E…and again when running to Turkey…The M/E paid £250 basic, Plus extras, and we were in contact from every frontier via the agents, or once out of europe by telex…the Turkey runs were paying over £400…never met anyone who was paid by the hour…most were on trip money + bonus and fiddles. The brits and Dutch were certainly not Nomads as you put it…the EE countries and Hungarians were the pioneers…we became pioneers only for the uk to drive long distances…so with that crap, i believe you really are a dreamer.

short walk:
A subject that really gets my goat! Again yet another example of modern day slavery, the big speditions using them should hang their heads in shame, happy to make money from them but in some cases not even let them use basic facilities at their depots.

We have excellent facilities at our depot at Reims, a shower block (50c)/toilets (all kept spotless by in house cleaners) a subsidised cafe with good food and a dedicated drivers room with sat tv.
A lot of visiting drivers, many EE’s are totally taken aback when theyre told they can use whatever they like. Same goes at our yard at Malaga, open to all visiting drivers…

Just to touch on the recent thread about someone spotting a dog in a truck cab, it seems to be an accepted practice over here for drivers to take their wives and girlfriends in the cab with them while out working, not that I’m suggesting any of them is a dog. The Dutch companies seem fine with it including my own and there doesn’t seem to be any insurance issues. I’ve tried asking my wife if she fancies spending a shift with me but she doesn’t seem too keen to spend ten hours in a truck. Can’t understand why??
[/quote]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
theres absolutely no reason as to why you shouldnt take your wife or girlfriend away in the truck with you for a week or two.
if you cant hack it together,then they arnt the right woman for you in the 1st place.
the only downside to that would be if you get your dates mixed up and they both expect to go with you on the same week!!

dieseldog999:
Just to touch on the recent thread about someone spotting a dog in a truck cab, it seems to be an accepted practice over here for drivers to take their wives and girlfriends in the cab with them while out working, not that I’m suggesting any of them is a dog. The Dutch companies seem fine with it including my own and there doesn’t seem to be any insurance issues. I’ve tried asking my wife if she fancies spending a shift with me but she doesn’t seem too keen to spend ten hours in a truck. Can’t understand why??

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
theres absolutely no reason as to why you shouldnt take your wife or girlfriend away in the truck with you for a week or two.
if you cant hack it together,then they arnt the right woman for you in the 1st place.
the only downside to that would be if you get your dates mixed up and they both expect to go with you on the same week!!
[/quote]