TiredAndEmotional:

Journal1:
Hi – I’m a journalist at Bloomberg. I’m working on a story about the concerns and problems of French truck drivers ahead of the presidential election. Planning to do the story by just talking to as many drivers as I can there, and persuading one or more to take me along with them on the road. I was hoping some of you who drive to or through France might be able to offer a little advice on two things:

First, where would I find the service stops where I am most likely to find multiple French truck drivers stopping to eat or sleep, so they have time to talk, and are there days of the week that are better for that? This would be on on a trip from Calais to Lyon, and on to Marseilles or Perpignan. I’ll also detour to Clermont-Ferrand, to meet an ex-French para whose a drivers’ union leader there.

Secondly, with regard to driving in the cab, I know there are insurance issues, so any advice on how to improve my chances that drivers would say yes?

The kinds of questions I’m interested in asking them, just to be transparent about what I’m up to, are what they call “cabotage” – the right of (mostly Eastern European) drivers to work in France, competing for business and jobs from a lower cost base. Also, is being in the EU a net plus or minus for them as drivers? Issues with harrassment by immigrants trying to stow away into the UK, mostly around Calais (but that’s mostly solved now?) Are they worried for the future by driverless technologies? Why do French radio stations still play Boney M and Chic so often? And who eats Andouillette? Things like that.

My name, btw, is Marc Champion. If you have any other ideas about whom to talk to or what to do to get at a story about how French truck drivers feel about the election choice between Marine Le Pen (for Frexit, against immigration), and Macron (pro-EU, pro-market), please don’t hold back. Grateful for any and all advice. In particular, thank you to DieselDave for kindly agreeing to let me post this on your forum. I’ll post a link to the story on here when it is published.

All the best, Marc

This post is OK’ed by dd.

I love a good sausage but they’re definitely not on any shopping list of mine! I look forward to your article appearing here. Bon chance!

With a mustard sauce? Lovely. Old work mate used to love em too. He called them chitterlings. They seem to have kept that name in the USA, although I cant speak from experience there.