milodon:
Compared to accidents happening due to inebriated drivers from the east, how many accidents happen due to failing mechanicals on an ee lorry?
The biggest eastern fleets replace four or five lorries with brand new ones each and every day, as in the long run it is not economical to run an older lorry with questionable longevity and higher road taxes.
As opposed to the UK with six-weekly inspections and tippers running over children out for a walk with their parents
The replacement of older vehicles with newer ones is probably exactly correct. But what is the state of those vehicles about to be replaced? Ill have a bet that a EE truck, being run by a "Bargain Basement" haulier due to replaced in a few months wont be having too much spent on maintenance.
Having worked for many years in parts of the industry that work the vehicles hard, i’m glad we have these short inspection intervals.
We have a rapidly mechanically (and in some cases lacking common sense) deskilled workforce, too many of whom can’t even manage to check the oil level and find changing a tail light bulb challenging 
, somehow i can’t see upping inspections to 6 months or 50k being adopted here, and nor do i want it.
Inspections arn’t expensive, possibly a little inconvenient especially if you are based a long way from the workshops, but a hell of lot cheaper than fixing the results of prolonged neglect and abuse. let alone the safety aspects ie how quickly some of our compatriots can get through a set of brakes or who drive round with a flat or bald inner twin tyre for days on end only discovering it was like that when its twin explodes and the fitter finds only a loose bead and plays the harp on the the few tyre bands still attached.
Franglais:
milodon:
The replacement of older vehicles with newer ones is probably exactly correct. But what is the state of those vehicles about to be replaced? Ill have a bet that a EE truck, being run by a "Bargain Basement" haulier due to replaced in a few months wont be having too much spent on maintenance.
I’ll take that bet!
Everything is on maintentace contracts nowadays, as the fleets are on lease and regular maintenance is stipulated by the bank. For companies running older trucks the biggest motivation for keeping the gear in shape is, well, the BAG.
Here’s a good video though, of how far the biggest players will go to spare a buck: https://youtu.be/D11Ws4KR0p4?t=29m
A crashed truck fixed up in France in just a few days.
Agree miloden…all bulbs blown in BG some potholes i couldnt avoid…but did get them fixed in Sofia…but it still passed the MOT, thats what i was pointing out. 
I service/inspect trucks for a living all ours are on 8 weeks and if I do one and find nothing wrong Im genuinely shocked, its mainly just sill stuff bulbs/losse stuff etc, but it all about preventative maintanance, basically predict the future.
To be fair 90 percent of our work is inside the M25 so you can imagine what they end up like!
Used to work at a main dealer and the trucks basically came in and out with very little worng with them, but mainly distance motors and quite new.
You may also find johny foreigner may do stuff differently, in the UK need brake pads get brake pads, abroad need brake pads get brake pads AND a slider kit ie a proper service on the calliper itself.
Even in the UK, 6 week inspections are not written in stone, it may be 12 weeks for light use or low mileage, or it could be every 3 weeks for muckaway tippers, slip lorries or concrete mixers.
I have worked for Dutch. German. Belgian and French hauliers and 6 months is the norm, French trailers do not need an MOT, just a percentage of the fleet must be inspected, it’s like having a VOSA fleet inspection, you make sure all the ropey tackle is parked somewhere else or down the road.