Bonjour,late evening,mind you it,s a log way from C.F. even if the road is free.Keep trying the anpe,it,s a little like the brit job center the best jobs dont seem to make it through to the anpe.Got enough wood for this year was thinking about next year,only lit the fire twice so far this season 
picked up the red stuff in spain sat morning grand reserve 1.20 a litre lovely stuff. 
froggy.
Well here I is going round in circles trying to understand the French permis system. Told to go to ANPE so I did, they said have you registered at ASSEDIC? I said who? ANPE told where to go (in the nicest possible way - UK job centres could learn a thing or two!). Went to ASSEDIC and registered - they said go back to ANPE (ANPE and ASSEDIC are at opposite sides of Gap - French job centres could learn a thing or two). Went back to ANPE - they said what are you doing here , go home and wait for appointment so I did. ANYWAY as I understand it (and I don’t really!) if you have a CPC which I do ANPE don’t think you have to do the FIMO!!! IF you can find a firm to offer you a job through them!!! then you only have to do the FCOS which they will pay for!!! probably!!! Currently waiting for local ANPE approved driving school boss to get back to me with the info. Only been driving since '72 - Can’t wait to get back to school! Anyone tell me what the highway code, tachograph, drivers hours , etc is all about?
Yours in confusion bla di bla
Robert Pardoe:
Anyone tell me what the highway code, tachograph, drivers hours , etc is all about?
Yours in confusion bla di bla
Not really no. 
Chris,
Congratulations on passing the FIMO but what happened to TNT? I thought you were on a cert there.
Pity we couldn’t connect in September. We came back through Le Puy and I saw the church on the rock. Very spectacular. So was the crick in the neck I got looking at it and the near miss when the traffic in front stopped!
Got as far as Issoire and found a great routier just off the autoroute at sortie 14 I think. No problem with La Patronne either regarding the co-driver. Great food, great price, great company.
Have only just got back on here after the computer trouble I told you about. Needed to completely change my identity and start again from scratch though, hence the new ‘pseudo’
Hope you have some good news soon,
Salut, David.
glad you liked le puy david, looking up at mont michael is one thing you wanna try climbing it!!!
if you had of come of at sortie 17 it would have only taken 20 mins to come up here, next time maybe??
the auvergnats are like that, the nicest people you could want to meet 
as for tnt they say maybe january, i phoned another company the other day and explained the situation, she just said not intereseted and hang up salop!!! 
i spoke to my formateur at afpa and he told me try a company called cps, i gave them a bell and he said he couldnt offer me anything at the moment as they have just taken 3 blokes on but when they can they will phone. i will bang a cv in the post to them tommorrow (my birthday the best prezzie would be a job 
) and wait and see.
havent heard a thing from the other companies so will have to wait and see.
just gets you down all this waiting and you start questioning your abilites or maybe is it cause i am english.
the no experiance no job, no job no experiance thing doesnt only happen in the uk seems it iis a problem here as well 
besides the 6 years rigid and 2.5 years artic experiance i have in the uk it seems that doesnt count.
oh well have to wait and see 
salut
chris
robert,
tacho hours are the same, highway code can be found on the internet, search code poids lourds, tacho is the same as the uk as it is an eu thing, and i am not sure about leaving it in for the 24 hour period thing the bloke i drove with a few weeks back pulled them each night, so that could be a load of hanky probly would depened on the flick that pulls you.
as for the anpe and assedic, with me they couldnt be more helpful, didnt need appointments i just tipped up, if i didnt know how to fill a form in (and there are plenty of them here in france ) they did it for me, any problems i had they sorted them and called me to say they had.
only thing now is to find a job!!
anything else you need to know you can pm me and i will help with what i can
bon chance
salut
chris
Simon:
Robert Pardoe:
Anyone tell me what the highway code, tachograph, drivers hours , etc is all about?
Yours in confusion bla di blaNot really no.
robert,
tacho regs, drivers hours etc are the same as the uk it is an eu thing.
to find out about the highway code do a search on code poids lourds and you should find what you are looking for.
as for the leaving the card in for a full 24 hours i am not sure my self what the score is the bloke i was driving with a few weeks ago pulled them each night and we didnt go back to the yard all week, so that could be a load of hanky, would probly depened on the flick that pulled you.
as for the anpe and assedic, they couldnt be more helpful you probly got a grumpy one or turned up at 11:55 and they wanted to go for lunch
my local office is great, i never have an appointment i always just tip up, if i dont understand a document or form (there are plenty of them in france ) they will explain or fill it in for me 
anything you think you may need to know drop me a pm and i will see if i can answer it for you.
bon chance
salut
chris
Cave,the EU regs etc do still count in all EU countries,BUT the french also run under the Code de la route,which are for domestic transports,and all take in to account the french working hours limit,yes they like you to keep the tacho in 24 hours it,s not the law and you can still change them like you would in the UK 
Have job lined up next week,le chef phoned to comfirm last week,mind it,s only to xmas,maybe you could get down here and do it instead of my,it was a anpe"request" that I go to the interview,backed the trailer on the bay(,just for a laugh I took the atric to the other side of the depot a good 5/600meters and reversed in on the bay in one go)after that up to the first r,about and back,that took in all less than 5mins.Next lad out was gone for 45mins,the interview was for 3oclock in the afternoon left at 18:45 after an induction ,still it,s only for afew weeks.froggy.
Robert,
I have been trying for ages to find out if my CPC would be accepted as a FIMO exemption, cannot get an answer anywhere, if you get a definitive answer please pass it on. As you have been driving since 1972 if you can provide evidence of drivinfg employment since then you should only need to do the FCOS anyway.
all the best
Broady
code de la route, that sounds like the highway code to me??
i have just looked in my fimo handbook and it only states the rse (reglementation sociale europeenne) or tacho law as we know it which is the same as any eu member state (except the paddies as they make it up as they go along )ie: 4.5hrs drive 45 mins break 4.5hrs drive 11 off.
bumped up to 10hrs twice a week with 1.5hrs break and the extra driving time subtracted from the next week
90hrs driving in 2 weeks
daily rest rest dropped to 9hrs 3 times a week and recouped before the end of the next week with a further 8hrs rest at home
and the weekly 45hrs, 36hrs, 24hrs with rest made up before the end of the 3rd week etc etc.
breaks of a minimum 15 mins blah blah blah
only difference with the tacho modes is that the 2 hammers have to be used when driving or loading/tipping, the box with a line through it is concidered waiting time and the bed used only for rest breaks.
the pay is made up of what mode is shown on the card, so waiting time gets paid as well, but not rest breaks.
improper use of the mode switch can be classed as falsification of a document can lead to a 30000€ fine 1 year in the nick and a loss of 6 points
not having the last 5 charts or letter of exemption ie being on holiday or sick is a fine of up to 750€
tampering with the speed limiter 30000€ fine and a year in the nick
weekly rest less than 20hrs up to 750€ fine
and that isnt the whole list either there is loads more
and then there is the points losing stuff as well something as simple as not stopping at a stop line loss of 4 points ta very much. for the uninitiated the french start at 12 points and drop to zero unlike the english who are the otherway around and yes you have to have a french licence as the french medical is only valid for 5 years and thus so is the licence (i know you all ready know this froggy it is for the benefit of the others who dont )
so there you have it, any questions at the back
what is the job froggy, sounds like you walked the test drive 
salut
chris
broady:
Robert,
As you have been driving since 1972 if you can provide evidence of drivinfg employment since then you should only need to do the FCOS anyway.
I had been driving since the sixties, nobody asked me for proof the boss just bunged me on the FCOS when he found out, by accident, that I hadn’t done it.
If you can do that Robert it’s well worth it. 3 days as opposed to several weeks on FIMO.
BTW Chris, On the FCOS they told us to leave the tacho in overnight but only if you can be sure you won’t overrun the trace in the morning. As you can never be sure not to miss the alarm it’s best to pull it at the end of each shift. To overrun the trace is defacing a legal document, fraudulent deception and obviously well worth the guillotine at least 
Salut, David.
Cave,the euro regs do apply but the french still use domestic regs like we did in the UK some years ago 
and its one or the other like the ADR regs,domestic vers euro depending on where the journey is.The firm I have the job with is in the st charles market perpignan,fridges :Hope find a job soon,dont think it,s get rich quick,you still got to work to earn.
are yes the lovely french adr regs now this gets interesting
now if you are running france to another eu member state or another eu member state running to france all you need is the orange plate frount and back and the right documentation, but if you are doing domestic adr you have to put an etiquet for each group (but are only allowed to carry 3 different types as long as they are compatible with each other) on both sides of the trailor and on the back, as well as the adr plates
and all the adr kit as well such as a fire extinguisher minimum 6kg on the trailor, 1 6kg on the unit and a 2kg powder or eqivelent in the cab as well, torch for each crew member,2 cones minimum, 2 orange flashing lights, 1 choc for the trailor and 2 warning triangles.
if the trailor is to be left loaded and the unit removed the fire extinguisher and choc has to be left with the unit.
and then there are places you cant drive with a hazardus load marked by special signs at the side of the road, and then there are restrictions on parking as well but that is to complicated to get in to right now
hope i get a job soon as sitting around waiting for letters to come through the post is starting to do my head in, and it makes you wonder why i bothered jumping through french hoops so i can earn a living like any other frenchman.
oh well see what the postie brings tommorow.
seems the fimo wasnt such a bad thing as at least i am sharing some of what i know with my mates on here 
salut
chris
froggy:
Cave,the euro regs do apply but the french still use domestic regs like we did in the UK some years ago
i think the domestic regs only apply to certain types of vehicle and weights, less confusing to stick with the euro stuff and less chance of getting it wrong
good luck on the fridges hope it goes well, and as for the get rich quick scheme, its no different from the uk and i used to do 100 hour weeks over there but my gaffer was a proper cowboy
salut chris
Thanks for replies - sorry about delay in replying but France Telecom came on Friday 5th to regrade our Numeris - result we lost our internet connection! Finally got sorted this am - and the things we used to call B.T.! Still waiting for response from ANPE - will keep you posted.
Bye for now.
well i still havent got a job, still keep getting the “dear john” letters. 
have got astep closer with logistique nicolas, spoke to the recruitment bloke today and i am at the top of the list for when a job comes available.
keep me fingers crossed
chris
Chris,
<>
They are in Clermont, right? Just off the autoroute at the airport turn?
I used to load back from there quite often for our way, they have a lot of work towards Limoges, Perigueux and Bordeaux. Don’t forget to give me a bell if you’re due for a break between Limoges and Perigueux.
Incidentally I used to drop my trailer in there for loading in the afternoon then park up till midnight or so and set off for early drops starting Limoges. At that time of the night the direct route, D+N141, is very fast with nobody on it. I made it via Limoges to home in my 4.5 hours in time for breakfast. In the daytime though it must be a nightmare, narrow, hilly and with plenty of blind bends. Normally our route to Claremont is Perigueux-Brive-Tulle-Ussel etc. Much further.
Hope you get mobile soon.
Salut, David.
yep that will be the one, but i will be based at the brioud depot when they get thier acts together.
apparently the take over by tnt of the whole group, ie transports nicolas, jean-jean, lemar, chambon and some others (all running in the same livery) hasnt been very smooth, tnt have said you will work this way and the french have said poutain hollandise we dont think so, it has worked this way up till now why change the system
seems it should sort it self out before long, have got a mate who has a mate who is quite high up in tnt back in the uk.
i came back that way when i was doing my weeks work experiance, but didnt really take much notice as i was bored out my skull ho hum.
am off down to the office tommorrow to drop my cv off to compleate my dossier personel and do the photocopies of driving licence, adr certificate and the other bit of paper that makes my fimo legal then just have to wait and see.
salut
chris
Well 6 weeks later and I am still going round in circles! Have been offered a months trial (starting tomorrow!) N.Italy to W.France multidrop sort of covering for a holidaying driver with chance of a permanent after but still can’t get head round FIMO etc. Have been told that employer can give me a dispensation on FIMO if I’m booked in for FCOS but she can’t find out what the dispensation is all about although sorry Broady it appears to be more on experience timewise rather than a CPC! The problem appears to be that I’m the first English driver in this area to try to get a job this way.
If anybody out there knows anything about dispensation system I would really appreciate the info.
Cheers Rob.