I’ve only ever had anything nicked from my truck once and that was a few years ago in Ulceby truckstop near Immingham. I’d pulled forward after filling up and nipped inside quickly to get the receipt. When I came back my work phone had gone. The only truck there was the guy next to me, an Englishman who’d I’d been chatting to while fuelling. Whilst its possible it could have been some Turks hiding in the bushes by the parameter fence waiting for the off chance to steal something, I rather suspect it was my fellow countryman who pulled forward seconds after me, blocking my truck from view from the building and saw me walk off without locking it. I can’t prove it and the company weren’t that bothered but it was a lesson learned none the less.
My car and when I was working, the truck always got locked when filling up or even checking tyres… me paranoid ? I’m just off to buy another roll of ally foil.
Is it me or is calling Eastern European drivers Taliban the most idiotic thing ever? Remember hearing it first over 10 years ago and thought same then. Not even sure why anyone thought to call them that in first place.
It is idiotic switch but it’s ■■■■ catchy! I bet they hate being called it but hey ho, Orys has been absent for a while so isn’t around to tell us off. I am surprised it stayed up but I suppose no one has complained about it.
I always lock my cab if it’s out of my sight unless I have a senior moment.
switchlogic:
Is it me or is calling Eastern European drivers Taliban the most idiotic thing ever? Remember hearing it first over 10 years ago and thought same then. Not even sure why anyone thought to call them that in first place.
I also find it a very odd choice of word. Plus to me, the term “Eastern Block” would refer to someone from a former “Eastern Block” country, which would most certainly not include Turkey but rather the former Soviet sphere of influence in eastern Europe which incidentally would of course come to an end where Bulgaria finishes and Turkey begins.
Its not terminology I would use - but in this context is probably no different than calling all Londoners Cockneys , all Liverpuddlians Scousers or all travellers Gypsys
What I do find troubling is that the OP has no idea of who actually took his stuff- and has decided just because there is more Turkish drivers around it is one of them- under British criminal law the guilt is not proved by the balance of probability but by evidence- and he has no evidence that any of the Turkish drivers actualy did the crime, but has simply assumed so.
I have always believed that one of the things that makes Britain a bit better than some other places is that you are innocent until PROVEN guilty- but from the title of the post these Turkish drivers have been tried and condemned without a shred of evidence that any of them has done anything wrong
Not saying one of them didn’t/ not saying one of them did- saying that the OP doesn’t know either and has assumed and then labelled them all as thieves- that to me is the major problem
Going back a while it was a well known fact amongst those of us wot went across the water that if you helped or even had a coffee with a Turkish driver you had a friend for life. They also had an incredible memory for faces and would remember drivers from years previously.
It was also a well know fact that no matter where you were or what you were doing you locked your cab, especially if there were lots of other Brits around. Fueling up, sorting the load out, even around the back when customs wanted a look in the trailer the cab was locked. It upset them sometimes because they thought that while one checked the load the other could check the cab, no way.
robinhood_1984:
switchlogic:
Is it me or is calling Eastern European drivers Taliban the most idiotic thing ever? Remember hearing it first over 10 years ago and thought same then. Not even sure why anyone thought to call them that in first place.I also find it a very odd choice of word. Plus to me, the term “Eastern Block” would refer to someone from a former “Eastern Block” country, which would most certainly not include Turkey but rather the former Soviet sphere of influence in eastern Europe which incidentally would of course come to an end where Bulgaria finishes and Turkey begins.
Agree with both of you. Some drivers geographical knowledge is lacking in some cases.
I think your your being abit of a narrow minded racist
You have to remember these are eastern block lorry drivers they are very poor and don’t have a lot of money, But you can give them a contribution for free if you like anything you can afford. Trailer Handle, Fat lip, Black Eye, Crow Bar, Stinging Sensation on the face, I am sure they will be grateful of any of the above.
bigmiler:
You have to remember these are eastern block lorry drivers they are very poor and don’t have a lot of money, But you can give them a contribution for free if you like anything you can afford. Trailer Handle, Fat lip, Black Eye, Crow Bar, Stinging Sensation on the face, I am sure they will be grateful of any of the above.
You sir are(the forum rules stop me from saying it)
So lets be simple so even a moron can understand, I like many others on here have spent nights/weekends away in the company of Turkish and many other nationalities- often being the only Brit there. despite the language difficulties have had many a cracking night- much beer and food,
Is it only me that finds that the only guys who find it acceptable to slag off other drivers from other countries are the ones who were never strangers in a strange land and those that have, have found that almost every Truck driver no matter their nationailty have something in common
I have had some great nights out in places where no other Brits were about and others like Campo Galliano where there was a few of us but we still mixed- with Turks/Iranians and many other nationailities
And its not only abroad…I was weekended at the old BP truck stop at Wolverhampton. just two trucks me and a Greek Geezer- the truckstop closed at 2pm on Saturday… after which we had a few drinks, me supplying the Amstel he the ouzo, I don’t speak greek and he didn’t have any English-) but like any continental truck drivers any where we knew enough french/german/English to have a half decent chat
Maybe that’s why some guys can hack Euro tramping and some cant- looking back now- doing 6 weeks away in Europe with a attitude against anyone who wasnt British would have made it a very lonely 6 weeks
Makes me sad the views some have, their narrow bigoted little minds. We’re all just people trying to get by in life. Ive been on the receiving end of abuse in foreign countries because I cant speak their language and don’t understand what they are trying to say, last time only two weeks ago in Hungary a security guard yelling at me for no reason, and it makes you feel like crap. Its so easy to be nice to people, and so rewarding.
Saying that though I dare say the bloke suggesting violence is a first class internet warrior and wouldn’t say boo to a goose in real life.
Brucewillis:
I give up!
Then you sir cannot have that username!
pavaroti:
I’m not talking about the general population.I doubt many if any British lorrydrivers would be desperate enough to engage in petty theft off a fellow driver. Especially in a risky manner with high likelihood of getting caught.
You’ve never done tilt work have you? Lights, bulbs and leg handles were fair game by quite a few british lorry drivers.
It’s really me Bruce Willis, I just do a bit of agency work to keep my hand in. You never know when the film work might dry up?
Yippie ka ay ■■■■■■■■■■■■!!
People from all walks of life will nick anything. I once had a plastic ID card holder with pocket clip knicked from me, it didn’t even have anything in it! Total cost what, 2p?
I was pick nearly pic-pocketed in London once, felt a hand whip into my open fleece pocket (no zip) nothing in there though 
l
My most memorable loss was one of those tall Guinness comedy hats on St Patricks day a few years ago. Was walking home from the pub ( ) when some scrote ran past and grabbed it off my head. In my loudest and “best” West Belfast accent I ran after him and shouted “Give me that ■■■■■■■ wee hat back you ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■
He dropped the bugger and took off!
switchlogic:
Makes me sad the views some have, their narrow bigoted little minds. We’re all just people trying to get by in life. Ive been on the receiving end of abuse in foreign countries because I cant speak their language and don’t understand what they are trying to say, last time only two weeks ago in Hungary a security guard yelling at me for no reason, and it makes you feel like crap. Its so easy to be nice to people, and so rewarding.
.
^^This^^
Now I don’t like the economic/political situation we have in Europe right now where for example Polish trucks make up the highest numbers of vehicles entering/departing the UK with road freight when Poland is not a neighbouring country and most of the freight on those trucks is not going to or from Poland. However that’s not the fault of the individual truck drivers, regardless of where they’re from. As for the Turks, I’ve always found them to be very decent drivers doing a good job in conditions that many would run a mile from.
Perhaps a Turk was to blame, but so what, that doesn’t make the entire Turkish driving workforce members of an ultra orthodox Islamic group in Afghanistan or Pakistan and Poles, Hungarians and Russians are even further removed from that stupid term. In my opinion, using words like “Taliban” and “Johnny Foreigner” etc to sum up an incredibly diverse set of people, some of whom are very similar to ourselves culturally and racially just makes the writer look like a village idiot.
Very well put Rikki, Luke and Robinhood my sentiments exactly
Rikki-UK:
bigmiler:
You have to remember these are eastern block lorry drivers they are very poor and don’t have a lot of money, But you can give them a contribution for free if you like anything you can afford. Trailer Handle, Fat lip, Black Eye, Crow Bar, Stinging Sensation on the face, I am sure they will be grateful of any of the above.You sir are(the forum rules stop me from saying it)
So lets be simple so even a moron can understand, I like many others on here have spent nights/weekends away in the company of Turkish and many other nationalities- often being the only Brit there. despite the language difficulties have had many a cracking night- much beer and food,Is it only me that finds that the only guys who find it acceptable to slag off other drivers from other countries are the ones who were never strangers in a strange land and those that have, have found that almost every Truck driver no matter their nationailty have something in common
I have had some great nights out in places where no other Brits were about and others like Campo Galliano where there was a few of us but we still mixed- with Turks/Iranians and many other nationailities
And its not only abroad…I was weekended at the old BP truck stop at Wolverhampton. just two trucks me and a Greek Geezer- the truckstop closed at 2pm on Saturday… after which we had a few drinks, me supplying the Amstel he the ouzo, I don’t speak greek and he didn’t have any English-) but like any continental truck drivers any where we knew enough french/german/English to have a half decent chat
Maybe that’s why some guys can hack Euro tramping and some cant- looking back now- doing 6 weeks away in Europe with a attitude against anyone who wasnt British would have made it a very lonely 6 weeks
Well said mate you sound like my dad. A lorry driver for over 50 yrs
Rikki-UK:
Its not terminology I would use - but in this context is probably no different than calling all Londoners Cockneys , all Liverpuddlians Scousers or all travellers GypsysWhat I do find troubling is that the OP has no idea of who actually took his stuff- and has decided just because there is more Turkish drivers around it is one of them- under British criminal law the guilt is not proved by the balance of probability but by evidence- and he has no evidence that any of the Turkish drivers actualy did the crime, but has simply assumed so.
I have always believed that one of the things that makes Britain a bit better than some other places is that you are innocent until PROVEN guilty- but from the title of the post these Turkish drivers have been tried and condemned without a shred of evidence that any of them has done anything wrong
Not saying one of them didn’t/ not saying one of them did- saying that the OP doesn’t know either and has assumed and then labelled them all as thieves- that to me is the major problem
It depends what you’ve been accused of, where you are and who you are.
If it’s speeding, you’re expected to incriminate yourself these days for example. What happened to innocent until PROVEN guilty there?
The justice system in this country has long since changed from the upstanding system it once was to a shambles that allows folk guilty of more serious crimes to get away with tiny punishments, whilst other far less serious offenders provide a very tasty income for yet another inept government.
Your faith in the system is touching but sadly I fear, a little naive.