Hi Everyone,
Im a 2nd Year university student who is studying logistics, I drive a truck on the weekends (agency work) to help me get along.
Ive just been given a project, and I was wondering if anyone can give me some help with it.
The report i have to write is on: International Road Freighting & The Fight Against Smuggling.
I have bought a book titled International Road Freighting by Largent Brown, it talks about smuggling, but covers only a few methods such as fake fuel tanks, but since it was published in 1989 i think its past it!
I have spoken to a guy at customs and he was the most un-helpful person ive ever come accross, so no luck there! 
I would be grateful to anyone that can help me with ideas or advice on what methods smugglers employ to get contraband into the country and indeed out, ran out of options so this is my last hope, thanks for taking the time out to help.
Kal
Try looking in all the old trucking mag,s also have you looked on the
web, also have you thought to look at other countries and what
there custom officers are doing and also what methods they have
discovered and so not useably any more.In one of the trucking
mags about 10years ago they had stopped a firm which was
useing a modified tanker to bring in drugs, Also try writeing to
customs from other EU countries if it has been already published
then it is not going to give any thing away.
You will possibly not get any help on here either because everyone is a law abiding trucker 
Where are you studying at? I was going to go to Huddersfield, but I got a job driving instead.
Cant really help you on the project though, the organised gangs are very well connected and they can get loads of contraband into trucks at loading points very easily. I dont believe drivers alone are responsible for too much smuggling, A few packs of beer or cigs maybe but the million pound hauls are a business for someone IMO
Excuse me for being cynical but i dont see where your project is going or where it will lead…customs and security already know 99.9% of hiding places on trucks that will conceal illegal contraband…they will not tell you of 1 such place…and theyre right…for all we know you could be a customs officer or policeman trying to weed out the hiding places that truckers may use…if as you say you drive trucks at weekends…then you dont need an ology to work out where you yourself could hide such packets.and i doubt that anyone on this site would tell you even if they could…i will tell you however that years ago a lot of transport companies used to put on top of their cabs roof a sign.advertising their name…with access sometimes from inside to change the bulbs should one have blown…well in those days customs were red hot on catching someone who had the slightest amout of duty free over the top…even 1 packet of ciggies…or a bottle of wine…well this driver got on the ferry just before dark and put his illegal stash (5 bottles of scotch) inside the name board…but on leaving the ferry he put his lights on…and illuminated the stash for all to see…including customs…but on another note customs are reluctant to strip down a vehicle he suspects of smuggling…as if he is wrong…has the embarassing task of telling the driver he was wrong and having to pay for the truck to be put right and even have to pay for any lost trip the truck had encountered…and i know…it happened to me…and i stepped down for one trip at taxpayers expense…lubbly…jubbly,
have a nice day
My border crossing experience is about 10 years out of date, and it only concerns the US/Canada border, but here’s what I used to see:
There was always a good bit of cigarette and liquor smuggling from the US into Canada, especially with drivers who would buy the stuff tax-free at the local Seneca or Mohawk native reserve first. (BTW, as far as big-time cigarette smuggling, the Mohawks did most of that themselves, being in the unique situation where their reserve straddled the border, and was already considered a tax-free sovereign territory by the US government, at least. But I digress…). For the most part, drivers just hid the swag someplace inside the load. The consequences weren’t very severe, and few got caught.
I once knew a guy who would smuggle his pistol into Canada by hiding it behind the corner kickplate in his tractor unit. He got caught, though, and spent a year in a Canadian prison for doing that.
I was once approached by somebody involved with smuggling asians into the US. My run was auto production panels, and my run back was with nothing more than empty racks. I was offered the chance to make $1000 any thime I would do such a run. All I would need to do was to park my truck in the back lot of a truckstop on the Canadian side and go in for a quick lunch. Then, I would drive the trailer acrocss the border, using the lane the smugglers would tell me to use (this meant that there was a customs officer involved as well). Then, about 70 miles into NY state, I was to park in the back lot behind a restaurant at the Cattaraugus native reserve, go in for a meal, and the money would be on my seat when I came out.
I declined the offer, but another driver accepted. He was arrested a few months later, and may still be in the federal penitentiary.
A couple of reasons you might struggle for the info you’re after;
-
Like some one already said, you could be police/customs after the few places you haven’t already found! Well, the ‘bad guys’ won’t tell you anything!! 
-
You could already be a ‘bad guy’ with no imagination and are tappin’ us lot up for better ideas! 
Either way, don’t rely on this as your source for your project info!
Hi Everyone,
Just logged on to check any posts made, didnt think my project would cause so much fuss, lol, I am certainly not a police officer or customs bloke, dont really hate them but then again dont really love them either! My project as someone pointed out IS a bit stupid but if anyone wants to complain then please address it to 'Dr B. Simpson, Logistics Department, Aston Triangle, Aston University, Birmingham, I too have voiced my oppinion to him and told him what customs said, but hey I just got to write the ■■■■ thing!
Another point someone made was I could be a bad guy with no imagination, well a little inexperienced yes, un-imaginative no…
Ive come up with some ways, been looking at some old news papers on the web: Fake Body panels with contraband ‘built in’ to them, dover customs found cocaine packets in the axel of a 40ft wagon, 4 tractors were stopped at felixstowe with cigs inside the arm, they had been welded in, fake tyres, fake floors on TIR Carnet trucks from turkey…and a few others, thanks for the little help somepeople offered, much appreciated, now i have to write 2500 words and get it in for Friday…great! take care all.
KAL
Kal6383:
a little inexperienced yes, un-imaginative no…
Sorry if we appear to be an unhelpful bunch; we’re not really and if you need any more ‘usual’ info you’re bound to be unindated with useful replies. 
As per your quote above, use your imagination and just make it up!! 
Unless Dr. B. Simpson is a qualified smuggler, how will he know?? 
Hi Kal…seeing as youve sussed it all out…i dont wanna be a smuggler anymore
you have done some research already and found quite a lot of hiding places already…but ill go back on my word and name a couple more.. false or already used air tanks..false panels inside diesel tanks..or even diesel tanks themselves..no doubt a fibre glass vehicle panel could be used as a cover and actually be made from cocaine` as could a lot of other parts…dont forget the drug smugglers are very clever people.highly sophisticated and have money at their disposal which they dont mind spending in order to smuggle their contraband…i am not against someone smuggling tobacco or booze and they wouldnt go to extreme lengths…but the drug dealers i am against…and if i could think of anyways to stop them…and kids getting hooked on them then i would have no hesitation in telling where they are liable to hide them…but as already said…customs have a good idea of where to look…or who to look for…
have a nice day
I remember this bloke with a wooden leg who used to smoke a lot of baccy. seemed a bit extreme to chop your leg off for a few ounces of old virgin
Hi everyone, im a bit young and I havent yet had the pleasure of driving abroad, you completley lost me on the chateu thing■■? I know its silly to ask but what do you mean?
lol
Thanks
Kal
Kal6383:
Hi everyone, im a bit young and I havent yet had the pleasure of driving abroad, you completley lost me on the chateu thing■■? I know its silly to ask but what do you mean?
It’s not just you; i’m not ‘young’ but it lost me also! 
I was at Aston about 5 years ago, finished first year but no money, kid on way, negative equity on property put me back on the international. However at Newcastle.ac now (economics).
Best place to smuggle stuff is in a plain box in a load of groupage. If they find it everyone can deny knowledge.
Big smugglers will set up a legit company in each of the 2 countries and actually import something using hauliers that suspect nothing. If the lorry is stopped both companies disapear (I think these are called long firms).
A lad I knew (no longer a mate cos he tried to make me lie in court with threats to my son (I refused to even go)) just carried heroin in cardboard boxes on the top bunk (got caught but only did a couple of years).
If Alisdair is still teaching at Aston say hello from me
Julian
Yeap Alisdair is still teaching, although John White the idiot is now the Main Man for some reason, not that he can teach or anything.
Thanks for the advice, I handed in the coursework now so I cant put it in, but it certainly does give me something to think about, lol
Thanks again bud, and if you ever want to get into the groupage bussiness drop me a line, dont know about drugs and what have you, kind of against my ethics but ■■■■ and booze for student parties are a big yes yes…
Take Care Bud,
julian:
Best place to smuggle stuff is in a plain box in a load of groupage. If they find it everyone can deny knowledge.
Fat lot of good that would do you - ask John Vasey
Salut, David.
Julien…just to enlighten you…a chateau…is a bit like a castle…and maybe hundreds of years old…how old is a motorway…?..my boss is a joker …like me
The chateau cryptic message has gone straight over my head, no idea what it is about.
And John Vasey is at home, if the drugs had been hidden under his bunk or hidden somewhere else and not just in a plain crate of groupage then he would probably not be home.
Julien…better give up the college and become a trucker then remember it doesnt matter how the illegal contraband is disguised…or what ever form it takes…it is the drivers responsibility…and he will take the blame…no matter what…which is why smugglers are having a field day…if the blame was put squarely on the exporters…it would make life a lot easier for the innocent driver…but …there are always one or two rotten apples who would abuse the system for their own gain…which is why we are having trouble in getting ministers to understand our problem…an easy solution is to run the loads into huge transhipment areas…after having been customs sealed at each departure point…and then take away the onus that is placed on innocent drivers…of course its not foolproof…but it would give us a breathing space…we could have various points along the route for seals checking…but all this costs money…and the rates would have to go up…something everyone in haulage is afraid of…