Help needed of all you seasoned pro,s i have been poleaxed into covering for one of the international lads for a couple of weeks ,never been before im on my own and to be quite frank [zb] myself all advise on dover calais crossing , where to avoid parking ,fines,ect i got three drops in northen france then collect on belgium border i no its a bit vaige but thats i been told anyway many thanks
If it needs ###s it’s not allowed.L. 
youll love it. dont forget john we ALL had to do a first trip. id tell you to not park anywhere in northern france or belgium but thats a bit awkward with the run your doing! just use your common sense mate and youll be fine. a big point is to CHECK THE TRL before crossing back into england. any "passengers" can be removed quite easily with assistance... make a note of when you checked your trl, and where. it all helps if you do have any misfortune. dover is quite straightforward and well signed as is calais. take your time... dont rush and youll be fine. enjoy the scenery and if you get chance stop at a routier in france… the meals and wine are… headache inducing! 
good luck. i`m sure some of the other drivers will help you out if you get stuck
rgds jon
Just take your time. As Jon says, Dover is pretty much self-explanatory. Follow the lorry signs, then go to the booth you need (SeaFrance, P+O etc, again well signed and self-explanatory). At the booth, have your passport ready, your crossing will probably have been pre-booked against your registration number. They will ask your trailer number, and if you are carrying hazardous material. Then they will give you tickets and a big bit of paper to put in your windscreen, both of these will have your lane number marked (eg 156).
Follow the signs to that lane, and the port staff will tell you when to get on. Basically, follow the truck in front unless otherwise directed.
From Calais you can go straight on, signed Paris. Or left, signed Duinkerke. or right, signed Boulogne.
So you just need to know which to take to get you to your first drop.
Don’t worry about it, nearly everyone says it was far far easier than they thought it would be, and can’t wait for the next trip.
Safe journey,
Vince
…and probably most important ( )…
if you’re coming back via Calais don’t forget to call into Eastenders or Pidou!!
Oh, and aim for Adinkerk (just inside Belgium/France border; J1 of A18 E40) if you’re a ‘nicotine addict’!!
Do you know where you have to drop then take a look at the map and do a rough routecard which you can use to check if you on the right road
the speedlimit is 90km with no ADR/HAZ and 80km with ADR-HAZ
MAKE sure that you do take good breaks 1hr is better as 45mins
on 107.5 fm is the traffic report in english every half hour. Fill up in calais
before you get on the motorway it will be cheaper, ask your firm for a book with the places where your fuelcard/s are acceppted. check when
the bank holiday starts in france . when returning to the UK stop and check your trailer from top to toe that no free guests are on board,
now some one else will add their tips to this post.
marcustandy:
…and probably most important (if you’re coming back via Calais don’t forget to call into Eastenders or Pidou!!
Oh, and aim for Adinkerk (just inside Belgium/France border; J1 of A18 E40) if you’re a ‘nicotine addict’!!
last time i was crossing was last nov from hull in the car and went to adinkerk!!! bought my goodies got back on the boat home and adinkerk exchange rates were worse than the ferries so a better deal was on boat …that was on ■■■■and spirts but beer and wine was better priced at pidou dunkirk.
jessicas dad:
marcustandy:
…and probably most important (if you’re coming back via Calais don’t forget to call into Eastenders or Pidou!!
Oh, and aim for Adinkerk (just inside Belgium/France border; J1 of A18 E40) if you’re a ‘nicotine addict’!!
last time i was crossing was last nov from hull in the car and went to adinkerk!!! bought my goodies got back on the boat home and adinkerk exchange rates were worse than the ferries so a better deal was on boat …that was on ■■■■and spirts but beer and wine was better priced at pidou dunkirk.
Never really noticed that before but on the other hand I don’t have to worry about exchange rates as I get paid in Euros. Good point though. Still never seems to be a shortage of trucks and coaches in there though!
Whilst were on the subject…i am a loyal fan of eastenders for my wines and beers…but i have never ventured into anywhere else such as pidou…are the prices compatable…i tend to stay loyal cos dave was an ex middle easter…
Johnny…dont worry M8…theres nothing i can add…just listen to whats already been said…take your time…plan your route…dont be hurried…and you`ll be wanting to do it permanently when you get back…that other driver had better watch out for his job
truckyboy:
i am a loyal fan ofeastendersfor my wines and beers…
Me too, but would you believe it is for their range of 'Dogs [zb]‘s’ wines. I’m not such a wine fan…unless it’s one of theirs and I can quaff loads of it (more than I should!). I thought it was just me with poor taste but my wife likes it and the woman next door, who is a bit of an ‘expert’ also likes it.
I don’t know if that will upset the purist wine drinkers on here, but what can I say; it’s true!
As for Pidou, the one at Calais is easier to get to/park in a truck (than EE) and it’s not so much more expensive that you’d notice the difference.
The thing that used to reassure me about EastEnders was the fact that it was a bit ‘rough’ and a bit ‘dirty’. No money wasted on the astetics - just cheaper prices. Now that it has ‘tidied up’ a bit i’m not sure…
if it needs spaces to get past the auto censor you know it’s not allowed! Denis F
Good luck jonnybravo and I hope it goes well for you
and you will probably enjoy it that much you will not
want to do uk work again 
.