Driving up towards dartford crossing this afternoon, I noticed two foreign artics on the hard shoulder of the m25 doing a trailer changeover! How do they get away with it.
Also I have noticed how many of them stop on hard shoulder for a break aswel.
One rule for them…■■?
Thereal-john:
Driving up towards dartford crossing this afternoon, I noticed two foreign artics on the hard shoulder of the m25 doing a trailer changeover! How do they get away with it.
Also I have noticed how many of them stop on hard shoulder for a break aswel.One rule for them…■■?
Thats well funny.
I had noticed this a lot since they put those refuges under the bridges, surely can’t be legal ?
Its probabaly because at a lot of toll areas abroad there are parking areas, so its what they are used to over there ? Not saying its right, just an explanation
I know in our region, M25 J14-30, we are told to ask them to move and if they refuse, call the Police/VOSA. Also, the wide load bays on the M1 J13-14 and 14-15 both ways, we move them on.
Just after the bridge toll on the new Severn crossing there’s a sign by the hard shoulder written in lots of different languages saying "No Stopping " but quite often there’s a foreign truck stopped there right in front of the sign.
It is probably caused by the service areas charging 20 plus quid for a commercial operation to each driver. The fine is probably cheaper if they do get done
Thereal-john:
One rule for them…■■?
No, the rules for them are the same, and I had seen on several occasion police cars dealing with them.
DAFMAD:
Its probabaly because at a lot of toll areas abroad there are parking areas, so its what they are used to over there ? Not saying its right, just an explanation
I would say its because in some countries, there are deep laybys in motorway when lorries park and it is widely tolerated (for example in Italy).
Also, there is plenty of small parkings along the motorway all over Europe, that in Britain are unheard of - only big MSA’a there…
As for parking on slip roads on MSA’s - it’s common in Europe when there is no parking space in the services…
youtube.com/watch?feature=pl … 0E0#t=134s
Also often people park on slip roads for their 45’ to leave the spaces inside the parings for overnighters…
Police tries to get rid of them, but they are aware that this is a problem of not sufficient parking spaces… So unless really danger, it is tolerated…
There was even some reportage on that on youtube, I think it was about parking in Holland, but I can’t find it.
There always used to be many trucks parking on the exit slip hard shoulder from Clackets Lane, and I am sure the same at other MSA’s, the police did often get these removed as they were causing a safety hazard by blocking the hard shoulder which is there for emergencies.
To stop trucks parking there they have placed a long line of very heavy concrete crash barriers of the type used on roadworks, surely these also block the hard shoulder and are also a hazard! 
I think there are a couple of reasons for this:
as Ory’s suggests other parts of Europe have layby’s on the hard shoulder, that’s even if they have a hard shoulder worth talking about.
With digi-tachos robbing time in a queue of traffic, it’s easy to go over your hours. Of course you can write on the back of your print-out, but I still reckon they think it’s easier to pay a UK fine for parking on the hard shoulder than one in Spain for running over your hours.
Why aren’t they moved on all the time?
How many patrol cars do you see on the Motorway during a day?
In my experience not many.
And personally I’d rather see the scant resources used to deal with the family car broken down on the hard shoulder or idiotic driving than a truck parked behind a crash barriered parapet.
Maybe instead of having a go at foreign drivers we should be asking questions as to why the frequency and quality of rest areas in this Country is so far behind the rest of Europe.
Martin:
There always used to be many trucks parking on the exit slip hard shoulder from Clackets Lane, and I am sure the same at other MSA’s, the police did often get these removed as they were causing a safety hazard by blocking the hard shoulder which is there for emergencies.
To stop trucks parking there they have placed a long line of very heavy concrete crash barriers of the type used on roadworks, surely these also block the hard shoulder and are also a hazard!
Typical H&S logic 
if drivers time run out .foreigh drivers stop at hard shouders.taked braked.if come police he can start blame about small truck problem.if police give him 60 pound penalty,it is much more cheap if you will be have tacho infridgements.because in Uk small penalty fot tacho infridgements.and if VOSA found mistakes ,give you penalty and i think if another VOSA oficers stop you in next 28 day,don t give penalty for same offences.but if drivers go in 28 day via 10-20 country ,so germany VOSA WILL be don t carry,who you ready was paid penalty for Brititsh.
2.second problem.if british lorry breakdown-drivers call to company and some recovery truck come to you in next 90 minut.but for foreigh drivers come later,becouse not direct contract to recovery company
3.if you back every day to Depo,you can report about any problem with lorry,this will be fix.,but foreigh lorry some time in the road 2-3 week,and company and drivers try do job if possible ,and fix small problem after.
4. NOT TO MANY FOREIGH LORRY IN THE HARD SHOULDER CAN SEE.JUST WHEN SOME DRIVERS SEE 1-2 FOREIGH LORRY IN HARD SHOULDERS,WHEN HE BACK TO DEPO WILLL BE BLAME TO ALL WHO ALL FOREIGH TRUCH -F…K SHHET.BUT IF HE SEE 3 BRITISH LORRY IN HARD SH. OR BREAKDOWN HE WILL BE TALK -IT IS OK. ALL DEPEND
Andrejs how do you think UK trucks get by in europe?? I was lucky if away for only 2 - 3 weeks at a time mostly was at least 4 weeks and anything upto 8 weeks away from depot so you can’t use that cr*p. A 28 days ticket from VOSA is as good in Germnay as it is in the UK. I had a taco check and the nice new (new when I was there) weigh bridge outside Pamplona by the red caps got stopped 3 weeks later on way to Frankfurt and no problems ok they don’t like it but tough. There are loads of MSA’s in the UK the problem is the charge to park there. Not many countries I have driven in charge ok so some of the German ones do but its like €5 for the night but you get that back in the food you buy. The only reason a lot of places charge in europe is to stop the taliban from parking there cooking in back of trailers and stinking the place up for days on end while they are waiting for a load, some places in france chase em out to make sure they don’t stop there. As for them stopping on hard shoulder etc, whilst on way down to Dover M25 at a crawl because of smash up I had no choice but to stop in one of the ‘safe’ havens as yes I wouldn’t risk a fine in europe. A spanish guy was there before me and thought he would pull his curtains I phoned police and low and behold 46 mins later a no show and they left him there for the night.
taffytrucker:
Andrejs how do you think UK trucks get by in europe??
I think what he meant is that most of foreign trucks are far from home when in UK, while most of British trucks are near home when in UK…
orys:
taffytrucker:
Andrejs how do you think UK trucks get by in europe??I think what he meant is that most of foreign trucks are far from home when in UK, while most of British trucks are near home when in UK…
Its the same though for UK trucks when in Swiss or Spain etc
all foreign trucks should,nt be on the road anyway as half of them cant drive,get back to ya tractors ya poles,loaded last week from a company in grimsby where they are paying poles £80 a day for 15 hours and £10 a night out but the english drivers are on more money ,but the way i see it they aint gunna take anymore english drivers on when they can pay therse poles a lower rate
madmanjay:
all foreign trucks should,nt be on the road anyway as half of them cant drive,get back to ya tractors ya poles,loaded last week from a company in grimsby where they are paying poles £80 a day for 15 hours and £10 a night out but the english drivers are on more money ,but the way i see it they aint gunna take anymore english drivers on when they can pay therse poles a lower rate
Not this old chestnut. Look after number one. Does it matter that they are been paid less? Your,not going to change the way business works.
Deal with it.
Hiya …you only need to go to France for a week to see why… you,ll be shocked. you can park
anywhere in the country with a truck(dos.nt get the curtains slashed)no lights needed.
plenty of parking at toll areas. park anywhere in villages (as long as there,s enough room)
if theirs a speed camera you get a mile of notice where it is. never seen a traffic wardens outside
of a big city. …cafe,s(routers)i saw 6 in less than 50 miles with parking for about 100 lorries
at each one.i traveled around france for 7 weeks last year. i would think i only saw 8 or 10 police.
I,am selling up and moving there…anyone need a 3 bed house in north wales.
John
Italy have alot of little laybys just about big enough for an artic or two on all of their main routes, they are at regular intervals.
France has the large areas on major routes set amongst the trees usually, back off the highway with loos and somewhere to have a wash up - all FOC.
We have robbing operators of MSA’s who know they pretty much have a captive market and kindly supply ■■■■■■■■ lighting and security.
muckles:
I think there are a couple of reasons for this:
as Ory’s suggests other parts of Europe have layby’s on the hard shoulder, that’s even if they have a hard shoulder worth talking about.
With digi-tachos robbing time in a queue of traffic, it’s easy to go over your hours. Of course you can write on the back of your print-out, but I still reckon they think it’s easier to pay a UK fine for parking on the hard shoulder than one in Spain for running over your hours.
Why aren’t they moved on all the time?
How many patrol cars do you see on the Motorway during a day?
In my experience not many.And personally I’d rather see the scant resources used to deal with the family car broken down on the hard shoulder or idiotic driving than a truck parked behind a crash barriered parapet.
Maybe instead of having a go at foreign drivers we should be asking questions as to why the frequency and quality of rest areas in this Country is so far behind the rest of Europe.
Good point there