Was there a competition going on the M25 today between Watford and Thurrock? I saw at least 6 foreign wagons parked on the hard shoulder, mostly under bridges. They couldn’t all be broken down, surely? Thought it might be a competion to see who can have the most break without being spoken to by police or HA.
I saw another pair parked near Stratford on bends and right on junctions. Do they leave common sense at the docks?
I await condemnation for xenophobia and copycat posts of “they don’t know the area/strange country” etc.
No racism spouted 
but they do get away with it 
tickles me when they have a night out! 
on the hard shoulder of the M25 
I spent two hours stood in a traffic queue on the m25 and ran out of time.
So I was having my 45 when plod questioned my place for rest.
But nothing is ever said to Jonny foreigner having their 11 hours off.
If the fines for tacho infringements here, were as high here as they are in mainland Europe, I’m sure plenty of uk drivers would be doing the same!!
From what I’ve seen, our Foreign friends park just as randomly in the rest of Europe too (if they can get away with it).
In fact, the only places you know you can find a sensible space after teatime are the Autohofs that charge €5 for overnight parking, I wonder why…?
W
AlexWignall:
From what I’ve seen, our Foreign friends park just as randomly in the rest of Europe too (if they can get away with it).In fact, the only places you know you can find a sensible space after teatime are the Autohofs that charge €5 for overnight parking, I wonder why…?
W
Yes your right, down slip roads to parking areas and services but to ve fair its accepted abroad.
I use the same system abroad as I do in this country. … as far away from everyone else as possible.
The best on i’ve seen was on the side of a roundabout and im not talking about the abnormal load holding area such as the one in thurrock but actually on it, curtains drawn lol.
It is a joke and I’d bet a UK registered truck would be moved on sharpish.
Not somewhere I’d fancy stopping to tell the truth
in Germany some drivers if not found parking space or,time running out stop at slip road.come police ask why you stopped here.drivers talk because no parking space or time.make print out ,policeman sign and allow drive till next parking space.sometime police follow him .and if police stop him next week drivers have evidence who you policeman confirm and allow drive.where British police???I don t know?and not biggest problem if some drivers stop at slip road
I moved on an English truck with an Eastern European driver who was parked under J20 M25, half on footpath and half on the road. He was having a daily rest break. I hope VOSA fine him.
Drivers blocking the hard shoulder due to congestion really annoy me. They are blocking the only available route for emergency vehicles or even recovery trucks trying to get to the scene to clear and re-open the motorway. The law allows you to go to nearest place of safety. The hard shoulder is not that. It amazes me that so called professional drivers do not know this??
The best example I have ever seen of inappropriate parking was a few weeks ago on the eastbound M180.
As you join the 180 from the southbound M18, there is an area to the right of the outside lane.
There is plenty of room for a wag and drag to park and have a brake, I know this, because one of our eastern european friends, had parked up in that space for a break.
Well done to him for seeing it, as I go past that spot every day almost, and I’ve never noticed it.
There’s a refuge area between J1 and J2 on the M6 and I used to go past it every day to work and back. At least twice a week there’d be foreign trucks in there “Ahem, broke down”.
Maybe it’s a Bermuda Triangle type site where trucks mysteriously develop problems.
Good on them I say…might encourage local authorities to open more Truck parks…
Deepinvet:
Good on them I say…might encourage local authorities to open more Truck parks…
+1
Deepinvet:
Good on them I say…might encourage local authorities to open more Truck parks…
Hiya Well said… as you may know and many others too. i drove through France last year i saw 7 truck parks, 50 plus
spaces on them all. this was in a 40 mile distance. in the uk we don,t have that many in 500 miles yet alone 40 miles.
John
Deepinvet:
Good on them I say…might encourage local authorities to open more Truck parks…
I doubt anything will encourage local authorities from opening more truck parks, complaints from locals about inconsiderate truck parking just leads to trucks being banned from an area not a new area being found and any application for a truck park has the nimbys protesting, even when its nowhere near them or effects them and any land suitable is worth far more as industrial retail land.
Maybe the the money raised from the truck user charge could be used to fund proper facilities, but that about as likely as me running through Norwich naked.
I sort of understand why foreign drivers do it, wrong as it is, it’s ok saying you’re allowed to move to the nearest safe place, but that excuse doesn’t cut much mustard with some Spanish copper, but then they probably can’t comprehend the M25.
Maybe the British authorities need to have a Biltz on it and maybe the message will get through.
Extrucker I assume you are a HATO, do you also try and move foreign trucks on when found parking on the hard shoulder?
Hi Muckles, yes I am a HATO and yes I do move trucks on when parked on the hard shoulder. Although it can be argued that we do not have the power to move trucks on, we do have the powers to have them lifted and removed if they refuse.
The problem, especially on the M25 Western section, is that at night, due to cutbacks, some outstations do not patrol, just response only. So if no calls come in, then the trucker parked behind the bridges will not be disturbed, unless VOSA are out and about or a Police patrol and as we all know, Traffic Police are cut back more than we are. 
3300John:
Deepinvet:
Good on them I say…might encourage local authorities to open more Truck parks…Hiya Well said… as you may know and many others too. i drove through France last year i saw 7 truck parks, 50 plus
spaces on them all. this was in a 40 mile distance. in the uk we don,t have that many in 500 miles yet alone 40 miles.
John
rom Bordeaux to irun there has been some new rest areas built with parking for a 100 plus trucks including showers and its free parking
extrucker:
Hi Muckles, yes I am a HATO and yes I do move trucks on when parked on the hard shoulder. Although it can be argued that we do not have the power to move trucks on, we do have the powers to have them lifted and removed if they refuse.
The problem, especially on the M25 Western section, is that at night, due to cutbacks, some outstations do not patrol, just response only. So if no calls come in, then the trucker parked behind the bridges will not be disturbed, unless VOSA are out and about or a Police patrol and as we all know, Traffic Police are cut back more than we are.
Hi Extrucker, your reply is pretty much what I expected, that is they aren’t moved on because they are foreign as some seem to imply, but because there is nobody around to move them on.
And if there is a patrol out and about it’s probably going off to do something more important like attend a broken down vehicle on an exposed section of hard shoulder.
Personally I don’t know what the answer is, but it’s unlikely that anything will be done until somebody gets killed and it causes a media outrage. But then we’ll all be tarred with the same brush as the media can’t distinguish between a 3.5t pick up and a 44t Artic.
If we can have “crackdowns” on putting in for meal allowances, then why not a crackdown on claiminhg the night out allowance ( tax free) when you’ve not PAID to park up at a proper location?
Dodge the fee, don’t claim the allowance.
Eurodrivers over here must be on some good incentives for their nights out, whilst at the same time wanting to play the “no speake english and no money no problem” cards all the time when challenged.
Let’s see how many take the ■■■■ once there’s no money in it. 
As it stands, it’s only a matter of time until they start syphoning fuel as well.