So yesterday I was delivering around Dover and other areas of Kent, after a night out and a 0330 re-start, I head back towards Lincolnshire.
After going through the Dartford tunnel, I continued on the M25 towards the M11, along the way I noticed on both sides of the carriageways that at least 10 foreigne trucks, some were even triple parked, most had their curtains closed all but one was parked under a bridge with no lights on.
Why are they allowed to get away with having breaks/rest on a motorway hard shoulder?
I can guarantee if I stopped for a coffee/kip the Feds/VOSTAPO/HATO would be on me dishing out fines or bending me over with no ky jelly.
I would imagine East European drivers carry very little cash if any at all, they all seem to self cater, they all have huge endurance fuel tanks so don’t buy fuel. So its down to red tape and bureaucracy to extract any fines if the driver speaks poor english, so i guess its not financially viable for VOSA in terms of time vs money extraction , when there are many more financially viable UK drivers to fine. Or “Line of least resistance” . you might say
roadrunner:
I would imagine East European drivers carry very little cash if any at all, they all seem to self cater, they all have huge endurance fuel tanks so don’t buy fuel. So its down to red tape and bureaucracy to extract any fines if the driver speaks poor english, so i guess its not financially viable for VOSA in terms of time vs money extraction , when there are many more financially viable UK drivers to fine. Or “Line of least resistance” . you might say
That doesn’t make what their being allowed to do right though does it. No wonder the British hauliers can’t compete in the “free market” that is Europe. They should be forced (towed if they have to be) to a legal place to park, then they should be immobilised until the firm pays up the fine and towing fee.
A couple of days with his wagon earning jack would soon see them paying up.
It really does ■■■■ me off that it isn’t a level playing field.
Whilst Britain continues to be the only country (or at least in the minority of countries) following every stupid EU regulation as if our lives depended on it we’ll never have a level playing field. I’m by no means racist but I am incredibly anti-Europe. Let our country rule itself, cherry pick the pros of being in Europe and drop the cons, just like the French and everyone else does.
Johnny Foreigner tends to take breaks on the hard shoulder because enforcement in his own country and in transit countries is draconian. Our authorities require us to continue to a proper parking area if we are delayed by heavy traffic and will tolerate this provided that the correct procedure is followed, namely a print-out with an explanation written on the back, other countries which do not have the congestion problems that we have and which do not understand them will levy a fine of several thousand euros on a driver who has run over his time by an hour because he was caught in M25 traffic.
Don’t blame the driver, blame the woefully inadequate road network in the UK and particularly the lack of parking places for trucks in the UK. It’s easier to find somewhere to take a break in Bulgaria of Belarus than it is here.
I have noticed bollards getting put on a lot of slip roads out of services to stop this I think and yes I must admit to having a smile at some of the places I have seen foreign, mostly eastern European trucks, parked up
roadrunner:
I would imagine East European drivers carry very little cash if any at all, they all seem to self cater, they all have huge endurance fuel tanks so don’t buy fuel. So its down to red tape and bureaucracy to extract any fines if the driver speaks poor english, so i guess its not financially viable for VOSA in terms of time vs money extraction , when there are many more financially viable UK drivers to fine. Or “Line of least resistance” . you might say
That doesn’t make what their being allowed to do right though does it. No wonder the British hauliers can’t compete in the “free market” that is Europe. They should be forced (towed if they have to be) to a legal place to park, then they should be immobilised until the firm pays up the fine and towing fee.
A couple of days with his wagon earning jack would soon see them paying up.
It really does [zb] me off that it isn’t a level playing field.
Who said it was right ?. Do you really think U.K plc has got the finances, admin and manpower to chase every Eastern European company for small arbitrary fines for towing/ storage charges or clamping fines. I’m sure if it was cheap and easy to do they would do it, the only thing the U.K is any good at is red tape and bureaucracy, that and generally playing by the book. I agree clamp the vehicle until they pay up, but sadly that just isn’t “cricket” in this country unless you are registered in the U.K, where the registration plates are very easy to trace and fines to administer.
Harry Monk:
Johnny Foreigner tends to take breaks on the hard shoulder because enforcement in his own country and in transit countries is draconian. Our authorities require us to continue to a proper parking area if we are delayed by heavy traffic and will tolerate this provided that the correct procedure is followed, namely a print-out with an explanation written on the back, other countries which do not have the congestion problems that we have and which do not understand them will levy a fine of several thousand euros on a driver who has run over his time by an hour because he was caught in M25 traffic.
Don’t blame the driver, blame the woefully inadequate road network in the UK and particularly the lack of parking places for trucks in the UK. It’s easier to find somewhere to take a break in Bulgaria of Belarus than it is here.
noreversing:
I have noticed bollards getting put on a lot of slip roads out of services to stop this I think and yes I must admit to having a smile at some of the places I have seen foreign, mostly eastern European trucks, parked up
We all have, and the cynical would suggest that the bollards are only purchased to raise revenue in the service areas. I have parked all over Europe for free or for a small amount that is equal to a cup of coffee, most drivers in France and Italy pull up on the motorway for a break, an hour or so after they have enjoyed a three course meal with an aperitif.
The service areas want £20 - £30 to park, if you are here for ten days, that is one awful lot of money to grab a BK or an overpriced Julies Kitchen sandwich before bedtime
Yet again, as has been said each and every time this very same subject comes up, its the chronic lack of parking in the UK that is the cause of this in conjunction with ridiculously draconian tacho regulations that result in astronomical fines in many European countries, countries that they do actually go to and most on here who use belittling terms such as “Johnny Foreigner” dont go to so cannot even begin to comprehend the actual situation as it is.
“Johnny Foreigner” certainly should not be getting clamped or towed for this. Its a travesty that any of us, them or ourselves are compelled by law to park a truck at set intervals and are given practically nowhere suitable to do this. We should not be criticising them for doing what they feel is necessary, we should be getting angry at the government for making this situation exist in the first place for all of us.
robinhood_1984:
Yet again, as has been said each and every time this very same subject comes up, its the chronic lack of parking in the UK that is the cause of this in conjunction with ridiculously draconian tacho regulations that result in astronomical fines in many European countries, countries that they do actually go to and most on here who use belittling terms such as “Johnny Foreigner” dont go to so cannot even begin to comprehend the actual situation as it is.
“Johnny Foreigner” certainly should not be getting clamped or towed for this. Its a travesty that any of us, them or ourselves are compelled by law to park a truck at set intervals and are given practically nowhere suitable to do this. We should not be criticising them for doing what they feel is necessary, we should be getting angry at the government for making this situation exist in the first place for all of us.
I agree that there is a lack of cheap/free parking, I’ll even agree that there are very few places to park inside the M25 for a brake nevermind a rest, but you can’t tell me that on a Friday night the services of Medway , London Gateway or Thurrock were full, I know for a fact Medway wasn’t, I was there and it was neigh on empty!
I know it cost a lot to park especially if your here for 10 days but all these things should be priced into jobs (by every haulier), or it should be costed in that the driver needs 30 mins to find a safe and LEGAL place to park. This is why the British haulier can’t compete, because we can’t have 9-11 hrs off on the M25 (not that I would want to mind).
I’m not very old compared to many drivers @27 but I have been told many a tale from the old boys about doing Europe and the Far East and having “running money”, does this not happen any more then?
robinhood_1984:
Yet again, as has been said each and every time this very same subject comes up, its the chronic lack of parking in the UK that is the cause of this in conjunction with ridiculously draconian tacho regulations that result in astronomical fines in many European countries, countries that they do actually go to and most on here who use belittling terms such as “Johnny Foreigner” dont go to so cannot even begin to comprehend the actual situation as it is.
“Johnny Foreigner” certainly should not be getting clamped or towed for this. Its a travesty that any of us, them or ourselves are compelled by law to park a truck at set intervals and are given practically nowhere suitable to do this. We should not be criticising them for doing what they feel is necessary, we should be getting angry at the government for making this situation exist in the first place for all of us.
I agree that there is a lack of cheap/free parking, I’ll even agree that there are very few places to park inside the M25 for a brake nevermind a rest, but you can’t tell me that on a Friday night the services of Medway , London Gateway or Thurrock were full, I know for a fact Medway wasn’t, I was there and it was neigh on empty!
I know it cost a lot to park especially if your here for 10 days but all these things should be priced into jobs (by every haulier), or it should be costed in that the driver needs 30 mins to find a safe and LEGAL place to park. This is why the British haulier can’t compete, because we can’t have 9-11 hrs off on the M25 (not that I would want to mind).
I’m not very old compared to many drivers @27 but I have been told many a tale from the old boys about doing Europe and the Far East and having “running money”, does this not happen any more then?
Firstly I entirely agree with all Robinhood’s points and well said.
As for NewLad who the hell wants to park on ANY services anyway! let alone the ones you mention, their sole purpose in life is to rip off any trucker daft enough to use their overpriced ■■■■ poor quality amenieties.
I’ve said it before, that on here it seems to be acceptable and fair game to knock the Foreign driver, mostly by those that have never been as far South as Dover . They are doing the same crap job as us (and in the Eastie’s case for a fraction of the crap pay that most of us are on) so ffs get on with your own job and let those guy’s get on with theirs, and if they are getting away with thumbing their noses at the ■■■■■■■■ that force us into parking in lay bys, remote areas and ■■■■ holes in general …as long as we are miles out of their beloved town centres , well good luck to them!
As for how things SHOULD be , I SHOULD be on a Grand a week, and SHOULD be Holly Willoughby’s secret bit of rough on the side, but I aint as this is Realworld bud
not related to the m25, but newark cattle market offers free parking (well call it a blind eye) to non uk and irl lorrys, simple reason they will double and if possible triple park in the laybys on the a46 a1 and a7, and park anywhere in the ind estates, this “agreement” is between notts police and the council to cut down on fuel theft , load theft and people ■■■■@ing in laybys , most parked in the area are delivering to the currys whorehouse, so if they are in oneplace they are easyer to keep a eye on
There is a serious safety issue here. By coincidence I have jsut finished watching a program about accidents in Paris. The last item was about a motocyclist that was killed running into the back of an unlit artic parked in a street at night. Yes the m/c was going too fast, but it was an incredibly dangerous place to park up. They arrested the driver when he returned to his vehicle and were considering whether to charge him with involuntary homocide. He was from eastern europe as the were questioning him in english and he was replying in heavliy accented english.
I drive a lorry and I’m fully aware of the difficulty in making a decent living in doing so ,but sorry if anyone is saying it’s ok to park on the side of the M25 or any other motorway ,then I send my apologies but hopefully not my condolences ,to the person or family that will at some point run into the back of one of my fellow professional colleges .
About 3 years ago late on a Friday night,2 of us were heading south through France,destination Morocco.We pulled into Claudes,you could not park a ■■■ pap,so we pulled back out onto the national & managed to get the both of us into a layby with an S.O. S phone in it,8hours 55 minutes later drinking coffee & waiting for the 9th hour in pulls a Gendarme on his motorbike," problem sir " he ask," No " we reply…" Then you do have a problem " he says " 35 euros each ,emergency parking only " I argued the toss about no yellow lines or signs,only to be told that the S.O.S phone in a layby in France means no parking unless emergency,told him that we were out of time ,only to be told to " pay up ".Tried to bribe him for 20 euros cash " Non " was the reply…Paid up & went on our way !!!
Before this happened to me,it did & still does wind me up when I see these lorries parked on the hard shoulder,if France can police it why are the authorities letting them get away with it.
Will:
Before this happened to me,it did & still does wind me up when I see these lorries parked on the hard shoulder,if France can police it why are the authorities letting them get away with it.
I started towards spain from barbezieux (had their bland menu and terrible “wine” the night before before anyone asks) one monday evening after a bank holiday. The toll booths around bayonne had a queue of a few miles each, so after 4h 15min driving, I pulled into a huge SOS bay, room for about five trucks. 40 minutes into my break, a short man appeared from a blue transit and started yelling that I was commiting “an offence” and should move on immediately. No reasoning was possible with him, after all, when the traffic is good, you see spaniards, portuguese and bulgarians sleeping the whole night in every sos bay imaginable, but no, I was told to move immediately by the napoleon who was fiddling with his gun holster. I was told to move to the services, 2km away. So 43minutes into my break, I started driving again. the services were hard to get into and impossible to get out of, c’est la vie. The next available place to park was Transnatur in Irun, 5 hours and 40 minutes after starting. And of course there was a moustache from the gendarmerie on the lookout at the booths in hendaye as well, to fine some poor chap caught out without a place to park.
. They are doing the same crap job as us (and in the Eastie’s case for a fraction of the crap pay that most of us are on) so ffs get on with your own job and let those guy’s get on with theirs, and if they are getting away with thumbing their noses at the ■■■■■■■■ that force us into parking in lay bys, remote areas and ■■■■ holes in general …as long as we are miles out of their beloved town centres 