"He lost his Republic of Ireland licence because his drivers were driving for longer time periods than is legally allowed…John Martin from the Road Haulage Association (RHA) said that as a result of the public inquiry, Christopher Hughes’ HGV vehicles “should not be operating anywhere within the EU - in other words they should be taken off the road immediately.” "
(Hi everyone, I am a newbie, I have been reading for a while, wondering whether to upgrade my licence to Class 1 with a view to a few years work roaming / tramping in Europe - but one of my concerns about this work is the worry about migrants attempting to board)
Just be sensible about parking up, personally I don’t park up within 4 hours of Calais unless it is on a customers site, come of the motorway to park as then it is not obvious which direction you are travelling in. If pulling fridges then get some decent padlocks the Spanish locks are easily picked. Download the checklist form from the UK border force site and get this filled out when you load and then fill it out each time you stop doesn’t stop them getting in but shows you are doing checks and will help to cover your arse. In the last 10 years I’ve had one padlock broken by immigrants but they then decided that -20 was probably not the most comfortable way to travel. If you suspect immigrants are in the trailer do not attempt to get them out yourself call the local police and they will deal with it, do not wait till you get to Calais and tell the UK border force as their policy is you are guilty of smuggling until you can prove otherwise.
the above sums it up nicely.
if your parked and want them out,make sure your at a truckstop/petrol station/shopping centre with plenty of people and itl be less intimidating.
without carrying self preservation weapons with you that you can get into trouble for especially coming in and out of the uk,then its worth having something handy just in case you end up in a situation that you might want to give someone a clout.
you will have cooking equipment with you,so you can justify a good big chopper. ( puns welcome).
if you have a baseball bat,make sure you have a ball somewhere then its not classed as a weapon.
just be sensible when parking,dont park away in the corner next to the buses and such.
you will most likely never have any instance to interact so long as your not daft enough to park outside pidou and leave the trailer unlocked when you go to get your booze.
i nice inconspicuous flick stick hidden away or one of these crooklock jobs will let you sleep more easily.
personally i jam a cleaver into the side window when im parked up so it can be seen from outside.
i also put a ratchet strap across the inside door handles …all those will be more than enough,but lets not bring up the subject of getting gassed while you sleep.!!!.
Another idea for carrying defensive ‘weapons’ are those that are not designed as such but can be used as so.
Small type fire extinguisher,.and those high pressure aerosols with polish…or with anything, just to spray into the face and eyes of the scrote who is trying to get into your cab.
As DD says, if you carry a baseball bat (as I do) make sure you have a ball in the cab.
It was bad enough in Calais the last time I was over about 10 yrs ago,.(10 years this very month in fact ) , I really don’t think I could be arsed with all the ag these days.
As much as I miss Euro work,.I reckon I’ll stick with my Cornwall farms.
Listen to Mazzer if you really are a newbie. The other two are on a bit of a windup. Complete the form as he says and do your checks every time before you move off. Preferably pull a box van or fridge with a shrouded top quality padlock. If you are on a Euroliner you just have to follow his parking advice about not stopping within 4 hours of the ferry etc.
This is fine and dandy unless you need to drive more than 5 or 6 hours on arrival back in UK because then parking up so far from Calais isn’t really an option if you still have a bunch of hours left on the card.
For me the tricky part is when you wake up and you think someone is at the trailer. If it’s illegal immigrants you just tell them to clear off. Clandestines (as called in France) are a total pain in the ■■■ but I have never known them to be physical or confrontational. If you catch them they just move along to the next victim.
However if you investigate and discover your load or diesel is being robbed you may certainly be at risk of violence. But strangely despite all the hype that is 1000 times more likely to happen here in UK than in immigrant territory.
Bobs like for American sports equipment is definitely appropriate for UK tramping but I wouldn’t bother if on Euro work. Having said that I carry my friend Thumper, an old wooden baton for checking for soft tyres, mostly only the inside drive wheels theses days if I even remember to bring it out for the check.
dieseldog999:
the above sums it up nicely.
if your parked and want them out,make sure your at a truckstop/petrol station/shopping centre with plenty of people and itl be less intimidating.
without carrying self preservation weapons with you that you can get into trouble for especially coming in and out of the uk,then its worth having something handy just in case you end up in a situation that you might want to give someone a clout.
you will have cooking equipment with you,so you can justify a good big chopper. ( puns welcome).
if you have a baseball bat,make sure you have a ball somewhere then its not classed as a weapon.
just be sensible when parking,dont park away in the corner next to the buses and such.
you will most likely never have any instance to interact so long as your not daft enough to park outside pidou and leave the trailer unlocked when you go to get your booze.
i nice inconspicuous flick stick hidden away or one of these crooklock jobs will let you sleep more easily.
personally i jam a cleaver into the side window when im parked up so it can be seen from outside.
i also put a ratchet strap across the inside door handles …all those will be more than enough,but lets not bring up the subject of getting gassed while you sleep.!!!.
I can see a lot of drivers who even only thought about doing euro work never even thinking about it again after reading this post
Not only lock your doors strap your doors and the rest
once again is it only me that thinks it prudent to drop a ratchet strap across the inside door handles?
its been normal practice for me depending on where i park for years…sensible,or am i just being a big wooftah…
Wow - some great tips and points there - especially parking on the other side of the carriageway to look like travelling away from the port.
I will admit to being a bit freaked by the suggested need to tackle people with weapons on a regular basis, especially as part of my questioning of this whole issue is because despite my ill chosen username, I am a female driver.
I will start a separate thread later about all my questions as they go beyond the migrant topic of this thread.
dieseldog999:
once again is it only me that thinks it prudent to drop a ratchet strap across the inside door handles?
its been normal practice for me depending on where i park for years…sensible,or am i just being a big wooftah…
Nothing wrong crack on it was if a newbie who had no experience and wanted to try it
NormanInNorfolk:
Wow - some great tips and points there - especially parking on the other side of the carriageway to look like travelling away from the port.
I will admit to being a bit freaked by the suggested need to tackle people with weapons on a regular basis, especially as part of my questioning of this whole issue is because despite my ill chosen username, I am a female driver.
I will start a separate thread later about all my questions as they go beyond the migrant topic of this thread.
Thanks for answering me.
In thirty years driving Euro I’ve never needed a weapon yet.
.
Crying, whimpering, and imitating a rolled up hedgehog deflects any aggressors…
.
Seriously? There are nasty people everywhere. Driving with a high value load anywhere, including UK puts you at more risk from violence than clandestines.
It isn’t zero risk, nothing is. A wee bit of thought and most risk can be easily reduced.
dieseldog999:
once again is it only me that thinks it prudent to drop a ratchet strap across the inside door handles?
its been normal practice for me depending on where i park for years…sensible,or am i just being a big wooftah…
Nah it ain’t just you DD, I’ve carried a small ratchet strap, the type for luggage on car roof racks, for years.
I’ve even used it in the UK if I find myself somewhere that I had not planned in a potentially dodgy area.
It aint about being a ‘wooftah’ as you put it, I’m 6’ 1 and 16 stone, it’s about preparing yourself for any situation.
It don’t matter how big you are, or how hard you may or may not be mate, you can’t fight numbers.
Areas of ‘home’ are just as nasty as anywhere abroad.
If you want ‘safe’ try Japan. Someone I know had a roll of banknotes fall out of his back pocket in a busy city street in Japan.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, he turned around and a smiling Japanese face said ‘Sorry’ (in English) handed the bankroll to him, bowed, and disappeared into the crowd.
That’s the same nation which tidy the area of the stand where they have been spectating at international sporting events before they leave the stadium.
God knows what they must think of the rest of the world.
i think if you park sensibly and have a bit of awareness about you then no matter where you park in europe and the uk/eire then theres seldom need to worry.
around the french ports,then yes,your a lamb to the slaughter,theres dodgy spots in italy and spain,whereas in eire as well as the uk ,its the diddycoys that you need to be aware of.
ive hit a guy on the head with a half brick in le havre who was part of a bunch of scallys on the rob.( i was aiming at the scooter rider i was aiming at but was a tad slow and he was the passenger,) but job done all the same.
apart from that ive only had to threaten a few times with a weapon of sorts to stop any aggro and turfed a few loads of the great unwashed from out of or underneath the trailer.
locking them in and freezing them a cpl times works wonders to somewhat curb their enthusiasm for hiding in the box.
if you are the type of driver who happily nights out on the A 14 then you deserve all you get,other than that,euroland is a doddle,especially now with satnavs…but lets not get started on the topic of truckies getting gassed in their cabs■■?
GasGas:
Areas of ‘home’ are just as nasty as anywhere abroad.
If you want ‘safe’ try Japan. Someone I know had a roll of banknotes fall out of his back pocket in a busy city street in Japan.
He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, he turned around and a smiling Japanese face said ‘Sorry’ (in English) handed the bankroll to him, bowed, and disappeared into the crowd.
That’s the same nation which tidy the area of the stand where they have been spectating at international sporting events before they leave the stadium.
God knows what they must think of the rest of the world.
That is the same nation who build the Birma railway, and treated prisoners of war in most atrocious ways.
Swings and roundabouts…
eurotrans:
She’s good that solicitor I bet she didn’t come cheap
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
either the newspapers are doing a deal with him for the usual exclusive story about " my trucking hell" after he gets out of jail,or the balaclava brigade have fronted the money for her which might be a tad out of character for them seeing as they have already issued him and his family with death threats.
he is onto a pigs back if they stick to their guns as it looks like true to form the uk has made a ballsup of the extradition in the first place.
if he has an irish passport and claims he is irish with an alleged offence committed in belgium then its nothing to do with the uk.
the belgies wont give a toss in comparison to the uk as its 39 illegals that they dont need to bother about.
if he missed the boat he was meant to ship them on ( all hearsay) then he is a dead man walking as soon as he leaves dublin.
no doubt he is as guilty as sin,but knowing and proving are 2 different things and in that respect,way to go mr harrison.
news at tang update…
chris kennedy from i think darkley co armagh ( more bandit country )who was the other dude arrested just pleaded not guilty to the similar charges earlier today?
NormanInNorfolk:
Wow - some great tips and points there - especially parking on the other side of the carriageway to look like travelling away from the port.
I will admit to being a bit freaked by the suggested need to tackle people with weapons on a regular basis, especially as part of my questioning of this whole issue is because despite my ill chosen username, I am a female driver.
I will start a separate thread later about all my questions as they go beyond the migrant topic of this thread.
