hi i am a fairly newbie looking for advise i have done 1 trip abroad b4 but this i will need advise on i am leaving heathrow going to laval in france but being sent portsmouth caen never done b4 booked on 0800 departure portsmouth to tip at laval 0800 tuesday and booked on 1445 (local time) tuesday for return advise required how to run help required
cheers for reading
john
Nothing to worry about there.
Allow minimum of an hr before your departure time at Portsmouth . Same the other side. Otherwise just follow the signs and do what people tell you to.
Driving in France, make sure you have means to pay the tolls and off you go.
Easy.
you can pay your tolls with a fuel card, i use either bp, as24 or my shell card. you will get a cabin but it will be shared, it will be ok for a shower and to rest for a bit as your on a morning crossing.
I use that boat on a regularly basis (5 times in one week once), during the daytime sailings its just under 6 hrs sailing.
When you get to Portsmouth pull on the weighbridge and tell him your going to Caen, he will then give you a weigh ticket then pull forward into a lane marked up above for Caen. Put hi viz jacket on then book onto the ferry at the office behind you slightly to your left, ask at the weighbridge and he will show you if your not sure and remember your CMR and Passport.
You will get a credit size card this is your cabin key ( 2 drivers to a cabin and they have always paired me up with a fellow brit ) and gets you half price off the food ( A tip when getting food if you drink wine, the small red wine I think called Dauphin is buy one get one free, the other small bottles maybe the same but thats the one I get ) Coffee is free on the ferry for truck drivers when you show your cabin key.
When you get out of your truck remember which stairs or lift you have used and what level you are on, makes it easier when looking for your truck when you arrive.
Remember when you get off your one hour ahead and sailing times are always at local time so your 14.45 return sailing is at 13.45 UK time and leave your tacho on UK time.
When you get on the boat if you have a digi tacho put it on ferry mode especially if you are counting the crossing as part of your overnight rest period. When you park up remember to put the end country to “F” or whatever country you are in.
When you get off the boat just follow the exit signs keeping the wired fence to your right, when you get to the passport control just drive slowly passed it as there is usually no one in and then again slowly to the customs booth and barrier (again usually no one in ) and the barrier with raise automatically. The speed limit out of Ouisterham ( that is actually where the ferry docks, Caen is approx 15kms down the road) is 30kms per hr until you get to the first roundabout. If you are using a sat nav an idea might be before you leave the dock add your current position as a favourite to make your return journey easier for you, I always do this at a new ferry terminal.
If you are looking to fuel up in France there are not many fuel stations on your route, there is one just 3kms out of the ferry terminal which you will pass, that is an Esso station and is an unmanned station and only takes cards, Esso and I think UTA, DKV , the next station down is on the A84 approx 1.15hrs drive from Caen and that is a Shell station just off the autoroute. Your boss may have other fuel cards and a list of stations, I think there is a Total garage again just off the A84 approx 2.15 hrs drive just south of Avaranches, that is of course you go that way.
I’ve had a look and if you take the A84 down to Fougeres then the nationals to Laval there are no motorway tolls. Leave the docks following the signs for Caen, over 1 roundabout, pass the Esso station over the next roundabout and you are then on a dual carriage way to the Caen ring road then follow the signs for Cherbourg, Rennes, St Malo, when you then get on the ring road just follow the signs for Rennes and St Malo A84 E3 and NOT the Cherbourg signs, when you get passed Avaranches follow signs for Rennes, Fougeres and NOT St Malo, leave the A84 AT junction 29 for Fougeres you will then pick up the signs for Laval. Junction 29 is about 2.5 hrs from the boat and you will easily get to Laval in under 4hrs. Remember when leaving autoroutes abroad they don’t tend to have roundabouts like we do and some of the exits can have quite sharp bends on them so take them slowly.
Return journey is just the reverse and when you get back to the Caen ring road (periphique) just follow either your sat nat or the signs for the Car Ferry and when you pass the Esso garage to follow the TRUCK signs to the ferry and NOT the car signs, pull upto the barrier and a security guy will either lift the barrier and wave you through or come out and have a quick look under and around your truck for immigrants, then go straight on and another guy/woman will tell you which lane to park in, then go to the offices to the right and book in.
When you get off the boat in Portsmouth you cannot park up overnight to finish off your break but you can use the allowed movement of 1 hr to get somewhere to park, but if you have timed things correctly you should be able to get from Laval upto the ferry ship over and get back to Heathrow in a 15 hrs shift.
Hope this helps and if any more questions just ask.
Paul
cheers Turnip,jessicas dad and paul for your advise i will hopefully have a good trip and heed your advise
cheers lads
john
Hope that you find a Rouitier and muck in with the French drivers, they will make you very welcome, it does not matter if you do not speak French, just wave your arms and hands around, they will know what you are on about, the jugs of wine will flow freely at night, allow 2 hours for lunch and 3 hours for dinner to make good digestion of the 5 to 6 course meal for about 10 to 20 euros.
If you point to what they are eating, that is accepted, try the rabbit stew with garlic, the tripe is good, not the steak tartare, that is raw mince beef with a raw egg on top and Worcester style sauce in it.
Creme caramel for pudding where the chef will blow torch the brown sugar on top, washed down with a Calvados, some put a sugar lump in, it will make you sleep like a baby.
The only thing missing from that advice is the texture of the road, and the weather
And if he’ll be eating with the police chief and the mayor.
Toby should write a book on being a Euro trucker, it would certainly cheer you up!
petecud:
Toby should write a book on being a Euro trucker, it would certainly cheer you up!
Now,there’s an idea. Quote Toby ‘Just wave your arms and hands around,they will know what you are on about’ Priceless-again 
I reckon it would be a best seller.Go for it Toby.
Quote Toby ’ point to what they are eating’…and grunt??
cheers everyone trip done and dusted only hitch was missed a84 Rennes on cean ring road so just went round and back parked up at the total services just before the toll on a81 tipped at 0800 tuesday morning back at port at 1200ish.
The book will be called Toby`s travelling circus. 
toby1234abc:
Hope that you find a Rouitier and muck in with the French drivers, they will make you very welcome, it does not matter if you do not speak French, just wave your arms and hands around, they will know what you are on about, the jugs of wine will flow freely at night, allow 2 hours for lunch and 3 hours for dinner to make good digestion of the 5 to 6 course meal for about 10 to 20 euros.
If you point to what they are eating, that is accepted, try the rabbit stew with garlic, the tripe is good, not the steak tartare, that is raw mince beef with a raw egg on top and Worcester style sauce in it.
Creme caramel for pudding where the chef will blow torch the brown sugar on top, washed down with a Calvados, some put a sugar lump in, it will make you sleep like a baby.
Once the wine flows you always find one or two speak English and you have a right laugh…I love the times when I’m the only Englishman and stagger out of a routier plastered with a few kermit mates…
If there’s a Dutchman or a German they like a drink too, find em and make friends!
The chairs are sat very close to each other, you have to time your arm and hand movements or you will collide with the guy next to you, it takes practice, you walk in these places as a stranger, you will get checked out and get looked at, it is only curiousity, and not a threat.
Try not rush the meal, as they eat much faster over there, and you get indigestion, have a night cap or after dinner liqueur, it will digest a very heavy meal.
The best ones are any in the Falasie, Le Mans, Poitiers, Angouleme, Bordeaux, Caen area, if you fancy a change go through the area they call Petite Suise or Little Switzerland, from Caen you go via Angers way on the national road past river rafting areas and hilly spots, beats the toll road boredom from Caen to Le Mans.
By angouleme do you mean the one at touverac on the southbound side of the national 10? Big white pointy building with a massive limestone parking area? I always stop there when running thru irun…
That is a good one, Vivone is famous for it`s sea food.And some hidden in the woods on the forest road from Bordeaux to Irun, they fill up fast with the logger lorries, and some have a barrier system, no meal, no entry.
Best way mate, keeps the Taliban out like the German autohofs…but unlike British services they still keep it cheap…
Too right, they come in to park for free and refuse to spend one euro cent, while the owners of these places lose out on paying drivers who want to pay for a hot meal and a good shower, as the other visitors eat of their trailer boxes/kitchens, they have no choice, but they can park anywhere to cook up a meal on an over night stop.
Barbeziueux truck stop was the first to put up barrier, and a few in the Forest road have a barrier system, with some of them, if you buy a certain amount of fuel, free to get out, or buy a meal, then a reduced price.
Lyon has a pay for parking with a free parking next door, it is for high value loads, and the concert tour trailers and ADR loads for safety.
I will be weekending in either tarragona (Salou) or benidorm this weekend, good thing is you don’t see the Taliban at those places as they won’t pay for the coach parks that I use, usually park the truck up then walk round the hotels looking for cheap cancellations, can usually find one for €20-30…
Will be stopping at touverac on the way down as I have two drops Bordeaux and pau on the way down, you don’t see many Taliban there but there is a few, loads at castets though which used to be a good place to stop…