What with the supposed issues surrounding gas-attacks etc (no idea to what extent these are true or not) - where in Belgium is considered good and safe to get your head down?
Tankwash–LOKEREN
TTZ;ZEEBRUGGE
are two sites to start with
aah the tankwash lokeren great place used to stop there regular
thay are gone greedy now in lokeren.
i was in lockeren last week.the food is as good as ever but.
if you wish to park at the back or the right side ofthe complex theres a 60 cent an hour charge…
i know this is not a lot of money,but if you do a 13 hr break.
as well as this.
i had my dinner there and then spent another190 euro on tobacco products[well below the limit]
i paid in total205 euro and still had to put 60 cents in the parking machine.
i wont go to lokeren again.
i dont pay for parking whether its my money or the the bosses.
i did a few weeks ago and got robbed anyway,a theft from the trailer,so my paying days are over.#hey never really began injmy 30 years on this job
i will park where i want.im off to london tomorrow.
i will park there as well and stay up all night if nessessary to take the head off any parking warden that tries to wheelclamp me.
its not as bad as you hear in belgium.
dont worry about it.
i have parked all over belgium in the past few weeks and never had a prob.
im the same , i have parked all over belgium including some of the hot spots like jabbeke , i have never had a problem
i would be more concerned with the refugees myself.
i parked in the ids in calais on wed night.
i left at about 4.30 local time to go for the ship as calais is a disaster area now during the day,5 hours toget across.
i drove out of the ids and went towards the dock,the road is rough and i was doing about 40 kms an hour and my fridge was sealed.
i did check before i left the ids.
when i got to the xray in the port the security called me.
the fridge doors were ajar.
the ■■■■■■■■ tried to get in as i drove out of the parking area…
to any newcomers on continental.
this is a big problem.
i was doing this job in the late 70s and there was nothing like this.
they are all over calais and will try anything to get in your trailer.
the overlords are there ae well to put them in the trailers.
you are being watched all the time in calais.make no mistake about it.
(Edited for language. If it needs stars or mis-spelling to get it past the auto-censor, consider that as a hint it isn’t allowed. Simon)
gerg50 was you in the secure park
by the storage tanks if so it has CCTV
and is completely fenced in , IN germany
is also such a parking area €3.50 a hour
after 7 hours you go to the 24hr ticket
which costs €25, these sites are a step
to improve parking for high risks loads,
parking spaces have been for such
loads have been around but where
mostly in western europe catered
by transport firms working together
when carrying high risk loads,
brit pete.
i was in the secure part.
i think all these extra parking charges.maut/vignette and not to forget fuel prices and the hauliers cry of bad rates.
its all keeping wages down.
if we are paying all these road tolls,they should be covering services areas and security as well.
the charges are not cheap except the vignette
i had my own truck and got out because of this.
i dont want the hauliers burden but i want regular wage increases.
the united states of europe is fast becoming the united rip off of europe.
greg50 if you park at one of the TIR PARK
spots then you will pay as well, the bounus being
the will stop people stealing as either they are
armed, or have a dog with them, and belive
they are not all ways cheap but it ensures a safe
secure place to park, , eastern europe and beyond.,.
the parking on edge of antwerp docks is fine, come off for merksem and head towards city on the N1 rather than docks, it is near the railway viaduct before you go past novotel into the city proper - asiadok i think it is
Greg,
I wont park any further North than Brussels unless i really have to. Last place i will park at out of choice is the Shell Garage just after the Namur split on the E411. They dont seem to be looking that far afield yet.
As for safe parking in Belgium, Its just common sense i think. I always strap my door handles if i am not too sure about the area i am parked in, not a big ratchet strap, but a couple of little 2" wide straps, which makes it pretty impossible to get the doors open(I had people outside trying) so if the worst happens and you do get gassed, then hopefully your stuff will still be there when you get up. Ok you cant account for someone putting the wndow thru, but that would make too much noise i would guess. I wont park in the parking areas on te E411 unless i realy have to, always try for a service area or Truckstop(Habay at a real push, but rather not) but even then, use your comon sens ewhen parking up, I never park right in the corner tucked out of the way anywhere, even in services, just like i will never drive into space if all others are reveresed in, IMO opinion it makes you vunerable.
That said i have never been gassed, and only know of 2 people who have(both in the UK i add) and only know of one person broken into, and that was in Habay.
All i can say is proceed with caution and use your common sense.
There is a Tankwash/Truckstop on KennedyLaan in Gent,(R4 i think it is) not a million miles off route, i have parked there a few times and never had any problems, although it was a few years ago when on the Tankers for PTM. They had a resturant and showers there. Think if memory serves it was a Q8 garage.
BuzzardBoy:
There is a Tankwash/Truckstop on KennedyLaan in Gent,(R4 i think it is) not a million miles off route, i have parked there a few times and never had any problems, although it was a few years ago when on the Tankers for PTM. They had a resturant and showers there. Think if memory serves it was a Q8 garage.
It’s PB Tankwash/Truckstop,same as Lokeren and Meer Ben.
Used to stop there a lot when we had trailers shipped from Gothenburg.
jj72:
the parking on edge of antwerp docks is fine, come off for merksem and head towards city on the N1 rather than docks, it is near the railway viaduct before you go past novotel into the city proper - asiadok i think it is
And not so far from the shops either, if you want to do some window shopping 
Wheel Nut:
jj72:
the parking on edge of antwerp docks is fine, come off for merksem and head towards city on the N1 rather than docks, it is near the railway viaduct before you go past novotel into the city proper - asiadok i think it isAnd not so far from the shops either, if you want to do some window shopping
nah it’s 20 minutes brisk walk 
mind you could always be “clever” like the norwegian truck i saw a few months ago parked right down in the centre of town - except it was 3am and his curtains were blowing in the breeze where some toerag had broken in 
outside my house is pretty safe but cant promise ull come home from the pub sober
greg50:
thay are gone greedy now in lokeren.
i was in lockeren last week.the food is as good as ever but.
if you wish to park at the back or the right side ofthe complex theres a 60 cent an hour charge…
i know this is not a lot of money,but if you do a 13 hr break.
as well as this.
i had my dinner there and then spent another190 euro on tobacco products[well below the limit]
i paid in total205 euro and still had to put 60 cents in the parking machine.
i wont go to lokeren again.
i dont pay for parking whether its my money or the the bosses.
i did a few weeks ago and got robbed anyway,a theft from the trailer,so my paying days are over.#hey never really began injmy 30 years on this job
i will park where i want.im off to london tomorrow.
i will park there as well and stay up all night if nessessary to take the head off any parking warden that tries to wheelclamp me.
its not as bad as you hear in belgium.
dont worry about it.
i have parked all over belgium in the past few weeks and never had a prob.
its free to park out the back in lokeren you only have to show them your meal receipt in the morning and they let you out for free just enter you 4 digit code and away you go.
It’s much the same all over Europe, for parking charges.
They don’t want their parking area filled up with self-catering drivers. So they put a charge on parking, but if you buy a meal in the resto’ they knock the parking fee off your bill.
Definitely seems that way so far Simon. Though there are free parking places still. Like the spot I parked up near Hoogeveen on the way back from Vechta. But where I am now, Bad Rappenau, cost me 20 euro for 2 nights, but they gave me 14 euro back in vouchers for their shops etc. And free wifi 
Not a huge parking area here tho… Then again, if I’m parking up in Belgium, it’ll be in the [zb] yard…