For years I have seen Sitra trucks from Ypres, Belgium, running around on Belgian plates. When I was queuing for the ferry last week (in a car), there were two from Sitra parked next to me in the lanes. Both had brand new looking units in the familiar orange livery but we’re on Bulgarian plates. Looking at the drivers, it was hard to tell if they were Belgian or Bulgarian.
Excuse my ignorance, but how does it all work then? Does a company like Sitra suddenly start using Bulgarian units and drivers, and if so, what happens to the former Belgian workforce?
Or is it just the units on BG plates for tax reasons, and the drivers remain Belgian? Anybody know?
They also have units on Russian plates and polish as well as other country’s like most haulage company’s in Europe they all have eastern European trucks pulling for them pretty much how the UK is going go and have look around Immingham docks or any ports that have ro ro ferrys and see all the eastern European trucks doing UK traction work
As Hanson said pretty much a trend across Europe, rarely see an Norbert (XPO) tractor unit on French plates outside of France these days these days. Same goes for a lot of Belgium, Dutch companies, have been seeing a few Belgium and Dutch units with stickers in the windows saying something to the affect of driven by a Belgium or Dutch driver.
I used to ship out quite frequently on the Cobelfret boat from Killingholme to Zeebrugge and there was always a Sitra on that each and every night. Both were low roof DAF’s on Belgian plates with a British driver. They never slept in the truck, they were on the ferry every night they were away from home going back and forth. This was until I moved to Canada in 2009 so a lot could have changed since then. I do remember even then seeing the Sitra trucks on Russian plates and I’m almost certain they were Russian drivers.
There are cases of western firms having trucks on BG plates for example and still having their own nationals driving but its exceptionally rare in the grand scheme of things. If a big firm like Sitra has trucks on BG plates, I’m almost certain the drivers will be Bulgarians and on a wage reflective of that country. I’m told that a lot of Polish registered trucks are to be seen with Romanian and Bulgarian drivers these days too.
The race to the bottom always seems to be coming to its climax, yet another corner appears and new depths are found with EU expansion etc.
As Robinhood says, spot on. For further info on Sitra you could look on youtube at 7784 Patrick, one of their drivers, he’s put up loads of ‘easy job’ vids of his work at Sitra and very well put together they are too.
short walk:
As Robinhood says, spot on. For further info on Sitra you could look on youtube at 7784 Patrick, one of their drivers, he’s put up loads of ‘easy job’ vids of his work at Sitra and very well put together they are too.
Yeah, I was getting worried for poor old Patrick, wondering if he’d got the push in favour of the Bulgarians? Maybe he’s retired already?
I’ve worked alongside a few Sitra drivers on the Organic milk contract and have yet to talk to a Belgium driver. A lot of their French drivers are on Belgium plates and so too are the Polish drivers.
I was talking to one of their drivers running on UK plates (he’s from Portugal) and I’m sure he said they have 10 UK plated units, all manned by his fellow countrymen. All on days running sugar from Tilbury but might have misunderstood.
