I have a question that needs to be answered as it really grinds my ■■■■ box. Why is it that non UK trucks seem to park up on the side of a busy motorway with there hazards on? if a UK truck did it VOSA and the likes will be on it like fly’s on ■■■■. Do they get moved on? I counted 5 on the M11 Northbound today and they were mile to two miles apart with no signs of a break down, nor a flat tyre.
Just lately I have seen a number on the M25 with there curtains pulled just under the bridge on the hard shoulders. Highways surely must move them on as they patrol that area.
Its the same old problem as always. Not enough parking. Any truck driving on mainland Europe will be much more worried about going over their time than is the case for a UK only truck. Fines in many EU countries are astronomical and the fear and panic that these drivers face obviously over rides the fear of parking in inappropriate places.
Before moving to Canada I was often faced with the same problem, either on the continent or when returning to the UK. In the UK I’d usually clear customs at Dover with a load from Switzerland and if possible go and park in Folkestone at the old ferry terminal but when you’ve got quite a few hours left you can’t always justify stopping so early. The problem then becomes one of where the hell do you park? The South East has nowhere near enough parking for the trucks that are in situ at any one time and if like me, you’re not from the area and have always only passed through, you wont know of any out of the way spots or industrial estates and the like, combine that with the horrendous traffic experienced in that part of the country, any driver could easily find himself out of time well before he expected to do so and while VOSA would most likely overlook a neatly composed note on the back of a drivers tacho print out, their counterparts in France, Belgium or Spain would quite likely not, but rather issue a huge “court deposit” to be paid immediately and fought over in court at a later date.
The bottom line is that we’re all victims of the same problem, there isn’t enough parking available, especially in the south east where the demand would be at its very highest.
robinhood_1984:
Its the same old problem as always. Not enough parking. Any truck driving on mainland Europe will be much more worried about going over their time than is the case for a UK only truck. Fines in many EU countries are astronomical and the fear and panic that these drivers face obviously over rides the fear of parking in inappropriate places.
Before moving to Canada I was often faced with the same problem, either on the continent or when returning to the UK. In the UK I’d usually clear customs at Dover with a load from Switzerland and if possible go and park in Folkestone at the old ferry terminal but when you’ve got quite a few hours left you can’t always justify stopping so early. The problem then becomes one of where the hell do you park? The South East has nowhere near enough parking for the trucks that are in situ at any one time and if like me, you’re not from the area and have always only passed through, you wont know of any out of the way spots or industrial estates and the like, combine that with the horrendous traffic experienced in that part of the country, any driver could easily find himself out of time well before he expected to do so and while VOSA would most likely overlook a neatly composed note on the back of a drivers tacho print out, their counterparts in France, Belgium or Spain would quite likely not, but rather issue a huge “court deposit” to be paid immediately and fought over in court at a later date.
The bottom line is that we’re all victims of the same problem, there isn’t enough parking available, especially in the south east where the demand would be at its very highest.
plus these foreign drivers are not used to not having parking facilities every 10 mile like they have abroad this country need a swift kick up the ■■■ and start treating us like the drivers they want us to be …
Saaamon:
Another thread bashing foreigners, becauce of course we havnt been here before have we…
Think you need to retread the obverse posts no one is knocking them they are stating facts the fines in Europe are huge that’s why they park up at the side of the motorway.
When this has been discussed on here before, various HATO contributors have siad they do move them on, but they no longer actually patrol the motorway looking for problems, but are sent to respond to incidents so can’t really stop to move a truck on. All to do with saving money, I should imagine the same goes for the few traffic police that are left.
I think we should just mind our own business & leave them the ■■■■ alone, personally I have more important things to worry about, don’t know about the rest of you…
There’s very little or no parking for inbound trucks at most UK ferry ports.
Which is pretty much like the rest of the UK really.
I don’t know why it’s not in the planning regs that if you build a trading estate or similar then you must provide sufficient suitable truck parking. The developer could always franchise out a catering/welfare/truckwashing facility and actually allow the thing to wash its face financially.
Maybe , just maybe, if Highways agency didn’t shut down the motorway for hours on end, because somebody has got a nose bleed in lane two or something, these drivers wouldn’t be cut short on their hours and wouldn’t be parked up on the hard shoulder, under a bridge etc. etc. having been stuck in said traffic.
These drivers will be more worried about explaining to the Gendarmes, Polizei, or Carribinierri, when they are next driving over the water, why they have over-run on their hours and then getting a heavy on the spot fine because of it, than just sitting there having a 45, because they couldn’t make the next services they were heading for.
And by the way it is not just “foreign” wagons that do this, I’ve seen many an English lorry doing exactly the same thing on the M25 , especially on the Hertfordshire/Essex section heading towards the Dartford crossing.
Rant overrrrrrrrrr
Pimpdaddy:
I think we should just mind our own business & leave them the [zb] alone, personally I have more important things to worry about, don’t know about the rest of you…
An interesting view from a driver this.
This issue is about the lack of parking facilities for truck drivers. All drivers, not just foreign drivers.
You’re not even interested?
It’s perfectly true that facilities abroad are far better for drivers. Here, the fact is the authorities don’t give a ■■■■.
If they put as much effort into providing drivers with quality places to park as they do into clamping down on drivers and pointless dcpc training we’d have the best driver facilities in Europe.
Free parking every 20 miles or so on the toll roads in France.
They call them aire de repos.Rest areas with loos.Parking is in a scenic area with picnic tables and a wood or forest walking route.Most are set behind the road and quiet places to rest.
Due to long distances holiday makers travel 600 miles or more a day to their second or third homes in the beaches of Southern France or the alps in the ski season.
The UK government shelved similar plans on the motorway network.
Think they do get moved on if they’re in the way, if out a bit they probly leave them to it.
As has been said they’re a bunch of crooks over & the fines are ridiculous so Johnny will take his chances. Most of them over here are pretty reasonable in my experience.
