I pulled into donington srvs this morning for a 45 break , the poor foreign driver was trying to tape up his curtain after it looked like the mad slasher had attacked it , there was slashes everywhere , I gave him my 2 rolls of gaffa tape to help the poor sod out .
Times like that , coppers knocking on the door at 3 am to inform you your curtains had been slashed , the idiot doing the incident report asking you who’s fault did you think it that you think thank god I’m a day shift driver .
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I met a foreign lad who was in tears Dozy, he camped over night outside a warehouse, the whole side of the curtain was torn open wide, he didn’t hear anything.
That’s why many drivers prefer container work as you can park where you want with a Bulldog door lock on the back, to cut through the steel side would definitely attract attention and the noise would wake the driver.
I got robbed in Spain, half a load of shoes gone for Next, I went to the Guardia Civil station the next morning and they pulled out a huge file full of photos of trailers that got robbed in the fuel station where I was.
TV’s stolen and anything high value.
For the UK, criminals love nicking Pampers for babies as it’s light to move and easy to sell on at car boot sales or online.
Years ago at truck stops and restaurants abroad there would be a night watch man with a big guard dog with an evil temper, no robberies at these establishments and a good nights sleep.
I wonder how much he was rippped off there to park in the first place.
They charge extortionate rates for basically providing f.all in terms of security, and crap Burger King type food as an 'added bonus .
I avoud them like herpes.
That’s why I moved in to containers and don’t run to the wire ,
If I have to start early from the yard instead of parking at Chieveley I will
I do use 2 good bookable midlands truck stops
Bransons cross Redditch and Lutterworth truck stop , will also use Chippenham if going to Wales
The SNAP account is so handy.
I parked overnight on one of the services on the M1, the container parked next to me got robbed, I didn’t but had a few peep holes in the trailer,
I had a full load of Cadbury’s chocolate and nothing taken.
The box driver was insinuating that I had something to do with his theft.
We both heard nothing overnight.
Lots of services seem to be putting up fences , but without manned barriers for the entry / exit , same for pedestrian exit I’d of though it’s a waste of time ( donnington had no fences I could see )
I went to
A depot the other week where they had a memo saying No driver should stop at ferry ridge services due to security issues , anyone found to have parked there will have disciplinary action taken against them .
But no suggestion where there now meant to park .
I drove to dozens of different countries, many of them outside the EU and the only times I had my trailers slashed or otherwise broken into for theft was in England - several times. Law enforcement has gone to the dogs here.
I would just add that I used to get the trailers broken into in Morocco but that was for a different reason: 'cos they wanted a ride to Spain but that’s another story.
Ferry bridge has been bad for years. Never stopped overnight for that reason. Eggborough truckstop used to ok. Bit muddy or dusty but my diesel was still there in the morning 
I had my diesel nicked at a lay-by outside Oxford services, all three lorries there got done too, when I woke up in the daylight there was a travellers site over the embankment which I didn’t see when parking up.
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I got done in layby 6 miles south of Oxford services. The layby on the Northbound carriageway. I found out later that the travellers had a few 45 gallon drums buried in the field and the pull the derv straight into them so if they get pulled in the van, 10 minutes later, they’ve got no derv on them. Never park near Oxford now.
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The industrial est opp was where I was woken by about 4 scrotes around my truck…around 20+ yrs ago.
I had driven to the end not realising it was a dead end at end of road, so basically I wasnt able to do a runner.
I rang the Old Bill, and a patrol car just happened to be in the area, and was on the scene in minutes…top marks to the coppers that night, and the ■■■■ s took off.
Got the copper to sign my card, he watched me reverse back between the rows of parked trucks behind me, and I spent rest of night on Ferrybridge MSA…one eye open expecting them to come back.
I had (admittedlly stupidly) parked there with a load of Nike trainers on…so maybe asked for it on reflection.
But I liked the pub on the railway crossing at the time.
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That’s the same what happened where I was , I saw the big drums in their field.