Foreign lorry drivers

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Any decent UK Fleet operator has to confirm with stringent rules - I worked for a construction company, and our fleet had to be A1, from 8 wheel tippers, down to Transits and trailers - the penalties were high - e.g. loss of operators licence.
 

Bad Company

Very Old Person
Location
East Anglia
I also have some sympathy for the driver. He probably earns very little and comes from a country where driving on tyres like that is accepted.:hyper:
 

sleekitcollie

Well-Known Member
Fnaar said:
I once saw (in Morocco) a thriving garage 'industry' in one particular town (Meknes, I think) of re-treading worn tyres using hot needles to scratch a new pattern into the rubber! :hyper:
thats a regular practice in the uk as well , drive axle and trailer tyres
 
My sister is an accountant for one of the larger haulage firms in the UK and while the lorries are maintained by a fine bunch of lads from Suffolk some of the foreign drivers they employ are a terror on the road. I'm not looking forward to cycling past the depot when I go visit my parents over Easter. Some of the tales I hear of drivers turning up pissed for work and the like would make your toenails curl.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
4F said:
To be fair if he demanded his passport back then I would give it to him however as we have just loaded him he won't be getting his TIR carnet completed or any other documents until he has done something about it.
The consignee booked the truck and they have been informed as well and I know they are not happy with the haulier either.

I have just got in and so far nothing has been done so he has got 90 mins left before I make a call.

So please update us. Has he been arrested and his truck impounded?
 
I do quite a bit of driving down the M20 and M2. Eastern European trucks terrrify me. Not only am I aware of how badly maintained they are (a recent report on a VOSA check told of one truck that had no brakes on one side - the hydraulic line had failed and had been blocked off), but the standard of driving is usually fricking terrible - the last-minute, unsignalled, unchecked overtake is a favourite manouevre. I will only overtake the trucks if I can do it in the fast lane, and I flash headlights and signal - anything to get the buggers to see me. It actually makes me angry - bad enough that UK drivers and firms are priced out of the market, but with such blatant disregard for other peoples' safety as well.
 

Brains

Legendary Member
Location
Greenwich
So 4F - What has happened ?

Re the removal of the guys passport, have a quick read of the inside of your own passport. Almost no one has the authority to hold onto a anyones passport. However I'm sure you were completly within your rights to hold onto all his other paperwork
 
OP
OP
4F

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
Update

His boss tried to be clever and said to unload the cargo and the driver would leave. I said fine but if I did that I would call VOSA before we started to unload so he should stop trying to be being a smart arse.

ATS have since been out and replaced 5 tyres :smile:
 

chap

Veteran
Location
London, GB
4F said:
Got a Lithuanian driver here at the moment who is none to pleased that I have taken his documents (including his passport :wacko:) from him and refusing to hand them back until he sorts out his tyres. He cannot see what the problem is :smile: These are the worst 2 !

A deathtrap waiting to happen

I have given him until 10 tomorrow morning to get a tyre company here and sort them out or I am calling the fuzz.


Before we start patting ourselves on the back and tut-tutting Johnny-Foreigner, let us remember how appallingly bad our own drivers are. I'd say they're just as bad, and in many instances probably worse, with exception of some from the East Block and those from the Mediterranean countries e.g. Italy.
 
OP
OP
4F

4F

Active member of Helmets Are Sh*t Lobby
Location
Suffolk.
chap said:
Before we start patting ourselves on the back and tut-tutting Johnny-Foreigner, let us remember how appallingly bad our own drivers are. I'd say they're just as bad, and in many instances probably worse, with exception of some from the East Block and those from the Mediterranean countries e.g. Italy.

Err this was the Eastern Block. This is no 5 I have stopped so far this year (all Lithuanian) compared to 0 every other country which includes British, Dutch, German, Polish and Danish.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
4F said:
Update

His boss tried to be clever and said to unload the cargo and the driver would leave. I said fine but if I did that I would call VOSA before we started to unload so he should stop trying to be being a smart arse.

ATS have since been out and replaced 5 tyres :biggrin:

Result! ;)

Is Heaven missing an :laugh: ?
 
Top Bottom