So im a new trucker, and i was wondering if i get caught with a immigrant in my truck i get 2,000 pounds fine per person, do i get any points?
If i do my checks correctly and someone gets in do i get a fine or not? im new btw
It’s a question you would have been better asking in the big pool. I’ve never been over the water, but it’s my understanding that the fine is at discretion. Do your checks, but you can’t go over it with a fine tooth comb can you? It may be sealed, they may ■■■■■ your curtain as your driving or latch on in some other way.
Ask switchlogic, he has been in that game for ages.
Don’t think there are any points, so as long as you’re charging migrants over £2k then you’re in profit. Of course, if you don’t get caught…
2 of my drivers brought 18 in, coming up to 3,years ago. No fine for either drivers or the company. Trailer locked, sealed, checklist filled in, drivers would have been polite to the police. Just check, double check and check again.
As above.
Its about having systems in place to do your best to avoid bringing them in.
Have your checklist in place, fill it in. Check and be vigilant.
Have nothing in place, get caught with some in the back, its a lot harder to argue your case.
You can also be “border force accredited”. I think thats what they call it.
As Albion and Jim have said, take reasonable precautions, and you’ll be OK.
Don’t stop anywhere near the port. Need a night out before crossing? Take it 4 hours away if you can.
Don’t speed or drive dangerously to avoid clandestines. You will be fined for bad driving.
Suspect you’ve stowaways? Tell the authorities, don’t hook them out yourself. No fine for being a victim of having your secured trailer broken into.
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No one is trying to escape the UK to Calais, not illegals anyway
Wheel Nut:
No one is trying to escape the UK to Calais, not illegals anyway
Had an ex-college of mine many years ago had 5 illegals going from Dover to Calais.
No idea why though. They slashed his curtain the moment he was out the port.
As everyone has said, use the checklist and fill it out for every stop on the journey back to Calais from wherever you’ve loaded.
Make a note of your seal number on your checklist as well. I thought we had a link to a .pdf checklist, but I can’t see it now.
Basically, it’s got spaces for your name, vehicle reg, trailer number, seal number; date, time, location of loading; date, time, location of check, etc.
(You were supposed to fill one form out for every check, I used one form per trip with a list of check places, dates, times and then ticked each check item several times.)
The rest of the sheet was a list of places on the vehicle to be checked, with a check box.
The unit:- under the chassis, inside your roof spoiler, inside your lockers ( 
), on your bunk(s) ( ), any other spaces where someone could conceivably hide.
The trailer:- under the chassis, on top of the axles, inside pallet carriers, on the roof ( 
), any visible damage to curtains, or TIR cord, or seal, any visible signs of some other way of getting into your trailer, any other ways someone could possibly hide themselves on your trailer.
Each trips check sheets should also be retained with any other paperwork appertaining to that trip. You can then show that you have always done your checks, you didn’t just knock one up for this one trip where you got caught with illegals on board.
It wasn’t written in stone that you would be fined for stowaways, only that you could be. Sometimes you’d “get away with it”, sometimes you wouldn’t.
I remember a letter in the Transport News paper, many years ago. A driver was in shock because he’d been fined for stowaways found on his trailer. The reason he was in shock was that he’d “got away with it” on three previous occasions and expected to carry on “getting away with it” 
Stowaways are not a road traffic offence, so there are no points on your licence for being caught with them on, just the possible fine. Up to £3,000 per head I think it is now.
If you are really suspicious that you’ve got stowaways on board, despite being vigilant, despite the Calais dock checks saying you’re clear, INSIST on them carrying out a Mk1 Eyeball check of your trailer, BEFORE you get to British Passport control. Once you reach that point, they’ll say you have entered the UK and have therefore carried illegals into the UK.
Despite that, if the illegals decide to just walk away, British Customs don’t have any authority to detain them because they’re on French soil. Work that one out, if you can.
Geoffo:
Wheel Nut:
No one is trying to escape the UK to Calais, not illegals anywayHad an ex-college of mine many years ago had 5 illegals going from Dover to Calais.
No idea why though. They slashed his curtain the moment he was out the port.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
that was the ones that made it to ireland and were smuggling themselves home again… 
Simon:
As everyone has said, use the checklist and fill it out for every stop on the journey back to Calais from wherever you’ve loaded.
Make a note of your seal number on your checklist as well. I thought we had a link to a .pdf checklist, but I can’t see it now.
Basically, it’s got spaces for your name, vehicle reg, trailer number, seal number; date, time, location of loading; date, time, location of check, etc.
(You were supposed to fill one form out for every check, I used one form per trip with a list of check places, dates, times and then ticked each check item several times.)
The rest of the sheet was a list of places on the vehicle to be checked, with a check box.
The unit:- under the chassis, inside your roof spoiler, inside your lockers (
The trailer:- under the chassis, on top of the axles, inside pallet carriers, on the roof (
Each trips check sheets should also be retained with any other paperwork appertaining to that trip. You can then show that you have always done your checks, you didn’t just knock one up for this one trip where you got caught with illegals on board.It wasn’t written in stone that you would be fined for stowaways, only that you could be. Sometimes you’d “get away with it”, sometimes you wouldn’t.
I remember a letter in the Transport News paper, many years ago. A driver was in shock because he’d been fined for stowaways found on his trailer. The reason he was in shock was that he’d “got away with it” on three previous occasions and expected to carry on “getting away with it”Stowaways are not a road traffic offence, so there are no points on your licence for being caught with them on, just the possible fine. Up to £3,000 per head I think it is now.
If you are really suspicious that you’ve got stowaways on board, despite being vigilant, despite the Calais dock checks saying you’re clear, INSIST on them carrying out a Mk1 Eyeball check of your trailer, BEFORE you get to British Passport control. Once you reach that point, they’ll say you have entered the UK and have therefore carried illegals into the UK.
Despite that, if the illegals decide to just walk away, British Customs don’t have any authority to detain them because they’re on French soil. Work that one out, if you can.
That’s basically it in a nut shell. I posted the adapted PDF about 10 years ago. It was French/English stolen from a Transalliance memo
One of ours had some get in 700Km from Calais!
Radar19:
One of ours had some get in 700Km from Calais!
These incidents are more common nkw. The German Police and Federal Police/Bundespolizei attending more calls around the Belgian/German border and around the region of Aachen in the last weeks.
Traffickers get into the trailer, thinking this truck goes to Calais etc. But the truck heads the other was and later in the day they’re found in Germany, shouting for help.
It’s never happened to me, I do my checks and fill in the paperwork etc but it’s happened to colleagues of mine and my old firm started to get a bit of heat from the Home Office who wanted to see any records of training any driver was given and so on. That worked in the end and nobody was fined.
I am surprised at how many trailer doors are not secured. As a rule i always used the tir cord…then at the doors i padlocked the ends together…then padlocked them to the trailer, in addition i also padlocked each door. if stopped i had a good reason if they found any on board, as i had used all the security at my discretion…i cant do anything about cut curtains, or if they got in through the roof…but at least i did my best. Al;so use the official checks at the port if you suspect anything untowards.
Tipperdipper1:
Radar19:
One of ours had some get in 700Km from Calais!These incidents are more common nkw. The German Police and Federal Police/Bundespolizei attending more calls around the Belgian/German border and around the region of Aachen in the last weeks.
Traffickers get into the trailer, thinking this truck goes to Calais etc. But the truck heads the other was and later in the day they’re found in Germany, shouting for help.
I’ve been parking just past the G/B border at the total garage at exit 38 for a few years now without any problems but the immigrants have been spotted around the area for a few weeks now.
I’m an English driver in a Czech lorry.
Come on Watford fc !!!