Hi
I hope some of you folks can help a fellow driver. My boss has asked me would I consider doing the odd run from Belfast to England (stoke and Milton Keynes I think) to cover holidays. I normally just do local stuff as it suits better with family but I like a challenge and something new so I may do it in the future. My one big problem is I’ve never put an artic on a ferry before or experienced that travel as a lorry driver and I was just looking to see if there was any advice for me. It’s the belfast to cairnryan stena.
Thanks in advance
For a first ferry it doesn’t get any easier than the Cairnryan ferry 
Its a simple roll on - roll off so no reversing onto it! Just book in and follow the other trucks you will also get a free dinner which isn’t too bad on that route.
Just watch your speed on the A75 - The regulars will know it like the back backs of their hands and generally don’t hold back but there are plenty of plod. My advise for a first time is - take your time and if you get a queue behind you, pull into one of the many lay-by’s and let them passed
Good luck
my first time abroad as a paid driver (albeit in a luton sprinter) was to Palermo with about 2 1/2 hrs notice . for a while I wondered what the flip have I let myself in for here?? 
. turned out to be a brilliant time 
go for it and enjoy it !!
That was my first ferry too. It is really simple as said above. Roll up in the freight lane. Switch off engine so you can hear. 1st question is “are you sailing?” in case you don’t catch the accent! They then wander around the trailer with a dog and you get told a lane number to park in. Then you just drive straight on following the orange suit brigades instructions. Only tip here is watch your mirrors aren’t hitting adjacent trailers or other mirrors! You get given a card with two numbers at Cairnryan. One gets you into the freight drivers toilets /showers in the terminal. The other gets you into the truckers lounge on the ferry. The free food is extremely decent and there are also reclining chairs around the other side if you want a sleep. Fill up your plate first time as they tend to remove the serving spoons a bit too early!
The terminals are signposted very well. Watch out for a right turn saying “all ferry traffic” well before Stranraer. Then right at the end of that road and you roll right up to it. When you get to the village, 30 means 30 and there are lots of cops.
When returning in Belfast, there is one Stenna line sign after which they simply say “Docks”. When you get to the terminal entrance freight traffic does a fairly sharp U turn in the right hand lane, at this point don’t blindly follow the cars!
Final tip, when you arrive back in England, I recommend doing 40mph for the first chunk; pull over and let all the Norfolk line nutters pass you, then grin as you later pass them at the VOSA checkpoint!
Relax and enjoy this trip - it is the ideal first ferry trip!
What is the score with VOSA in uk are they much different to their colleagues in northern ireland??
Toddy5453:
What is the score with VOSA in uk are they much different to their colleagues in northern ireland??
If you are running Irish plates, they will pull you out. According to DieselDog, its like an Irish convensison at VOSA checkpoints.
New to the lorry scene haven’t got the test long. My first run was to England at night on the stena. Done the journey loads of times in a van it’s scary a bit at first but once you get moving its great you will def remember your first run
I will let you know how I get on and if any of you ever see me and I look lost please feel free to help 
Radar19:
Toddy5453:
What is the score with VOSA in uk are they much different to their colleagues in northern ireland??
If you are running Irish plates, they will pull you out. According to DieselDog, its like an Irish convensison at VOSA checkpoints.
I thanbkyou for that…saves me the bother of typing it…
bearing in mind that its the most un truckfriendly 100 miles of road in the known universe,and constantly under surveillance by plod,then if your not sure,pull in once your off the ferry and either crawl down to Carlisle,or if your feeling adventurous and can be doing at least 56,then tag onto the tail end of a pack of hooligans running fridges…or at least try and get into the middle of them… itl pay you mucho benefits if you have a cb on a.m as itl be very informative as to whether the weighbridges are open,and where the plodcars are.whatever it costs you,itl be less that the fine and the points…itl also make it easier for whoevers wanting past you to get by you without you loseing your mirrors or your elbow,as you can tell him when to go etc. if your tagging in a group,then itl be the norm to just overtake on the cb whether you can see or not…all standard practice,and good clean fun…don’t go for the boat too early or youl be parked in the outer bays and last off…if you want a kip,and can eat your grub in under 5 mins,then shovel it in,and dive back downstairs before they close the doors to the decks (or don’t go up in the first place and just hide)…then set your alarm for 1 hr 50 when you feel the thing dropping the clutch and youl wakeup just nice time.theres only one road in and out so you wont be getting lost…left for Glasgow,right for the rest of the world…the other poster is correct in saying you will most likely enjoy your 1st trip,especially if its during the hours of darkness…
dieseldog999:
Radar19:
Toddy5453:
What is the score with VOSA in uk are they much different to their colleagues in northern ireland??
If you are running Irish plates, they will pull you out. According to DieselDog, its like an Irish convensison at VOSA checkpoints.
I thanbkyou for that…saves me the bother of typing it…
bearing in mind that its the most un truckfriendly 100 miles of road in the known universe,and constantly under surveillance by plod,then if your not sure,pull in once your off the ferry and either crawl down to Carlisle,or if your feeling adventurous and can be doing at least 56,then tag onto the tail end of a pack of hooligans running fridges…or at least try and get into the middle of them… itl pay you mucho benefits if you have a cb on a.m as itl be very informative as to whether the weighbridges are open,and where the plodcars are.whatever it costs you,itl be less that the fine and the points…itl also make it easier for whoevers wanting past you to get by you without you loseing your mirrors or your elbow,as you can tell him when to go etc. if your tagging in a group,then itl be the norm to just overtake on the cb whether you can see or not…all standard practice,and good clean fun…don’t go for the boat too early or youl be parked in the outer bays and last off…if you want a kip,and can eat your grub in under 5 mins,then shovel it in,and dive back downstairs before they close the doors to the decks (or don’t go up in the first place and just hide)…then set your alarm for 1 hr 50 when you feel the thing dropping the clutch and youl wakeup just nice time.theres only one road in and out so you wont be getting lost…left for Glasgow,right for the rest of the world…the other poster is correct in saying you will most likely enjoy your 1st trip,especially if its during the hours of darkness…
Thanks for all this info. Where can I pick up a cb and aerial for right money and are they easy to install as I want to be able to take it out again when home. If I’m going anytime soon I’ll post on here maybe see some of you on the boat. Nice to put faces to names etc etc
cigarrete lighter plug…only 2 wires.dead simple,make sure its 12 volt…bring the cable in the sunroof .last one I bought was from the autoshop in Ballymena hey!!!..on the right just as your climbing the hill out of b/mena…use a magmount,and take it with you easy enough.the smallest most basic one on A.M will do fine,as you will only always be on ch 19 anyway.all the irish north and south are on a.m 19…
The UK DVSA check point is at Castle Kennedy, there is a back road to avoid the check point, if the trailer is too high for the low bridge, that is the diversion route.
From the M6 exit at Gretna Green to Dumfries, you may see unmarked police cars that will fine you for going over 40 mph on the s/c.
The Irish trucks will go flat out on the A75, and over take on blind summits and bends, in to on coming traffic.
They are boat catchers.
This is very interesting to know that CB radios are used here in the UK and Ireland. I thought only Eastern Europe use CB especially Polish truckers I know they use 20 something channel in the UK. I could hardly see extra aerials on local lorries. How useful is it in the south of England? Personally I could still get loads of info from Polish truckers as I speak the language. Just curious how does it look like with the local drivers it isnt very common is it?
Radar19:
Toddy5453:
What is the score with VOSA in uk are they much different to their colleagues in northern ireland??
If you are running Irish plates, they will pull you out. According to DieselDog, its like an Irish convensison at VOSA checkpoints.
This is not really true ,the vosa stop who they’re told to on the day,it may be vans& pick ups & 7.5 tonners ,or tippers ,ee ,or Irish ,or even just stop the next lorry if there’s a gap in the compound .
Blacov89:
This is very interesting to know that CB radios are used here in the UK and Ireland. I thought only Eastern Europe use CB especially Polish truckers I know they use 20 something channel in the UK. I could hardly see extra aerials on local lorries. How useful is it in the south of England? Personally I could still get loads of info from Polish truckers as I speak the language. Just curious how does it look like with the local drivers it isnt very common is it?
irish north and south are invariably on a.m…England uses fm…that’s basically it…
toby1234abc:
The Irish trucks will go flat out on the A75, and over take on blind summits and bends, in to on coming traffic.
They are boat catchers.
Yeah, the OP will probably find this bit the scariest about the whole thing! I’ve had one pass me and force myself and an oncoming ADR tanker to screech to a halt from 45 mph to let him past. I reckon they are either drunk, crazy, or quite philosophical about meeting their maker…
theres the nail on the head there if you were only doing 45 mph…theres lots out on trip money with timed deliverys,missing certain boats means a broken nights kip for a Cpl of hours with a knock on effect that has you chasing your tail.plus its assumed if your not keeping up,you make a point of letting the rear gunner past you…either that or someone in front will have been on the cb telling him to go for it…also if your not flatout from the boat and cant make at least lymm or sandbach in your 4 and 1/2 ,then you cant make the 2nd half in 4 and 1/2 either,so needs must unless your on the wire…if your plodding along,then watch your mirrors and let them past a.s.a.p…hence it saves any greif,and also easier if your on an a.m .cb .if your going to do 45,then you might as well be doing 65 as plod on that road will just do you the same way.if they cant entrap you for speeding,then its a murder enquiry with your cards,
I agree that there are plenty of places on that road that it safe to go faster. I also agree that letting them past asap is best thing to do and I do it. This was on the narrow twisty bit and 45 was quite fast enough 
I wouldn’t mind but 9 times out of 10 you end up on the same boat as the crowd that have burst a gut passing everything on the road. The only difference is they get to wait longer at Cairnryan!
your right enough there,…its sometimes less hectic if you know you’ve missed a specific boat,and can take it a bit easier,though you still want to make sure your doing it without taking a 45 somewhere…and then that plan goes out the window when a couple of hooligans fly past you and you just tag on the tail end when there shaking the bushes for you…