And yes I know they drive on the right thanks. I’ve done plenty of cross channel so I’m not a newb. As far as I know I’ll be using the Dover-Calais ferry. Then the big 3. France Spain and Italy. So any pearls of wisdom on essential kit and of course non essential, muchly appreciated.
a parked campervan with a lady,a candle and a poodle on the front seat is not parked up for the camping…everything else is a doddle.
Have a look online at some of the roundabout road systems used in Belgium, Netherlands and Germany as they can appear daunting especially if you’re not expecting it or come across one late at night. A commonly used one forks from single lane into two, with a straight over and left turn, straight across and right turn etc these may have pedestrian crossings and even traffic lights also and they don’t give you much room at all to get around them (bollards, raised high curbs etc) And they tend to have a bad habit of being allergic to their indicators on the continent, so just get it into your head to check left, ahead and left again on approach. Also I got caught out a few times at junctions and traffic lights when first driving abroad with my positioning when at a standstill, making it impossible or dangerously hard for myself to see anything. It’s easy to get in a panic if you’re trying to find somewhere or get distracted and you go into autopilot and cause yourself more grief than needed. Finally don’t get fooled into going flat out with everyone else, if it says 80km/h or 60km/h with no trucks over taking between 7am-7pm, stick to it as I’ve seen many times mr.copper stopping all the UK and Irish trucks and turn a blind eye to anything else (German and Belgian police notorious for this)
As for basic kit , i would add to keep it simple , nothing worse when the truck breaks down , then it is left in the garage , then hauling it all back as a foot passenger on the ferry home .
If you are planning to cook in the cab , a camping shop gas cooker is ideal for making a hot drink or cook up some food , this would be handy if caught in strike or dispute when parked up on the motorway unable to get passed .
Most motorway service stations in France, Spain and Italy have discounts for commercial drivers , just ask at the till for a form to fill in , you will then get given a temporary discount card until the new one arrives at your home address , for meals ,drivers get 10 % to 20 % off the food.
MSA food abroad is top quality , with numerous starters, mains , cheeses , pudding and a jug of wine or bottle of beer included in the meal price.
Ideally a TOG factor duvet , one for the winter and one for the summer , a thick one for the winter , this is when the night heater packs up , a light one for the summer months .
When parked at the MSA , there is always a steel gate , this is for staff to enter and leave the site , but the general public can also use the perimeter gate , you would be amazed what is a few miles away from the MSA if you had an evening walk or took a push bike to explore the local villages , i have been weekended at a MSA and biked to a river or waterfall in the summer or found medieval castles and chateaux `s .
If having a 24 or 45 hour weekly rest , do not be afraid to leave the toll motorways and find a decent parking place , such as a leisure centre for a swim , and off course for France , the Routier network of restaurants , five to six course meals at a set price , allow 2 hours for lunch and 3 for evening dinner , the tradition in France is to shake the owners hand , have a pre~meal aperitif to aid digestion , then after the meal a digestive drink such as a Calvados or Brandy .
In Italy , there are not many truck stops , very limited , especially in the rural areas , if there are tavernas or restaurants , they have odd closing times . If you use Brescia truck stop , they have a big gym , motel with drivers discount , car hire to explore the lakes .
Most supermarkets have room and allow trucks to park , the big ones have very good restaurants .If you are planning to take ADR loads , that is another thread that i can help out with .
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Check on driving ban times. Unless exempted, no Sunday running. Some bans around Paris Monday morning and Fri eve etc. Bans because of ski holiday traffic this time of year around Alp routes.
If going with an established outfit your paperwork should be OK.
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Enjoy yourself.[emoji3]
.Edit to add.
In Spain need Province as well as country to book on/off on tacho.
Can’t really add much to the above, just one thing regarding speed limits :
Motorways 90
Dual Carriageways 80 (not like the UK)
Single carriageways 80
Towns, as soon as you pass the town name is 50 *** even if the sign says 70 *** trucks must NOT go above 50 
Certain towns will reduce it to 30 in the centre or near schools
you wouldn’t want to go above the 30 when you see the speed humps they’ve installed 
The above limits are the normal limit for each of the above roads, but they can be reduced,
like on bends or dangerous junctions on Nationals/Departmentals, even on motorways, so keep your eyes open.
Certain motorways and D/C’s will have reduced speed limits for snow, ice and fog conditions, down to 50
especially in the north east, so if you’re using Calais, be aware.
There are signs on the roadsides to let you know, they will say
“Par temps de Brouillard et Verglas vitesse limité a 50 kph”
Just to help when looking for somewhere to eat, park, filling up, download the app “TRUCKFLY”,
you’ll be amazed at the info you can get on it.
If you don’t want to park on a MSA have a look on it, you’ll find
there will be a routier restaurant somewhere near a motorway exit.
For France and Spain , not too sure about other countries , but you need to wear a hi-vis when stood by the side of the road ,for example when broken down or stopping for a pee , i knew a lad that got fined for no hi-vis when he stopped for a leak .
Headlights on in the daytime in Italy , the road signs do not make any sense in the rural areas of Italy , two or three signs that contradict each other .
If your boss allows it , take some battery jump start leads , it can save an expensive call out , but leave all the cab electrics on , such as wipers , and lights , when you are being jumped , to save an electrical surge , that may burn out the engine CPU or the tacho machine .
Before shipping out , shop at Lidl or Aldi , plenty of canned food to cook up , such as soups , rice pudding , canned meats , boiled potatoes , or add some noodles .
When in Spain , the more lorries you see parked up , the better the food will be in that establishment , drivers have the menu de diario , or menu of the day , once again a fixed priced meal . You are allowed to park in Spanish hotels for a coffee , meal or over night for free .
If you see a sign that is flashing on a building ,with the word " Club" , it is a gentleman`s establishment which in some places have about 100 scantily dressed ladies of all shapes and sizes and all types of nationalities , it is ok just to buy a drink and view the eye candy , but the rule is , if you sit by one , or talk to one of them , you buy her a drink , so a beer or Cola could be a few quid or more for her , but cheaper if you are just having a drink on your own .
If taking ADR , most countries have an ADR ban time that is different to a general haulage ban , there will be timed restrictions on tunnels and certain roads or motorways , which means being parked up earlier than everyone else .
If using the Frejus tunnel to get to Italy , this is the only tunnel that takes ADR , you stop about 20 miles before the tunnel in France and check in with the Pompiers or fire brigade to check your load and ADR kit .
Love the Club advice Toby, I always thought they were gambling clubs, doh!
If you pay for a drink or a lady in the " Club " , with your bank card , when you get home and read the bank statement , the bill may come up as Miguel`s pneumaticos S.L or Miguels tyre services ltd , that is very handy in case your other half opens the letters .
I must admit when i first went to Spain , i thought they were all night discos and must be popular as all the cars parked up outside including the local Guardia Civil .
If you are good looking like myself , it was easy to get their mobile phone number and meet up with her on a day off , i went out with a Colombian lass , and took her from Southern Spain to Lisbon to see the Expo , she kipped in my wagon , and i flew to Spain many times to stay at her mates flat .
short walk:
Love the Club advice Toby, I always thought they were gambling clubs, doh!
Yes in France I learned that nightclub and discotech werent just the same thing
nowadays if you are glrmless/gullible/naieve/daft/retarded.( use whatever words best fits) to flash your credit card in a " club ",then apart from miguels pnumatics,you may also find that its been cloned and cleaned you out…as and when that happens,then your option is to go back and query it…your next option will to be cornflakes,or porridge for your breakfast once you come out of intensive care and wake up in a hospital.
dieseldog999:
nowadays if you are glrmless/gullible/naieve/daft/retarded.( use whatever words best fits) to flash your credit card in a " club ",then apart from miguels pnumatics,you may also find that its been cloned and cleaned you out…as and when that happens,then your option is to go back and query it…your next option will to be cornflakes,or porridge for your breakfast once you come out of intensive care and wake up in a hospital.
How right you are on that one. Never ever take your own plastic near any of these places.
I’ve seen fellas wondering the next day from the receipts if they must have bought champagne for the whole province instead of just a few beers for the two birds they were sat with or even worse.
First trip to Spain I couldn’t figure out why these “Clubs”as I thought were always out in the boonies and clearly open so early in the evening with their cute neon signs.
Come 11 pm I pulled in to what I thought was the local nightclub and oh well…an innocent enough mistake for a newbie 
…And no matter how many I checked out they were all the same 
Hurryup&wait:
dieseldog999:
nowadays if you are glrmless/gullible/naieve/daft/retarded.( use whatever words best fits) to flash your credit card in a " club ",then apart from miguels pnumatics,you may also find that its been cloned and cleaned you out…as and when that happens,then your option is to go back and query it…your next option will to be cornflakes,or porridge for your breakfast once you come out of intensive care and wake up in a hospital.How right you are on that one. Never ever take your own plastic near any of these places.
I’ve seen fellas wondering the next day from the receipts if they must have bought champagne for the whole province instead of just a few beers for the two birds they were sat with or even worse.
First trip to Spain I couldn’t figure out why these “Clubs”as I thought were always out in the boonies and clearly open so early in the evening with their cute neon signs.
Come 11 pm I pulled in to what I thought was the local nightclub and oh well…an innocent enough mistake for a newbie
Made the mistake of taking the ex wife with me on a trip to Germany and Czech she wanted to know why on the road from Dresden to Prague in all the kiosks next to the Scnhell Imbis’s all the workers were female and only wearing their underwear despite it being March.