Got the number off another driver said his mate worked for them about 10 years ago
said they employ English driver as they want the driver the run the fridges through Spain and France through the weekend as the Spanish don’t like to work the weekend this is why they employ English; so I have been told
Have called the number a couple of times now, seams a big company but can never get hold of the guy I need to speak to
Have googled them and can’t find there web site
Seams there are a few Spanish firms that employ English drivers but I only know the one
If they are now running as Primo Frio then you have no chance. I have seen several of their trucks on Polish plates so that tells everything. Mind you, just as recent as the last month, I have seen Palmero trailers but in different colours. Says Campillo Palmero on the side but a totally different colour scheme.
the flying foden:
most of the Spanish fridges you see now are 2 manned by Romanian or Bulgarian pilots
What he said was loading oranges in Valencia 2 weeks ago and there were 2 of their motors in there both piloted by Romanians,a husband and wife team in one of them.
TheBear:
If they are now running as Primo Frio then you have no chance. I have seen several of their trucks on Polish plates so that tells everything. Mind you, just as recent as the last month, I have seen Palmero trailers but in different colours. Says Campillo Palmero on the side but a totally different colour scheme.
Think i’ve saw trailers that are half campillo palmero and half heuvel trans.
Primo Frio were originally an outfit called Castellon and back in the day a well respected Spanish fridge haulier. Things started to go down hill in the late 90s when they started registering trucks in Portugal and doing the “2 for the price of 1” on the drivers.
I don’t know when the name change occurred but you still see plenty if Primo Frio trucks here in the UK although most seem to be registered in eastern europe and always double manned.
Campillo Palmera was a totally different outfit and yes, they did employ a few British drivers back in the late 90s. It was a good job at the time and I’ve spoken to plenty of Spanish and a few Brits who confirmed this.
I haven’t seen one of there trucks in the UK for ages and I don’t honestly know if they still exist but I would hazard a guess that if so, then as with a lot of Spanish companies the wages are set at a level where only our eastern European brothers could afford to work there.
I loved my time spent on fridge work out of Spain but in the 12 top years since I stopped the game has changed beyond all recognition and not for the better either.
Just as an indicator of how things have changed I spent Sunday evening working on the level crossing just outside the entrance to the port at Newhaven. This really screwed with the drivers both entering and exiting the port and I must have helped at least a dozen drivers find their way. Trucks were registered in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Germany. To a man all of the drivers were eastern European!.
and for the record, 99% of the Prima Frio fleet I’ve seen have been registered in portugal, driven by portuguese, not eastern europeans
In the last month, I have helped a few Portuguese registered trucks, which were actually driven by a RUSSIAN, and a couple of Brazilians, seems even the Porkers are too expensive for some fleets
BG traction along with RO, seems to be the way forward for a lot of Spanish fleets, from what I have seen this year, the PL mob are getting too expensive / wise
well it depends who you consider to be portuguese and who not, I’ve spoken to a couple of ukrainians (plenty of them and moldavians, haven’t seen a russian there tbh) driving portuguese trucks, and they’ve lived in portugal from the downfall of the ussr, 20+ years with family and real estate all in portugal, I’d say they’re portuguese drivers, not eastern european.
milodon:
well it depends who you consider to be portuguese and who not, I’ve spoken to a couple of ukrainians (plenty of them and moldavians, haven’t seen a russian there tbh) driving portuguese trucks, and they’ve lived in portugal from the downfall of the ussr, 20+ years with family and real estate all in portugal, I’d say they’re portuguese drivers, not eastern european.
My Ruskie was a Spartak Moscow fan, scarf across his screen, in his 40s, and, he did`nt under stand my limited Portuguese
His appearance did`nt put him in the Donald Trump league of land owners either …
and for the record, 99% of the Prima Frio fleet I’ve seen have been registered in portugal, driven by portuguese, not eastern europeans
OK so it looks like I had only half the name right and the other is a different company
Still not sure if they still employ English drivers and therefore do many runs into the UK
and for the record, 99% of the Prima Frio fleet I’ve seen have been registered in portugal, driven by portuguese, not eastern europeans
OK so it looks like I had only half the name right and the other is a different company
Still not sure if they still employ English drivers and therefore do many runs into the UK
Basically, If you want to stoop low enough, you may get a look in, they both come over here, but, you will be sharing with Igor, who will be a little light on the “engleeesh”
Stanley Mitchell:
Basically, If you want to stoop low enough, you may get a look in, they both come over here, but, you will be sharing with Igor, who will be a little light on the “engleeesh”
That’s not what Big Dave told me; he said Campello always run solo piloted
But it would seam not for Prima
mc thackeray:
That’s not what Big Dave told me; he said Campello always run solo piloted
But it would seam not for Prima
From your original post it seems like the info from your mate is about 10 years old, and unfortunately a lot has changed since. Spain is one of the European countries hardest hit by the recession, and wages are at rock bottom there, plus many of the big firms like Carrion now have their units based in Romania, so even local guys are finding it hard to make a living wage. Realistically your chances of finding a position running to the UK would be slim at best, unless you’re happy to earn a pittance to do so?
As for Prima Frio, the firm I work for uses them for our loads into Spain and Portugal, and from what I’ve seen all of their trucks are double manned, although I haven’t asked the drivers where they originate from.
How times change.
remember going to spain when I first started, mid 90’s.
no m50, just the 40, and the spaniards seem to have mainly pegasos, with a mix of old volvos, scanias and even erf’s for a while.
Then they started getting eu money, and boom new roads, and brand new trucks and trailers and all top of the range. Fast forward a few years and bang, it all goes ■■■■ up for the spaniards
The world economy implodes, the eu wants its money back and the spanish are in a right old mess. You used to see the Spanish trucks all over Europe, including the uk, but they appear to be a rare sight these days in comparison. Apart from this time of year.
I used to love running spain and back, it was cracking, but think they are really struggling these days, I’m sure I read somewhere that it now has the highest unemployment rate in europe?
The spanish trucks I do see these days are often double manned and was led to believe that alot of these were with eastern european drivers as more of these drivers prefer to work for italien and spanish companies than others.
prima frio used to be paconsa they used to be next door to campillo in Molina de segura Murcia when I went to see them in 2007 it was 600 euro a month as second driver
Chilistrucker, you were doing Spain the same time i was out in Euroland, i remember the only ring motorway around Madrid, the M30, now there are at least six more new ring roads, and toll roads.
I must have been the only driver to take Fred s advise to visit Madrid by train or bus, rather than sit in Fred s at Coslada from friday night to monday morning.
I once cycled to the city centre via the back roads, but it was not that safe.
The Spanish drivers had a foot long cigar driving Pegaso`s and the Troner trucks, they seemed happy as Larry,black smoke belching out of the exhaust.
You may recall the Las Carolinas mountain pass south of Bailen truck stop, to Granada,that was a dangerous road, it is now been modernised.
And the dreaded IP 5 in Portugal, from the border town Villar Formoso to Guarda, then go straight on to Porto or turn left to Coimbra to get to Lisbon.
New road there now.Porto to the Spanish border was a full days drive to do about 160 miles, fully freighted was a chore, brake fade to watch out for.
