Does any member know of a co2 sensor that can be fitted inside trailer to detect clandestines at a reasonable cost.
What do members think of the idea of fitting such a device ■■ Do the work ?.
I would appreciate any advice as we are just about to start in europe
Do not bother and save your money.They have CO2 testers at the ports in France and it is free.
They also have heart beat monitors and sniffer dogs.
Thanx for your reply toby113abc but i understood it that if they found a clandestine during these searches then they would issue a fine. If i was kitted out with my own detector then i could avoid a fine.
Am I wrong in this assumption ?
You are wrong if the french find them you will be ok,but if you want to get plenty of desperate illeagles out on you own carry on.Park sensible and you wont have yyhis problem in the 1st place.
The only CO2 detector you will be able to buy is a fire/CO2 detector. The levels of CO2 from people breathing isn’t high enough to set one off.
It’s been some time since I shipped in via the Channel, but I think the system is essentially the same, it works like this.
You arrive at the dock area.
As you go into Calais docks you can choose to drive through a scanner or go to a booth where they will put heart beat monitors on your chassis. The heart beat monitor job takes at least 5 minutes per vehicle, the scanner takes less than 1. Stowaways can be ejected here.
You then drive to the booking-in booths.
Immediately after the booths there is an area where they will insert CO2 probes into your trailer. This is also optional. They will stamp and sign your CMR to show you have been CO2 checked. If you have a check sheet, they’ll sign and stamp that as well. Stowaways can be ejected here.
You then drive through towards the shipping lanes.
Before you get there you will go through the British Passport control.
From this point on, you are considered to be in Britain. If stowaways are discovered on your vehicle after this point, you are considered as having imported them to Britain and are liable for a fine of up to £2,000 per stowaway. In addition, your company can be fined as well.
You then drive to the shipping lanes, as directed at your booking-in.
Then onto the ship and Dover.
There is a form you (or your boss) can download on the UK Boarder Agency web site.
It’s a check list, to be completed every time you stop, after loading.
Completed check list sheets should be filed with all the other trip documentation, not binned.
You can then produce documentary evidence of ‘taking reasonable precautions’ to prevent stowaways getting to the UK in your vehicle.
These sheets can help in reducing your fines, on the occasion of finding stowaways on your vehicle in Britain, possibly to zero.
If possible ,most drivers plan the journey to Calais with no stops on the way.
About four hours away.Simon is spot on with that information.
The fire/co2 detectors are actually co detectors - monoxide, not dioxide!
Wouldn’t it be easier to put a camera in the trailer, with a screen in the cab, if you want to try something? Or maybe even a burglar alarm pir detector? There are spare conductors in the 24s cable, which a decent sparky could probably use, assuming you keep the same trailer / set of trailers. Link it to a magnetic contact on the rear doors and maybe a loop detector on the tir cord and you could possibly secure the trailer pretty well, and certainly know for sure if somebody had got in.
or if your really paranoid,try a baby monitor…best you just don’t stop anywhere within a 4 1/2 hour drive from Calais.
When you drive thru Calais port its curtainsiders go thru drive thru fridges tankers walking floors etc etc go in the sheds,i was told by border agency guy if you have the illegals in after passing british passport control you will not be fined.if you arrive in dover and have them in then that’s where you get fined,which brings the problem on the ferry of them jumping from one truck to another
Like someone said never park near Calais or if you do try and make it look like you are going the other way you wouldn’t believe the amount of curtain sides that still park at the transmarck or around that area and the ones that park in that layby near transmarck on the motorway is just stupid you can see the illegals waiting for a chance all around there.
The services between Lille and Dunkirk is a real bad place for them I noticed the layby just before hase been closed don’t know if this permanent.
At the ports of Calais and Dunkirk the security checks are carried out by a private security company (French) the heartbeat monitor is the sheds isn’t even used some of the time, and isn’t reliable either, or the muppets who operate it haven’t a clue or aren’t interested , the next check is UKBA passport control, and finally the check with the dog in the lanes, if the dog detects them you get fined as ukba claim that you have entered GB 
rarely UKBA will select you for an xray scan at dover
a similar situation applies a the euro-tunnel in France they too have both ukba and private security x ray scanners /sheds and once you have passed the passport control and illegals are found you get fined
I have parked at transmarck recently without issues,(I don’t recomend it though unless you are empty or have a load that is easily checked , pidou is probably the worst place to park, or stop to buy beer etc, unless you are on yer way out of course , then you just take them as far inland as poss 
talking of the pick nick/lay by and cottaging areas being closed many along the A26 and A1 are closed too