Hi everybody. well ive never really done Spain only been once to the SOR factory but just wondering what the current situation is like there at the moment as i see theres a few guys on here who live down there. In current situation i just mean in terms of ive noticed a hell alot of the Spanish trucks are now on Romanian plates and most have Bulgarian and Romanian flags in the window so do they fill all the driving jobs like the Poles and Lithuanians here? I remember the Spanish use to have some of the smartest bits of kit around now most of them seem to be falling to bits and all smashed up. What do the Spanish drivers think of the current situation with all the romos?
I don’t live or work for a spanish company but imo the situation is still the same - spanish trucks are driven by short hairy tanned men, who don’t speak any language but their own, like to litter and pee on their truck and can’t drive worth a crap 
Amended. 
milodon:
very many english trucks are driven by short hairy tanned men, who don’t speak any language but their own, like to litter and pee on their truck and can’t drive worth a crap
and they’re not all foreign.
It’s no secret that the spanish economy is even more bolloxed than ours.
Three or four years ago, it was cheaper for us to go to Spain, in the winter season, to collect produce, than to pay the Spanish to bring it.
Nowadays, they are doing the same trip for not much more than diesel and ferry money and, as you rightly say, the trucks
are often falling apart.
Regards,
Nick
Portuguese firms use Brazillian drivers for the same language,Patinter in Mangualde use Ukrainian,and most Spanish firms use Peruvian,Columbian,Equadorian drivers,if they were all parked up in the same spot,they could get together and have a united nations singing contest,the winner gets a litre of vodka.
You are right,the motors are tatty,and not cared for,they have sratch marks,paint mark,any mark you can think of,knocking posts,and bags off rubbish hanging off the unit or trailer.
These guys must be in the cab all year,and get flown home at Christmas.
What are the house prices like down there in Spain,a million pound villa on the sea,now going for 600,000.
milodon:
I don’t live or work for a spanish company but imo the situation is still the same - spanish trucks are driven by short hairy tanned men, who don’t speak any language but their own, like to litter and pee on their truck and can’t drive worth a crap
And just how many languages do you speak Senor? Habla Espanol - I doubt it, if you are a Brit then you just might struggle to string a few English phrases togetherr, however given the tone of your post I doubt it.
With regard to the state of the motors I can’t remember the exact year but at some point in the mid to late 90s the Spanish haulage industry was in receipt of some fairly hefty EU subsidies.
The fleet changed almost overnight from dodge and pegaso to brand spanking Volvo and scanias pulling shiny new trailers. Once the subsidies ended it was back to business as usual grinding every last mile out of the kit.
I also suspect the state of the industry and the ever decreasing rates have made many soldier on with older kit rather than spend non existent money on updating.
Alternatively we could just blame it all on the eastern europeans. If you believe everything you read on here they seem to be the root cause of all our problems.
Cheers
Neilf
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Don’t know much about the Spanish haulage scene, although it seems like every other Spanish trailer I see is pulled by a unit from the east. What I do wonder, however, is how the Spaniards managed to obtain that derogation for the rocade at Bordeaux, the one that lets them run in the middle lane through the no overtaking zone while the rest of us are obligingly keeping to the right? Obviously got that derogation as a job lot along with the one that exempts them from speed limiters . . . 
~ Craig
Craig 111:
Don’t know much about the Spanish haulage scene, although it seems like every other Spanish trailer I see is pulled by a unit from the east. What I do wonder, however, is how the Spaniards managed to obtain that derogation for the rocade at Bordeaux, the one that lets them run in the middle lane through the no overtaking zone while the rest of us are obligingly keeping to the right? Obviously got that derogation as a job lot along with the one that exempts them from speed limiters . . .~ Craig
A good many Spanish trailers are pulled by the Portuguese at the moment - Primafrio (the old Paconsa) uses a lot of both Portuguese registered trucks and drivers, Las Maravillas use a lot of Romanian traction and drivers, the list is becoming endless. As for speed limiters you will find with the very rare exception that all Spanish trucks limiters work as the fines are astronomical if they dont. However… it would seem that a good many UK trucks are limited to 88km/h but seem to show 90km/h on the clock, why I dont know, whereas if a Spanish truck reads 90 then it will be doing 90.
Hombre:
milodon:
I don’t live or work for a spanish company but imo the situation is still the same - spanish trucks are driven by short hairy tanned men, who don’t speak any language but their own, like to litter and pee on their truck and can’t drive worth a crapAnd just how many languages do you speak Senor? Habla Espanol - I doubt it, if you are a Brit then you just might struggle to string a few English phrases togetherr, however given the tone of your post I doubt it.
My guess is that he is fluent in at least three
For all the problems in Spain, there seems to be a few good companies left. Eurocruz and Capitrans come to mind.
Ex Haulier:
For all the problems in Spain, there seems to be a few good companies left. Eurocruz and Capitrans come to mind.
Vigar, JL Pantoja, Argos, Belzunces, Andaluzca, Patxitrans, SJL, Arcotral, Marcotrans, the list goes on but without a doubt everyone is struggling with depressed rates and high fuel prices.
Last time I was in Hercal Overa, Belunces had about 45 almost new merc,s and fridges parked up, also Argos was the same it seems they are the same as everyone else park em up it,s cheaper than running at a lose.
sifta:
Last time I was in Hercal Overa, Belunces had about 45 almost new merc,s and fridges parked up, also Argos was the same it seems they are the same as everyone else park em up it,s cheaper than running at a lose.
Particularly at this time of year up until the early part of october you will see a lot of Spanish fridges parked up, particularly in the salad and citrus growing areas. The reason being most of the salad crops produced for northern europe have been harvested and delivered - also northern europes salad crops are now coming to the point of being ready, so there is no need to import from Spain.
A lot of the drivers work for about 9 months then get laid of for 3 months through the summer and go on the dole - not a bad idea as the dole money is OK for a short period and its too hot to work anyway.
The same thing happened with the Portuguese,i would only see old and worn out motors,painted in left over ship paint colours,looks like they were painted by a 5 year old,then over night,all new tractors and trailers,EU money to be paid back.
This idea that spanish companies were given grants to buy new trucks is a load of rubbish. What happened is that when they joined the EEC they got access to cheap loans. Historically, under Franco bank financing came at a rate of 10 to 15%. This fell to 2 or 3% in the early days of the common market. it’s the same thing, cheap money that drove the property boom.
Belzunces always strikes me as well run, on the ball company. Corredor is another.
Ex Haulier:
This idea that spanish companies were given grants to buy new trucks is a load of rubbish. What happened is that when they joined the EEC they got access to cheap loans. Historically, under Franco bank financing came at a rate of 10 to 15%. This fell to 2 or 3% in the early days of the common market. it’s the same thing, cheap money that drove the property boom.Belzunces always strikes me as well run, on the ball company. Corredor is another.
Thank the gods, someone who actually knows what really happened, in the words of Senor Meldrew, “I dont beleive it”.
Corredor are still around and still agood firm, like an most Spanish firms, others you may know are Transportes Caudette, Amarillo, CAMPILLO PALMERA, Transleón, Casintra, COTRANCO, PAÑALON, Tranyser, etc… etc…
Hombre:
Corredor are still around and still agood firm, like an most Spanish firms, others you may know are Transportes Caudette, Amarillo, CAMPILLO PALMERA, Transleón, Casintra, COTRANCO, PAÑALON, Tranyser, etc… etc…
Are Campillo still going? (dry frieght, black units) I used to take bits of groupage in their place on an industrial estate beside the motorway in Valencia, they had a very strange ‘multi story’ type place with a long ramp to get up to the upper level where I always delivered. Nice depot!!
Ross.
As far as I know they are, but Campillo Palmera are a different firm from Molina de Segura, Murcia - white trucks with red writing, been going since the mid fifties.
Caudette is the oldest firm I recall seeing round my area. Corridor is it now all on Romanian plates? what do the Spanish drivers think of the bulgarians and romanians?