What would the route be. Across Russia?
The scourge of Europe and I mean ALL Europe. Is the 3.5t Polish curtainsiders with sleeper pods. I have seen literally dozens in nearly all services areas in France/Germany/Belgium /Holland etc. All Renaults too, waiting for the 40 feet wagons to trans-ship the pallets and off they pop. Something very,very wrong there.And yes Orys…They are Polish. 
bigvern1:
The scourge of Europe and I mean ALL Europe. Is the 3.5t Polish curtainsiders with sleeper pods. I have seen literally dozens in nearly all services areas in France/Germany/Belgium /Holland etc. All Renaults too, waiting for the 40 feet wagons to trans-ship the pallets and off they pop. Something very,very wrong there.And yes Orys…They are Polish.
Autoport at Turin used to be full of them
I mean they are in groups at a time. All exactly the same vans. Plain white with grey curtains. Someone must be coining it at someone else’s expense.
oops
bigvern1:
The scourge of Europe and I mean ALL Europe. Is the 3.5t Polish curtainsiders with sleeper pods. I have seen literally dozens in nearly all services areas in France/Germany/Belgium /Holland etc. All Renaults too, waiting for the 40 feet wagons to trans-ship the pallets and off they pop. Something very,very wrong there.And yes Orys…They are Polish.
I’m struggling to see what could possibly be wrong with that? If they’ve spotted a way of making money using 3.5t vans then what is wrong with that? Or are you implying they are doing something illegal? If so do you not think they would have be done for it by now if they’re doing it so blatantly?
Paul
Personally I think that is a great idea.
I’d have to sit down and work out how, say, 25 1.5 ton vans running around with say 4 pallets each off 1 lorry can be more cost effective than one lorry load to, say,half a dozen drops…or something to that effect.
Am I missing something? Since when has transhipping been illegal or immoral?
As a van haulier I’d love to be in cahoots with a lorry firm dropping a load off for me at Dover that thay can’t be bothered delivering.
repton:
bigvern1:
The scourge of Europe and I mean ALL Europe. Is the 3.5t Polish curtainsiders with sleeper pods. I have seen literally dozens in nearly all services areas in France/Germany/Belgium /Holland etc. All Renaults too, waiting for the 40 feet wagons to trans-ship the pallets and off they pop. Something very,very wrong there.And yes Orys…They are Polish.I’m struggling to see what could possibly be wrong with that? If they’ve spotted a way of making money using 3.5t vans then what is wrong with that? Or are you implying they are doing something illegal? If so do you not think they would have be done for it by now if they’re doing it so blatantly?
Paul
No…I wasn’t implying anywhere that it was illegal. Maybe someone’s paying for dedicated freight and this stuff is going groupage.
Merely an observation. 
Many years ago I worked for a very famous foreign haulier ( no names, no packdrill 
).
One time (In '97.) I was shipping from Calais to Dover with 2 coleagues who were pulling fuel tankers with diesel.
One was destined for a depot In Aylesbury, the other for Manchester…
I’m pretty sure It wasn’t legal back then, but these guy’s were French & were just following Instructions…
Surely, if the fuel that the firm was bringing in to tranship to their trucks over here had paid the fuel duty on it in the E.U.country of origin and they weren’t selling it to a third party over here then they aren’t breaking any laws, as far as I can see.
I think it’s brilliant idea and one in the eye for the rip-off duty that we’re forced to pay.
pierrot 14:
Been there done it, with the diesel transfer business, been going on for ages.
Some time ago I worked for a tiny British firm near Maidstone, we used to fill up our tanks in Belgium on our way home and as soon as we got to the yard, the tanks were emptied into big plastic reservoirs, leaving enough for our next outward journey.
The fuel ■■?
Pumped into the tanks of the motors doing UK work.
Totally illegal, but hey, if it keeps a small haulier from going bust, what the heck.
As a kid about 10-11 in the late 90’s i had a job washing a couple of lorrys for an owner driver, another one of my duties was to pump by hand the derv from the lorry that had just got back from aboard into the other truck.
jayseabea:
Surely, if the fuel that the firm was bringing in to tranship to their trucks over here had paid the fuel duty on it in the E.U.country of origin and they weren’t selling it to a third party over here then they aren’t breaking any laws, as far as I can see.
I think it’s brilliant idea and one in the eye for the rip-off duty that we’re forced to pay.
Defo. not for a Third party. These guy’s only delivered to the companies own depots which I asumed at the time was the depots only In France…
95% of ALL hauliers in Northern Ireland cross the border with the South every week to fill up with cheaper diesel 
Even Tesco NI used to do it hence the reason why the Volvo FM400’s have twin 500l tanks. 
jayseabea:
Surely, if the fuel that the firm was bringing in to tranship to their trucks over here had paid the fuel duty on it in the E.U.country of origin and they weren’t selling it to a third party over here then they aren’t breaking any laws, as far as I can see.
I think it’s brilliant idea and one in the eye for the rip-off duty that we’re forced to pay.
I asked UK HMRC about this ages ago.
They said anything over 1530 litres OR that wasn’t carried in the standard approved running tanks on the vehicle would be charged UK duty on import, and they would issue paperwork to allow reclaimation of duty paid abroad on the fuel.
And none of the ferry companies would allow a loaded diesel tanker on board.
So, that was the end of that good idea.
GasGas:
jayseabea:
Surely, if the fuel that the firm was bringing in to tranship to their trucks over here had paid the fuel duty on it in the E.U.country of origin and they weren’t selling it to a third party over here then they aren’t breaking any laws, as far as I can see.
I think it’s brilliant idea and one in the eye for the rip-off duty that we’re forced to pay.I asked UK HMRC about this ages ago.
They said anything over 1530 litres OR that wasn’t carried in the standard approved running tanks on the vehicle would be charged UK duty on import, and they would issue paperwork to allow reclaimation of duty paid abroad on the fuel.
And none of the ferry companies would allow a loaded diesel tanker on board.
So, that was the end of that good idea.
so if they are making there drivers drive illegally do you think they would worry about the legalities of declaring a tanker of fuel to hrmc or the ferry company.
GasGas:
And none of the ferry companies would allow a loaded diesel tanker on board.
But they sometimes do if its a stainless tank and says MILK on it 
GasGas:
And none of the ferry companies would allow a loaded diesel tanker on board.
I see a fuel tanker on a ferry most weeks - he gets on the Larne to Cairnryan ferry once a week with a load of diesel for the Ulsterbus ( Translink ) depot in Stranraer . Special dye added to the fuel so it can be traced if the drivers decide to fill the car instead of the bus
zippo:
‘…Vosa … are the only ones doing anything about the free for all that is road haulage these days…’
In the absence a decent budget to pay recognised professionals, isn’t that Vosa’s job on behalf of HM Government 
Has Mickey Mouse got a Vosa watch
Big Truck:
95% of ALL hauliers in Northern Ireland cross the border with the South every week to fill up with cheaper diesel
Even Tesco NI used to do it hence the reason why the Volvo FM400’s have twin 500l tanks.
As long as its in the standard truck running tanks perfectly legal. Don’t know if it still goes on but at one time a lot of Kent hauliers used to go across the channel solo and fill up.
kr79:
Big Truck:
95% of ALL hauliers in Northern Ireland cross the border with the South every week to fill up with cheaper diesel
Even Tesco NI used to do it hence the reason why the Volvo FM400’s have twin 500l tanks.As long as its in the standard truck running tanks perfectly legal. Don’t know if it still goes on but at one time a lot of Kent hauliers used to go across the channel solo and fill up.
Indeed, I think some ferry companies used to facilitate this with ‘fuel cruise’ deals for tractor units only?
I guess it’s human nature to try and find a way to get goods at a lower price - remember before alcohol prices dropped in this country, we would head to Calais to get cheap booze! The real injustice is the price of fuel in this country. That is what makes it a far from level playing field for the resident companies trying to compete against those from outside the UK.
Some firms used to get quite creative about bringing diesel back, as this photo shows - it had the same on both sides!!!
