British Trucker Abroad

After returning to work for Watt and Stewart in Claresholm I found I was getting health problems, so, after a couple of months, and with great regret, I returned to the UK.

I then went to France to work for summer 2014.

I'm missing the job, the place and also the craic we had with the great people we met on our travels over the pond.

I Can't drive HGV's in Europe anymore legally or I will receive a £1000 fine.

What a bloody joke.

It's a change of career for me, and back to France next year all being well.

I refuse to pay to 'sit' the driver CPC (DCPC) as it's a money making scam involving a requirement to sit in a classroom for 5x7hr modules and listen to someone who in many instances has never driven a truck or been in the haulage industry tell me how to do my job (20yrs experience).

I can sit the same 7hr module 5 times and sleep through it as there is no exam at the end, it's just a load of bollox which means drivers are leaving the industry, and young people will not pay hundreds of pounds on top of their HGV licence costs to get yet another card to carry around to earn the crap money being offered for drivers nowadays.

Maybe it's time I voted UKIP...

UKIP will scrap the Certificate of Professional Competence

Jill said: “Thanks to our crazy, meddling friends in the European Parliament, all of Britain’s professional lorry drivers now have to pass a new training standard.
“The Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is a menace. It’s expensive, over-complicated, and it is causing many truck and bus drivers to either lose their jobs, or take early retirement.
“The result is a shortage of registered drivers in an industry which is battling hard to get itself back on its feet.
“It is being kicked in the teeth by the EU, which always thinks it knows what’s best for Britain. Hard-working people should not be losing their livelihoods - we see no need for drivers to undertake this unnecessary and expensive course.
“Our traditional driver training course, which has been in place for many years, is a proven system which has served us well. If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it . . . that’s what we say.
“So why won’t the European Union ever learn? This is another reason why we do not need, or want, to be part of the EU.”
The ‘Brit Disc’
UKIP would introduce a port of entry charge, which would apply to every foreign-registered vehicle entering the UK
Jill said: “There has been an increase in foreign-registered vehicles on the UK roads, where some skip safety checks, or escape fines.
“I believe we should have a record of every vehicle using our roads, where they should all contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of our road network.
“That’s where a new innovation we’re calling the ‘Brit Disc’ comes in. Proof of payment would have to be displayed on a Brit Disc for every foreign registered vehicle entering the UK.
“The disc would be a time-sensitive document displayed on the inside of the windscreen.
“Several other countries already use this system with great success; it is an easy way for enforcement agencies to see if the foreign vehicle is being used legally on our roads.
“The Brit Disc is a simple, low-cost and effective way of ensuring all vehicles entering the UK are making a contribution to the upkeep of our roads which are so vital for our economy.
“Let’s face it, countries on the other side of the Channel are quick enough to start taking money off our hauliers and car owners.

I can drive these, but nothing in Europe!