Heres a little true story that happened to me, I know it was a long time ago and things have changed a lot since but some things will still be the same. In the summer of 2003 there was the odd immigrant about but nothing like there is today, anyway I loaded a load of paper hand towels from Kimberly Clark near Koblenz in Germany I used a TIR cord and sealed my trailer, I stopped at Reinbollen truckstop for my tea and a shower and then drove to a service station near Brussels for the night, at the time the problem wasnt as bad and being naive I thought I was far enough from channel ports anyway, as id already eaten I had a wander into the petrol station to get a couple of things and a coffee from the vending machine, I remember feeling spooked slightly no idea why at the time but as if someone was watching me or something just wasnt quite right, anyway I returned to my lorry walked around it everything seemed ok so I went to bed. Next morning I slept through my alarm clock which I never do and woke up feeling like crap but I just thought maybe I was coming down with flu or something, I ran around the trailer checked the seal tyres etc everything ok so flatout to Calais only stopping briefly at Verne for fuel. On entering Calais then you could go for a C02 check which I did and walked back with my ticket jumped into the lorry and fired it up only to be stopped and dragged out of my cab by two Gendarmes at the back of my trailer was a ladder and they were pulling people out, at this point I had no idea. What turned out to be thirteen Indian immigrants were put in a minibus whilst I was frog marched to the police station, as they stopped the traffic leaving the port to cross the road it was another one of our drivers they stopped he obviosly rang the boss and as my phone rang they snatched it off me and locked me in a room in the police station all I could here was my phone ringing until the battery went flat, ten minutes later in to the room comes the thirteen Indians all sat at one side huddled up looking sheepish and me sat at the other side on my own still in shock at what had just happened!! Several times throughout the day they took me into an interview room and questioned me in French as I can only muster enough of the language to order food or ask directions I was stuck, I told them where Id loaded, where I stopped the night but refused to answer the questions I couldnt understand, I asked for a lawyer and they laughed at me, I asked for a translator (even though I could here a British woman talking outside of the room) they said nobody here speaks English!! Anyway this happened several times throughout the day and the only words of English the spoke where you go to jail in France for a very long time! to be honest at the start I thought yeah whatever Ive done nothing wrong but after it happened several times throughout the day it does get to you a little bit, anyhow I asked in my best French for a drink and was refused, so I sat in the locked room and now and then they would take the Indians out one at a time to be questioned (with a translator!!).. Eventually around teatime the policeman threw my passport and phone on the floor and told me to go!! I sorted my ferry booking wrang my boss and headed for the boat, turns out the immigrants told the police theyd payed to be smuggled into my trailer and I knew nothing about it and the French found my TIR cord had been broken and glued back together. Anyway I parked in Dover drove in the morning to my delivery point in Kent a day late and the load was refused as theyd dug a hideout amongst it and been to the toilet in several places, so I had to take it somewhere else to try and salvage it, whilst unloading I found an address book with places and numbers.. Germany Belgium And then.. Glasgow, Cardiff, Manchester, etc etc.. So that night I hid my number and phoned all the British numbers out of curiosity and everyone was either a Indian restaurant or takeaway obviously were they had contacts or could find work so the following week I stopped in Dover and went to British immigration told them the story and what Id found handed them the address book and guess what??? The man through it in the bin, I couldnt believe my eyes!!! Anyway I hope I havent bored you lot to much, have a nice weekend.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 07:25:45 +0000
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