14-04-2019, 12:11 PM
When I used to run trucks to France and Spain, often driving some myself, the most important thing to do when stopped either by Police or Douanes was to hop out and shake the chap's hand, that always got me on to a good footing...they are human after all.
I remember driving a 38 tonne truck and trailer, LHD through Souillac near Cahors, I probably took my eye off the mirrors for a second and the rear corner of the trailer caught 2 cars, (unbeknown to me at the time) so I thought, I didn't immediately stop but was stopped just outside the town by the Police and was escorted back to the town and down to the Police station.
Where it happened was outside a pavement café and therefore there had a couple of dozen witnesses! A man was standing outside dripping blood and I thought the worst...it turned out that he was the chef and had been chopping food in the kitchen and apparently chopped himself. I had dented two cars stem to stern and the mirror off one had flipped out of its housing and come over the roof and smashed the rear hatchback window.
Much hand shaking down at the Police station, though the owner of one of the cars was not too pleased, plus exchange of docs etc, and profuse apologies, and I was then driven back to my truck. I had explained that I owned the company and as far as I recall (over 25 years ago) we never heard a whistle from the insurers whatsoever.
It all seemed remarkably polite.
Arthur
I remember driving a 38 tonne truck and trailer, LHD through Souillac near Cahors, I probably took my eye off the mirrors for a second and the rear corner of the trailer caught 2 cars, (unbeknown to me at the time) so I thought, I didn't immediately stop but was stopped just outside the town by the Police and was escorted back to the town and down to the Police station.
Where it happened was outside a pavement café and therefore there had a couple of dozen witnesses! A man was standing outside dripping blood and I thought the worst...it turned out that he was the chef and had been chopping food in the kitchen and apparently chopped himself. I had dented two cars stem to stern and the mirror off one had flipped out of its housing and come over the roof and smashed the rear hatchback window.
Much hand shaking down at the Police station, though the owner of one of the cars was not too pleased, plus exchange of docs etc, and profuse apologies, and I was then driven back to my truck. I had explained that I owned the company and as far as I recall (over 25 years ago) we never heard a whistle from the insurers whatsoever.
It all seemed remarkably polite.
Arthur