Things to Know Before You Truck Abroad

by Kirsty Terry
(London, England)

Most of these points we are about to make may seem like obvious things to find out before you get there, but you would be surprised at how many drivers reach a country and realize they have no local currency or don’t know what time zone they’re in.

International trucking work can seem like a daunting prospect. There’s something quite unnerving about driving on the wrong side of the road in a fully loaded lorry. So do yourself a favor and find out a number of things before you go, to put you at ease.

What are the national speed limits? Are they in mph or kph? It makes a difference! Most obviously…which side of the road to drive on, now we aren’t saying the left side is the right side, but it is, right?

How are you going to navigate once you reach your destination country? If you’re using GPS, make sure it’s updated to work in the desired country, nothing’s more terrifying than the GPS ‘losing satellite’ when you’re approaching a roundabout! When it comes to maps, make sure it wasn’t bought 30 years ago by a relative who once went on holiday there, things will have changed.

Does the country you are traveling to have any HGV restrictions? In France, they have a Sunday ban on HGVs on the motorways. Don’t get caught out and risk missing your delivery time. Know their law enforcements on infringements just in case, and ensure you take all the documentation you may require on your journey.

Different countries have different laws on driving regulations, e.g. in a lot of countries it’s illegal to talk on a handset while driving – ignorance is not an excuse.

Currency! Check out the exchange rates so you get the best deal for your money. Know what insurance covers you and your lorry in case of accidents abroad, particularly in regards to healthcare.

Change your watch to the new time-zone (if it alters); the delivery time will be in local time, so it’d best to avoid any confusion.

There are benefits to trucking abroad of course, research some sights to see along your route. Make the most of your journey; it doesn’t have to be all work and no play.

About MilestoneOps....

We are a recruitment business specializing in finding temporary and permanent jobs for professionals within the transport and utilities sectors

We’ve had quite a colorful and exciting journey to get where we are now. We began life in 2005, hoping to bring something new to the driver recruitment industry. Seven years on, we think we’ve achieved our goal, and still have lots of great ideas that we want to introduce.


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