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French farce
Page 54
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Life is challenging enough for UK reefer operators who venture into Continental Europe, without police harassment. Clan International's John Clark (pictured, above) has experienced this problem, and it can be serious.
He tells of an incident last summer in France. His driver had transferred into another Clan HGV but forgotten to take the Community Authorisation certificate with him. French police stopped his truck, realised that the certificate was missing and imposed a fine of €2,000 (£1,370). The documentation was in place at the Clan base, but the French police were not interested. "It was a clerical error," says Clark.
The driver paid on the spot — French police will impound at the drop of a hat — and Clark has appealed the fine. He has yet to be reimbursed. Alarmingly, he has a hunch that French police work on a commission basis: "We have always thought that the French police have a personal interest. They make up rules and regulations as they go; the French police are by far the worst and the level of fines bear no relation to the offence.
"And they prefer cash. They won't accept credit card details over the phone, and they won't accept assurance from French customers either."