A driver is warning that the Elf garage in Calais has stopped selling Eurovignettes, reducing the opportunities to comply with the motorway charging system. As CM went to press, oil giant Total had not responded to claims by Clan International driver Alf Buckman that it is becoming increasingly difficult to purchase permits for travel through the Benelux countries.
Buckman claims he often struggles to buy a Eurovignette at the Norfolkline kiosks in Dover, and fears that a reduction in places
to buy them in Calais could put additional strain on the machines.
Buckman says: "I demand it at the kiosk at Dover dock, but if anything goes wrong with their machine then you're in trouble. They say you can obtain it from post offices in most villages in Holland and Belgium, but how many truck drivers know [how to find it], and how many villages will accept convoys of 40-tonne trucks?"
A spokeswoman for Norfolkline confirms there are still two kiosks at the terminal in Dover where drivers can purchase vignettes and road tax. She adds that it has recently experienced a surge in demand, "obviously due to the facility having been stopped in Calais".
Peter Cullum, head of international affairs at the Road Haulage Association, says drivers should buy the permits before leaving the country. He adds: "We understand they are hard to find in Belgium."
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