Lorries traveling between continental Europe and the United Kingdom are increasingly being targeted by migrants attempting to stow away, adding to challenges faced by the haulage industry amid ongoing migration and logistical pressures. Lorenzo Zaccheo, founder of the Kent-based haulage company Alcaline, described the impact of these incidents on his business, which operates near the Channel Tunnel.
Zaccheo recounted several instances earlier this year where migrants gained access to trailers en route from Italy through France to the UK, leaving behind considerable mess and causing significant operational disruption. More than the physical damage, the legal and financial consequences have proven especially burdensome. Under current regulations, companies and drivers can face fines up to £10,000 per migrant discovered, despite Zaccheo emphasizing that enforcement should fall under the Border Force’s remit rather than hauliers.
The migrants typically gain entry by cutting through the trailer roofs with knives. This results in high repair costs and damages to the freight inside. Zaccheo pointed out delays in law enforcement response and difficulties in managing the situation on-site, citing an incident where a migrant escaped after jumping from a vehicle and subsequent police questioning of the driver who had reported the event. Such experiences have left hauliers frustrated and feeling unsupported, with some drivers even facing physical assaults. Alcaline has reported at least one driver stabbed and another severely beaten during separate encounters with migrants.
The issue of migrant stowaways is not new, but the dynamics have evolved over the past decade. Previously, migrants often attempted to travel aboard lorries, but a series of security measures introduced by the UK government after 2016—including a four-metre-high fence near Calais, heat detection technology, sniffer dogs, and carbon dioxide monitors—have shifted smuggling methods towards small boat crossings of the English Channel. The number of migrants arriving by sea peaked at approximately 46,000 in 2022, declining to around 33,000 for the year ending June 2026 according to Home Office data.
However, recent reports suggest an uptick in stowaways within freight vehicles, driven by increased enforcement against maritime crossings. From June 2025 to June 2026, the Home Office detained 1,962 migrants arriving illegally via lorry or ferry, though officials acknowledge many evade detection. Zaccheo estimates that eight migrants on average successfully hide in Alcaline’s vehicles annually, which undertake about 10,000 trips to Europe each year.
Stowaways often board lorries while the vehicles are stationary—during toilet breaks, overnight stops, or traffic jams, particularly on the French A26 highway approaching Calais. Drivers have been advised to avoid stopping near this stretch due to its notoriety for such incidents, though this presents challenges given the advanced average age of many UK truck drivers. Migrants can also identify vehicles traveling northbound with UK plates as potential routes into Britain.
Despite security measures like metal cords securing trailer entrances, smugglers have adapted by cutting these restraints and inserting migrants beneath the canvas covers. The ongoing strain on drivers and operators underscores increasing safety, legal, and operational concerns amid broader pressures on the freight transport sector in the UK.