AT THE very least all they can do is wait. And while they wait, the question asked by Irish truck drivers stranded in the French port of Calais since Sunday is why they should be penalised by a loss in earnings and the possibility of perishable goods rotting in their lorries while negotiations between the French truck drivers' union and the French government move closer to stalemate.
At the docks yesterday, at least 300 trucks were trapped on the port side, unable to deliver their goods throughout Europe. On the main access road to the docks it is a similar scene, as many truck drivers admit that in order to preserve their perishable produce they have been forced to leave engines running, wasting essential diesel.
Near the front of the queue to leave Calais is Mr Peter Andrews, of Sallynoggin, Co Dublin, who says his consignment of cauliflowers will begin to rot if he does not leave the port within the next two days.
He travelled from southern France last week and thought he would avoid the blockade by crossing to Dover on Sunday evening's ferry. However, on arrival at Calais he discovered the port was blockaded despite earlier assurances from French truckers that a complete blockade would not begin until Monday.
"We would have been out of here days ago if the French had not jumped the gun and started the blockade so early. We all think that they've been a bit smart by doing that and because of it we will just have to sit here and wait it out. It is a real inconvenience, and my cauliflowers won't last much longer.
"We're all completely fed up with the situation here," he said, but despite the irritation, he admits that Irish truck drivers are not willing to risk damage to their lorries by breaking the blockade.
On Monday a handful of British drivers did attempt to push their way through the blockade at Calais, but were hampered when French truckers burst their tyres and cut air lines on their lorries. In the "normal course" of the job, insurance will cover against the possibility of delays, "but it doesn't cover us in a riot situation", said one driver.
Even the possibility of compensation for the truck drivers, which was suggested by the French government this week, offers little reward, says Mr Noel Moore of Tinryland, Co Carlow. He is in a somewhat invidious position in that he owns his truck, but is losing thousands of pounds as the blockade continues. The prospect of filling out endless forms in order to claim compensation from the French government is clearly a pointless exercise, he says.
Mr Moore is a veteran of European trucking routes. He has been driving for 17 years, "but I love it and I do it because I enjoy it. The money isn't great nowadays, but it's great to meet up with people you know on the routes." However, he does have some sympathy for the French truckers because, he believes, they have a right to strike. But, he adds: "I don't see that they have the right to make foreign drivers suffer."
Mobile phones seem to be a necessity in Calais.
While some truck drivers have admitted calling out for pizzas, in the main they are contacting relatives "to keep them posted back home". Mr Moore said he had been trying to contact colleagues experiencing the same delays, "but there's no luck. I know a few of them have gone to Zeebrugge, but there are others who are stranded outside Paris and we can't contact them."
Last night, after they were given complimentary meal vouchers by the port authorities, one Irish truck driver said he would consider leaving Calais to attempt the journey back to Britain via Zeebrugge. "I am tired waiting. If I try to leave here and cross to Britain through Zeebrugge I might be at the back of the queue. But at this stage there are so many stories going around that I don't know what to believe."