Improving HGV working conditions

The lost ten years

November 2021 The recent budget included £32.5million of funding for lorry park facilities to try and resolve the staffing shortages which have been blamed for supply chain problems for shoppers and industry. If only we had a crystal ball and could have seen it coming. But perhaps we shouldn’t be completely surprised.

In 2011, ten years ago, a Groby Spotlight headline read “More truckstops planned” and reported the Unite union’s campaign to improve conditions. A clean bed, a hot meal and a secure night’s sleep isn’t much to ask, they argued. They said that for far too many drivers the end of the day was followed by a sleepless night, as they struggled to find an affordable meal and a safe place to park with their cargo. There were nearly 400 thefts from lorries in Leicestershire alone in 2010.

They may have been pleased with this announcement made by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Mike Penning in June 2011 who said “I am introducing a change to the policy to permit the development of truckstops on the motorway network. A consultation identified strong support from the haulage industry for truckstops. Proposals for dedicated truckstop facilities will now be considered in the context of existing and/or proposed rest facilities on the strategic road network. Where demand for lorry parking exceeds supply, the development of truckstop facilities at existing service areas would be viewed favourably.”

Mike Penning added that he was considering ways to reduce regulation, increase competition, identify what might instead be better determined locally, and improve the quality of motorway service areas.

A great plan, but even great plans need someone to steer them through, ideally an element of stability rather than Parliamentary Musical Chairs. He was appointed Minister of State for Transport in 2010, but he moved on in 2012 and held another 3 jobs in the next 5 years. No doubt a very able Minister, but not in the job long enough to ensure that the problems facing HGV drivers were resolved.

How the problem evolved

An online ‘history of truck stops’ website says that, before motorways, cafés for lorry drivers (often providing cheap accommodation) were to be found on the A-roads. “This allowed the government to develop an attitude that HGV parking was a business matter, and if more accommodation was needed then they knew somebody would build it for them.”

When motorways came they had short stay service areas, but these required a business that was willing to adopt them. The Government decided against creating motorway service areas for lorry drivers only.

The arrival of sleeper cabs created a new culture where HGVs would park anywhere and everywhere they could. By 1982 the motorway service area operators were asking the Department of Transport to do something about the amount of HGVs taking breaks in their short stay parking areas. They were happy to charge them, but because of lack of capacity were turning away lorry drivers, some of whom were then parking in dangerous or disruptive locations.

There was a market for a new generation of larger truckstops, but only limited interest because of high construction costs, low profit margins, and resident opposition.

There was some success by the early 1990s, but within 15 years the industry appeared to be in retreat. More facilities have closed. High running costs and limited income streams and security have been blamed for the closures. Although new truckstops did open, few businesses would consider it, probably because of the price of suitable sites and the high development costs.

New safety standards led to many unofficial parking areas being closed. In 2020 new regulations permitted truckstops which are directly accessible from the motorway, but apparently none have been built.

Shortage of parking spaces

Since 2017 HGV drivers who take their rest breaks in cabs must now take them in proper rest areas. Due to the shortage, some drivers rested in lay-bys, which has been deemed unsafe. According to the website resting in laybys, on or close to public roads, can now lead to drivers being fined and prohibited by the DVSA.

A Department for Transport survey found an average nightly shortage of 3658 parking spaces in England. HGV drivers had to pay for overnight spaces or park in lay-bys where they are not covered by insurance and are liable if their goods are stolen. If they do find a service station, they are often in complete disrepair. One truck driver, said: “ If you don’t get parked up sometimes as early as 5pm you’re not getting in. Even if you make it to a service station, the shower facilities in some of the service stations you wouldn’t put pigs in.”

In the run up to Brexit the Government revealed proposals to grant itself extraordinary powers to build facilities in 29 council areas across the country, including Leicestershire, without giving local residents a say over the construction of the sites. The powers put all the authority over the building of the sites in the hands of ministers, the opposite of Mike Penning’s 2011 objective of a strategy that “with the Government’s twin aims of decentralisation and localism, reduced the burden of bureaucracy and strengthened local accountability.”

At Ashby de la Zouch the full force of local accountability has rallied to oppose a truckstop at the Flagstaff Island. The health and safety of hotel guests at the Premier Inn could be seriously compromised if plans for a lorry maintenance park on its doorstep are approved, warned Whitbread, the hotel owner. Meanwhile, residents on Nottingham Road have also voiced concerns about the site, and Ashby de la Zouch Town Council opposed the plans three times.

We are told that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps applied for £50 million in funding to upgrade lorry parks, to be spent on increasing the parking capacity by around 2,000 spaces and improving facilities. Whether the Chancellor’s £32 million is his scaled down response is unclear, but according to a Treasury spokesman the fresh funding is intended to improve existing facilities such as upgrading toilets, showers and adding security fencing, rather than building new stops.

Rod McKenzie of the Road Haulage Association said: “Somewhere safe to park with good toilet and shower facilities is crucial if we are to attract more people. It is disappointing that the funding will not go on new facilities.”

More truckstops planned

Another threat to our open spaces?

2011 A clean bed, a hot meal and a secure night’s sleep. Not much to ask for Britain's lorry drivers after a long day’s work in an industry that’s worth millions every year to Britain, argued Unite the union as part of their campaign to improve conditions for their members. They believe that for far too many British professional lorry drivers the end of the driving day marks the beginning of a tense and sleepless night as they struggle to find a safe place to park with a decent meal they can afford and the opportunity to protect their cargo from motorway pirates.

Official figures obtained by Unite the union under the Freedom of Information Act show that there were nearly 400 thefts from lorries in Leicestershire alone last year. “That’s a big cost to the haulage industry, and a significant expense to the taxpayer in police investigation time. It is also a major headache for professional truck drivers who have to cope with the consequences. Sometimes that involves facing or suffering violence at the hands of lorry raiders,” claims the union.

The union and it's members will be pleased with the announcement made by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport Mike Penning on June 22^nd. “Following closure of the roadside facilities policy consultation on 2 July last year, I have reviewed the responses and am introducing a change to the policy to permit the development of truckstops on the motorway network,” he said.

Strong support for truckstops

“The consultation identified strong support from the haulage industry for the development of truckstops. Proposals for dedicated truckstop facilities will now be considered in the context of existing and/or proposed rest facilities on the strategic road network, and will be determined on their individual merit. This will include truckstop facilities that can be accessed direct from motorways – motorway truckstops – which are a type of facility not permitted until now. Where there is evidence to demonstrate that demand for lorry parking exceeds supply, the development of truckstop facilities at existing service areas would be viewed favourably.”

Mike Penning added that he is currently considering ways to reduce regulation, increase competition and improve still further the quality of motorway service areas. “To this end, I have instructed officials in my department to identify those elements of the policy that might instead be better determined at a local level through the current planning system.” Then comes the now familiar words decentralisation and localism. “This approach accords with the Government’s twin aims of decentralisation and localism, reducing the burden of bureaucracy and strengthening local accountability. It will encourage competition and, through this, improve service for users.”

What can they provide?

Services that can be provided at motorway and trunk road truckstops are covered by regulations and can include

• • parking,

  • toilet and showering facilities,

  • games and/or exercise area floor space (games, gaming machines, or exercise machines) for use by lorry drivers only,

  • facilities for waste recycling in the amenity building and picnic areas.

  • restaurant facilities

  • hotels offering overnight accommodation for lorry drivers

Farmers and landowners to benefit?

Some industry analysts believe that farmers and landowners with land close to major road infrastructures could soon benefit from this change in policy which has strong support for the development of secure truck stops from a number of organizations, These include the Transport Police, the Highways Agency, insurers and the haulage industry, as current demand for lorry parking far outstrips supply. It is thought that this could provide farmers with a diversification opportunity to earn additional income from truck stop facilities that can be accessed directly from motorways, as well as dedicated truck stops close to motorway junctions and on major trunk roads. Stephen Rice, Partner at Fisher German in Banbury and who knows Groby well and is a former Wigston resident, believes that farmers and land owners who own land next to motorway junctions and major trunk roads are ideally placed to provide these secure parking facilities.

“With the proposed change in policy and directions from Central Government, Local Planning Authorities will have to take a more positive and pragmatic view regarding proposals for secure lorry parking facilities. At present lorries are forced to park overnight in lay-bys and industrial estates, where there is no access to facilities and drivers and their loads are at risk of being targeted by organized criminal gangs,” said Stephen.

Local truckstops

This area is not particularly well served with secure truckstops, though there is one just off the M1 at Shepshed. With the A50, the M1 and the A46 Western Bypass surrounding Groby this may be seen as a prime area for the development of a truckstop, though no doubt local residents would advocate the M1 services as a more appropriate location.

“The operation of a secure lorry parking facility is extremely straight forward and is something that many farmers and land owners would be able to manage themselves as an ancillary business to their main farming enterprise. Alternatively there are existing truck stop operators who are also looking for new sites for which they would either take a lease or enter into a joint venture arrangement. We are currently working on a number of such schemes and have identified areas within the Midlands and South East where there is a significant demand with very few facilities currently provided,” added Stephen.

He recognises that local communities may not wish to see the development of a truckstop on their doorstep. “Any proposal to develop land that is currently 'green' is controversial but development has to go somewhere,” he said. “The local community who may object to such a proposal will be the same people who expect goods and services in the shops 7 days a week. Unfortunately lorries are a necessary feature on our roads and they need somewhere to park overnight. Planning is still going to be very difficult but a sensitively thought out development in the right place right next to the road network it is serving should not be too controversial.”

Leicestershire County Council said that in order for truckstops to be established there would need to be excellent access from major roads, to cope with a significant number of slow-moving large goods vehicles. "If someone should come up with a proposal, we would of course consider it, but we are not currently promoting one ourselves," added a spokesman.