🕒 Article read time: 2 minutes
Additional HGV parking is welcomed but more needs to be done, says Logistics UK
Following the announcement by Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood of the latest successful applicants in the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, Jonathan Walker, Head of Infrastructure and Planning Policy at Logistics UK, stresses how the group is supportive of the news but calls on the government to go further:
“We are encouraged by the announcement of new lorry parking spaces and upgrades to driver facilities, but this alone will not resolve the challenges drivers face when finding somewhere safe to stop.
"The official data shows 4,473 of the 21,234 lorries parked overnight close to motorways and major A-roads are forced to use lay-bys or industrial estates because designated lorry parks are full*.
"So while our members will be pleased with the announcement of 430 new lorry parking spaces, they will also be the first to tell us that it is a tiny fraction of what is needed.
“Logistics UK has been pressing government to address the shortage of lorry parking and driver facilities for many years and we need a change in attitudes towards and increased recognition of the strategic importance of road freight to the UK economy if we are going to solve it.
"HGV drivers need to take legally mandated rest breaks, and we have been urging government to ensure driver facilities are an integral part of any road investment scheme. In the same way that office workers need and expect access to clean and safe hygiene facilities during their working days, the essential drivers in the logistics industry who deliver all that the UK economy relies upon expect and deserve the same basic rights.”
*Source: National survey of lorry parking (2022): part 1
Published On: 17/10/2024 15:00:00
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News In Brief
Welch's Transport at forefront of eHGV push as it receives first eFREIGHT 2030 vehicle
Welch’s Transport and Renault Trucks are among 14 founding members of the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium, which is introducing 100 eHGV tractor units and 32 new charging locations over a multi-year real world evaluation of electric HGVs.
Welch’s Transport has 160 staff and a fleet of 80 vehicles which comprises a mix of electric, diesel, and specialist HGVs. It follows Welch’s 2023 investment in a 19-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech D Wide for Cambridge’s first net zero delivery service and the installation of the UK’s first publicly accessible 150kW supercharger at its Duxford site, where the new eHGVs will be charged.
With zero tailpipe emissions, the E-Tech T is powered by six 90kWh batteries and three electric motors, delivering up to 490kW continuous power and maximum torque of 2400Nm, coupled to Renault Trucks’ Optidriver AT 2412 12 speed automated gearbox.
Michelle Gardner, Logistics UK's Deputy Director - Policy said: "It's great to see the eFREIGHT 2030 consortium receive its first electric HGV.
"The ZEHID programme is crucial to understand how these vehicles will work in the real world and what infrastructure is needed to make them commercially viable, so we look forward to hearing more on the learnings in due course”.
The move, which marks a significant milestone in the decarbonisation of road freight transport, has seen a 42-tonne Renault Trucks E-Tech T 4×2 delivered to Welch’s Transport, the Cambridgeshire-based freight, haulage and logistics business.
The vehicle will operate out of the logistic firm’s flagship site in Duxford, Cambridgeshire on regional distribution and long-haul deliveries. It also marks the first deployment of Renault Trucks’ heavy duty regional distribution model in customer operations in the UK.
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