Additional lorry parking is welcomed but more needs to be done, says Logistics UK

Friday 11 October 2024

Following the announcement by Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood of the successful applicants in the HGV Parking and Driver Welfare Grant Scheme, Jonathan Walker, Head of Cities and Infrastructure 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 completely 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 which deliver all that UK economy relies upon expect and deserve the same basic rights.”

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please get in touch - here.

*Source: National survey of lorry parking (2022): part 1