The recent Transport Focus Lorry Driver Facilities Survey highlights significant dissatisfaction with the availability and quality of lorry stops in the UK. Findings reveal that 63% of drivers and 78% of logistics and coach businesses are dissatisfied with current stopping options, with over 20% of the 21,234 lorries parked overnight forced to rely on lay-bys or industrial estates due to overcrowded designated lorry parks.
Michelle Gardner, Deputy Director of Policy at Logistics UK, expressed disappointment, stating that lorry drivers, essential to the logistics sector, require adequate, safe, and clean facilities for rest breaks, just as office workers expect similar amenities. Logistics UK has been advocating for improvements in driver facilities for years, calling for a shift in attitude towards the road freight industry’s importance to the UK economy.
In response, the government has pledged £12 million in joint funding with the industry to add 430 lorry parking spaces. While this funding is welcome, Logistics UK emphasizes that it will not fully resolve the shortage. Gardner also stresses the need for driver facilities to be central in future road investment projects. Logistics UK remains committed to working with the government to ensure that lorry drivers, who support the UK’s economy by delivering essential goods, receive the same standard of working conditions as other sectors.
The organisation continues to press for reforms in the planning system that would prioritize these facilities, reinforcing the strategic importance of logistics to the UK economy.
