London, UK: The RHA has delivered an open letter to the prime minister Rishi Sunak, signed by 77 MPs and Lords, calling on the government to improve roadside facilities for HGV drivers.
The RHA points out that the current state of roadside facilities continues to have a significant impact on driver recruitment and retention. It says there is little concrete information about plans to increase the number of lorry parking spaces, particularly for overnight stops. Nationally, there’s an estimated shortage of 11,000 lorry parking spaces.
The letter says: “As we saw during the pandemic, commercial vehicle drivers are the backbone of our economy. Improving driver facilities must be central to the government’s plans to recruit, retain and support HGV drivers and to keep UK supply chains moving.”
The RHA is calling on the government to:
- establish a cross-departmental taskforce to review existing driver facilities and work with industry, operators and local authorities on a viable long-term solution to increase available facilities across the country
- reform the existing planning framework, working with local authorities to ensure that appropriate parking plans are developed to meet industry needs
- stick to the increased funding commitment for roadside facilities, looking at both quality and quantity
