As hauliers struggle with a dearth of truck stops in Scotland, Carol Millett asks should there be more government support for these vital facilities?
SCOTLAND is something of a desert when it comes to top grade truck stops. These are dotted sparsely across the region, like precious oases, where drivers can rest, refuel, clean up, get in some downtime with other drivers and know their loads are secure.
So the closure of the Lockerbie Lorry Park in October last year has left HGV drivers with even fewer choices and fleet managers with an even greater headache when it comes to planning efficient routes around drivers’ hours regulations.
Martin Burke, director of Glasgow based haulage firm MP Burke, can attest to this. “We run high value loads. We do not park at motorway service areas as they are not secure. Instead, we plan our routes around secure truck stops rather than around drivers’ hours, which means often the driver loses money as they have to stop early,” he said.
