Lorry drivers across England will benefit from more parking spaces, better welfare facilities and safer rest areas thanks to £16.5 million in joint Government and industry investment.
Today (Monday 4 March), the Roads Minister confirmed that 38 truckstops across England will invest £6 million from the Department for Transport (DfT), with a further £10.5 million coming from industry, to significantly improve their facilities for lorry drivers.
The upgrades will include new showers and restaurants, as well as better lighting and secure fencing around rest areas so drivers can feel safer and sleep with greater peace of mind. The measures will also create around 430 new parking spaces for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) to free up local roads.
Today’s measures are part of our plan to grow the economy by improving working conditions for lorry drivers, supporting new jobs in the haulage industry and attracting more people towards a brilliant career in logistics, to deliver a brighter future for all.
The crucial improvements will also help decarbonise the haulage sector by installing new chargepoints to power electric HGVs and solar panels on lorry driver facilities to make them as sustainable as possible.
The measures follow £15 million in joint Government and industry funding for similar improvements announced in September last year as part of the fund’s first application window. This takes the total joint investment from the Department and the sector to improve lorry roadside facilities to up to £31 million.
Roads Minister Guy Opperman said: “Our lorry drivers are the backbone of a successful economy, ensuring food, goods and crucial medical supplies can get where they need to be, all over the country.
“That’s why it’s only right we leave no stone unturned when it comes to supporting our lorry drivers as part of our plan to grow the economy, and today’s £16.5 million in joint Government and industry funding will provide them with the safe, spacious and modern facilities they deserve.”
From the Ashford International Truck Stop in Kent to Bardon Truck Park in Leicestershire and Immingham Lorry Park in Lincolnshire, the funding will be spread across England to ensure all lorry drivers across England can benefit from better roadside facilities and better working conditions.
The new investment comes from the Government’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme, a joint investment between Government and industry to support the haulage sector and provide lorry drivers with modern, secure facilities all across the country.
The scheme draws on The National Survey on Lorry Parking 2022 which provides important evidence as to what improvements are needed and where to boost the nation’s roadside infrastructure. With hauliers required to take mandatory breaks and rest periods, building better roadside facilities will improve the quality of HGV drivers’ rest and recovery, ensuring everyone can feel safe on our roads.
Britain’s roads are already among the safest in the world and the Government is committed to helping the sector improve driver welfare, boost drivers’ security and continue to guarantee road safety.
