A central information source should be created to provide detailed information about truck driver rest facilities, says FleetCheck.
While operators and drivers share informal reports about locations through conversations, WhatsApp groups and other channels, there is no reliable dedicated, online reference point, said Callum Haymon-Collins, COO at the fleet software specialist.
‘It is arguable for a sector that spends a lot of time planning the need for driver rest, we don’t devote enough resources to discussing what that rest may look like.
‘In order to meet driver hours responsibilities, a driver may stop at a planned location only to find that parking up is difficult, hot food service stopped an hour previously and the toilets are unclean.
‘While they no doubt make the best of the situation and get out from behind the wheel, it is still frustrating for the employee. Having more information about rest facilities would mean operators can plan better quality breaks.’
Employers taking greater interest in rest facilities could also help driver attraction and retention at a point in time when recruiting drivers remained difficult.
‘Taking care to plan breaks in locations where facilities are good shows an interest in driver welfare above and beyond driver hours legislation and could, we believe, help employees feel they are working for an organisation that cares about their wellbeing.’
Callum added it was interesting the new, updated National Planning Policy Framework unveiled by the government earlier this month mentioned the need to establish driver rest stops that had genuine value.
‘The wording is that ‘new or expanded facilities must demonstrate a clear, proven requirement for driver welfare’ which suggests that only planning permission would be given for rest locations that offered good amenities,’ he explained.
The creation of a national source for information about rest facilities could happen in a variety of ways, he said, but perhaps the most obvious was a project helmed by one of the publishers already operating in the truck sector.
‘These organisations understand the industry, are experienced in maintaining web sites and are equipped to extract potential advertising revenue from the rest locations themselves, as well as other businesses wanting to reach operators and drivers. They seem well placed to make this kind of resource a reality.’