Paul Arthurton
Page 25
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Owner, Paul Arthurton Transport Norfolk
Arthurton's biggest gripe on this issue is that, while drivers are legally compelled to take regular breaks to improve road safety, nobody is legally compelled to provide them with the right facilities for a decent rest. "When you go abroad, trucks are accepted as a necessity, so all drivers' requirements are built into the transport infrastructure. Here, people try to marginalise lorries as much as possible," he says. "Everybody wants baked beans on the supermarket shelf, but they also want the lorry that delivers them to disappear by
6pm and magically reappear at 8am the next morning."
The issue of clogged lay-bys is serious, he says, and proof that affordable, secure parking is in woefully short supply. "If you've been on the road all day and need to park up within minutes to comply with your hours, you'd better know where you're going because you can guarantee that every lay-by will be full by 7pm," he says. "The proper allocation of truckstops needs to be thought about when roads are being built."