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Service area facilities come under criticism by drivers
Page 18
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A drivers' association campaigning for better facilities at motorway service areas says that far from improving standards have actually fallen
over the past three years. Guy Sheppard reports.
A TRUCK drivers' leader is accusing motorway service area (MSA) operators of adopting a 'take it or leave it' attitude towards truckers now overnight parking spaces are in such demand.
Pat Nicholson, a founder of the Professional Drivers Association, claims the standard of facilities available to drivers has actually fallen sharply since she started campaigning for improvements three years ago.
She singles out Roadchef and Moto for particular criticism after briefing them on the type of facilities that truckers need.
"In both cases they improved temporarily," Nicholson reports. "But there is such a shortage of parking that it means almost every MSA is full to capacity at night.
"Why should they give us a better deal if the deal that's there is being taken up every single night? That's the attitude they're taking." She says the Moto services on the M6 near Lancaster typify the problems faced by drivers: "There were no showers working there whatsoever on the hottest day of the year last month and they hadn't been working on the previous night either. They're taking £14.50 from lorry drivers and not providing anything for it."
Moto blames a faulty boiler for the shower problem but apologised for the delay when it responded to her complaint: "We're always willing to listen to constructive criticism, especially from an organisation such as the Professional Drivers Association."
A spokesman for Roadchef says MSA operators are legally obliged to provide specified facilities for customers. He adds that operators need to generate sufficient profits from their business before they can invest in better facilities but concludes: "The legislation is quite restrictive about the businesses they run."