1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172 
Industry bodies do fight hard for drivers
Page 22
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I feel I must respond to some of the comments made by Professional Drivers Association (PDA) trustee Ian Ratcliffe in his letter 'Offer solutions for support' (CM 3 July).
The Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) in the Black Country has campaigned and will continue to campaign for better facilities at truckstops for our members. As to the closure of Nightowl, we — along with the Road Haulage Association, Freight Transport Association and West Midlands Business Council — registered objections to the change of usage for the site. This was in fact successful in that planning was initially refused.
We then met with the new landowner Kilmartins in London and an offer was made of a piece of the site to accommodate secure lorry parking facilities. These talks continue with an interested partner to run the site.
Furthermore, we have attended meetings on the Black Country Strategic Plans and made the point for the need for secure lorry parking facilities. We have attended local meetings where the plans have been discussed and got members to raise verbally and in writing the lack of secure lorry parking facilities.
Therefore, the PDA should not complain of a lack of support from those of us who raise this issue at every opportunity.
Unite (of which the TGWU is a part) will continue to fight for improvement for all our heavy goods drivers, who deserve at least the basic facilities of toilets, washing and safety wherever they park. Laybys are not the answer and I hope the PDA will join us in our campaigning.
Caroline Crolley Regional industrial officer Unite