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Bed and board Swedish style

22nd December 1984
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Page 34, 22nd December 1984 — Bed and board Swedish style
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

IF THERE is any truth in the maxim "we are what we eat", a spot check on some transport cafés and truckstops could result in the dietary equivalent of a GV9 prohibition notice for some of the drivers.

Improving the standard of food at these establishments was only part of the objective of the first CM/Scania/Routiers competition to find the best Truckstops. The competition also covered accommodation, parking, decor, opening hours and the range of facilities on offer.

The winners (see CM November 17) were: Whitwood Truck Stop near Castleford (in the eating-only class): Tayside Truckstop in Dundee (in the class for those which include overnight accommodation); and the Sealink cross-channel ferry St Anselm (best Continental truckstop).

Their prize was a four-day visit to Sweden as guests of Scania, designed to be a factfinding trip to inspect the kinds of facility there for lorry drivers who pull in for a meal or an overnight stop. In addition to taking representatives from these three winning truckstops we also had three of the drivers who had nominated them for the competition, giving us a view from both sides of the truckstop counter.

After flying out to Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, our first visit was to Stig's Centre on the northern outskirts of the city — beside the E5 trunk road which runs up to Oslo.

Stig's is famous in transport circles in Sweden; owner Stig Andersson started it when he was an owner driver. It has grown from a single diesel pump and hut into a complete road haulage service centre, the largest of its kind in Sweden.

Stig Andersson's son Stephan explained that Stig's owns the site, buildings, diesel pumps and the shop — all the other services are franchises. There are two restaurants, a pizzaria, a take-away snack service, a bowling alley, a barber's shop, a bank, a tyre service, an hgv driving school, a turbo repair specialist, a greasing and lubrication bay, a tachograph station, lorry washes, a rustproofing service and a radiator repair specialist.

In all, they pay SEK 3 million (about £300,000) a year in rent, contibuting towards Stig's Centre's huge annual turnover of SEKSO million (£8m).

Diesel sales account for the largest slice of this and Stephan said that Stig's is known for its cheap diesel. It charges SEK2.51 per litre (£1.10 a gallon) whereas usual price is around SEK2.70 per litre (£1.19 a gallon). As a result, Stig's fuel sales are the highest in Scandinavia at 15.5m litres a year.

As Stig's developed so did the area around it. The truckstop now surrounded by transport and industrial activity. Ferrymasters has a depot down the road and there are Volvo and Scania agencies either side. It has a park for 70 artics.

According to Stephan Andersson the majority of Swedish drivers choose to use their sleeper cabs rather than stay in overnight accommodation. Stig's has 17 rooms which are costly by British truckstop standards at SEK160 (£16) a night. Four or five are permanently booked by haulage companies for changeovers.

Lorry drivers are equally welcome in either of Stig's two restaurants. The more expensive one has waiter service, tablecloths and very pleasant decor. Next door, the self-service one is more basic but definitely a cut above the average British standard. A typical Swedish truck driver's breakfast would be a cup of coffee and a glass of milk plus a large roll filled with meat or cheese. This would usually cost about SEK20 (£2). .

We were told that whereas the British lorry driver likes his mugs of tea his Swedish counterpart drinks black coffee and milk in vast quantities. Apparently, two litres of milk and four litres of coffee a day is not unusual!

Our party could not help but be impressed by the wide range of services available at Stig's Centre. Stuart Wardell from Whitwood Truck Stop was particularly interested in the diesel sales because he is currently planning the installation of diesel tanks and a contract with a fuel company for Whitwood.

Our party could not help but be impressed by the wide range of services available at Stig's Centre. Stuart Wardell from Whitwood Truck Stop was particularly interested in the diesel sales because he is currently planning the installation of diesel tanks and a contract with a fuel company for Whitwood.

Terry Jones, the driver who nominated Whitwood said that the BRS truckstop at Chesterfield could be developed like Stig's. Sheila Ridgway from the Tayside Truckstop wondered how the franchise system would work in Britain would the various companies work well together?

Our next visit was to a very different establishment, but one at which lorry drivers are equally welcome. It was the Vargarda Rasta, situated northeast of Gothenburg on the E3 trunk road that runs across the country to Stockholm.

The Vargarda Rasta is more like a British motorway service area but is very much smaller, far more stylish and run to a higher standard. All road users are welcome to stop here and there is no segregation or distinction made between lorry drivers or private motorists.

Its owner is 38-year-old Dan Tervaniemi who has this and three other "motets" in his Rasta Husen chain. (He also owns a Gothenburg hotel and two restaurants). He has been instrumental in integrating the lorry drivers' needs with those for motorists and says that in Sweden lorry drivers are well accepted and enjoy a good status.

Having the lorry drivers eating alongside motorists rather than in separate cafes or truckstops has two advantages according to Tervaniemi; it is less socially decisive and it makes economic sense. The four Rasta Husen motels are open 24 hours a day, every day (including over Christmas) and Dan Tervaniemi said that it is "all are welcome" policy that allows this. The car drivers come during the day, lorries stop in the evening and night and long-distance coaches pull in at the weekends.

So that lorry drivers do not waste time queuing behind motorists to be served Dan Tervaniemi has installed a speedy meal ordering system. Just inside the restaurant door is a menu with 15 or so items and a push-button beside each one. Pressing the appropriate button signals the chef to start serving the meal.

The decor of the Vargarda Rasta is that of a very pleasant restaurant with leather-clad chairs and carpeting. There are flowers on every table. Dan Tervaniemi said the investment is substantial but the better quality furniture and fittings recoup their cost with a longer life. It also attracts people from the nearby town to go there for a meal. As Graham Kitchen remarked, how many people would take their wife out for a meal at a British motorway service area?

Rasta Husen motels are not licensed and when Sealink steward Tony Castle told Dan Tervaniemi that lorry drivers in the St Anselm ro-ro drivers lounge get a quarter bottle of wine with their meal, the

Swede was surprised. Sweder takes a very tough line or drinking and driving, startinc with a very low level o• permitted alcohol. If this level if exceeded there are hefty fines driving bans and even im prisonment in some cases Once a ban has been serve( the driver has to take more les sons and retake the drivin.c. test.

Sheila and Maureen Ridgwa) were very impressed by th( Vargarda Rasta, especially it splendid interior and spotless1) clean kitchens. Their own Tay side Truckstop in Dundee els( boasts a plush lounge and ba and it too attracts people fron the town, swelling the clientele Dan Tervaniemi's approacl gladdened their heart. It cer tainly seems to be the right way in Sweden; Tervanierni is opening a fifth motel in 1986 and ultimately aims to have 10.

The final truckstop we visited was near Nykoping, about south of Stockholm and on the busy E4 heading southwards. It was the Tuna Motel, apparently well known in Sweden for its excellent food and warm welcome. Lennart Larsson is the Tuna's co-owner and he told us that it is impossible to differentiate between lorry-drivers and motorists in Sweden — with a population of only eight million and correspondingly few vehicles the total market is too small to be selective.

There is no charge for overnight lorry parking at the Tuna. Instead, Lennart Larsson reckons he earns the money when the drivers come in to use the restaurant and shop. There are 31 rooms which cost from SEK150 {£15) a night including breakfast.

The route of the E4 is being changed near the Tuna and this involves the closure of the motel and its replacement with a new one a few kilometres away. This will open on August 1, 1986 with parking for 30 lorries, showers for the drivers and 250 seats in two restaurants. It will incorporate shops and maybe a bank, but no overnight accommodation.

Our party was unanimous in its praise for these three Swedish truckstops although they made the point that "truckstop" is not really the right word because of the Swedish policy of not treating lorry drivers as a breed apart. Although one could say that British motorway service areas also do this, the

Swedes take it a step further by encouraging overnight parking and providing a better standard. of food and decor.

Bearing in mind the Swedish cost of living the meals seemed reasonably priced, although the room rate was steep in comparison with a British truckstop, but cl-aap compared with a hotel that offers a similar standard room.

Swedish lorry-drivers also seem to enjoy a higher status. Does the average British driver want or deserve Swedish-style treatment? Graham Kitchen, who uses the Tayside Truckstop which has gone a long way in moving "up market", said that improving the standard of truckshops would encourage more drivers to smarten up their image. He is confident that drivers would

respond in this way and said that Tayside is proving it — it is up to other truckstops to follow suit.


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