Making Europe safer
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With drivers increasingly at risk of attack, an EC scheme to rate truckstops for safety and comfort has been welcomed by the industry.
For too Long, truck drivers have felt that their comfort and safety while on Europe's roads has been overlooked. If they were white-collar workers, they would expect, as a right. a safe overnight stop with the option of a shower, a decent meal and leisure facilities.
Now a EC-backed scheme, Label, is going some way to redress the balance. This autumn it will announce a list of 71 audited truckstops that meet a range of standards from basic security to fully-fledged comfort.TWelve of the 71 are UK-based and there are plans to continue the audit process, until the list reaches 100.The first list will be released at the end of October during a conference in Brussels on truck parking. The scheme received half its €2.7m budget from the EC and the rest from 41 industry partners Truckstops were invited to apply for accreditation under five headings: comfort and dignity; safety; security; services; and food and shopping.
Each category is awarded up to five stars— or locks in the case of security.
The project has been handled by Dutch consultancy firm NEA. Project manager Rob de Leeuw van Weenan says that the accreditation process is undergoing some fine tuning prior to releasing the list in the autumn.
The scheme was launched in Brussels in spring 2009, with a target of accrediting 75 truckstops by June this year. Seventy-five were selected, but four dropped out along the way. "The minimum standards are that a parking area should he well lit and there should be regular checks by security staff or police," says de Leeuw van Weenan. "To reach five stars, you need to have everything, including site personnel, cameras, washing facilities and food and leisure areas."
De Leeuw van Weenan accepts that different operators will have a spread of requirements for security and comfort. "Not all drivers carry valuable goods that criminals are interested in. So. they will not all need a four or five lock security parking area, nor would they be willing to pay for it. We aim at providing reliable information and a minimum comfort level."
He adds that NEA research from around 10 years ago showed that roughly 10% of trucks carry goods with a "high black market value" such as cigarettes and trainers Drivers and operators will be able to book places in advance at the higher-end sites with the information available on industry websites.
UK operators and drivers welcomed the move, their curiosity whetted by the news that 12 UK sites have been audited. 'The worst truckstops are in the UK," says former international driver John Hunt. "Standards in Europe are much higher and you are welcomed. In France, you get a discount off food if you are a lorry driver: in Germany, you get your parking costs returned if you have a meal."
He supports the emphasis on security, having once been gassed during an attack at services in Luxembourg. The cab door locks had been forced. "I woke up giggly, as though I was drunk," he recounts. "My wallet had been rifled for cash and my phone was gone." He says that driver attacks are common in Belgium and Holland and have been reported in Spain.
-Anything that makes the driver safer and more secure is welcome," says Paul Arthurton, owner of Paul Arthurton Transport in Attie borough, Norfolk. However, he warns that better sites come at a cost, citing one UK truckstop charging £22 a night for -rubber food'. and no security. He is surprised that Label has been able to find 12 UK sites worth auditing. should look to," he says. •