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 
NFC and TGWU in driver-motel consortium
Page 16
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Transport Inns to build six motels by 19 74
• A national network of motels for lorry drivers is planned by a new company, Transport Inns Ltd, in which the National Freight Corporation will have a 29 per cent interest, the Transport and General Workers' Union a 20 per cent interest and Trust Houses Forte will retain 51 per cent of the shares.
Each inn will provide between 100 and 200 rooms for overnight accommodation and will cost up to £350,000 to build. Sites for the first six of these motels are already being negotiated and they should be in operation by the end of 1974; the first inns will be at focal points on the motorway network but these special motels will later spread to main A-class trunk roads.
A spokesman for Trust House Forte told CM that charges for accommodation and meals would probably be in line with those suggested in the recent DoE working party report on lorry parks and driver accommodation — and it is the publication of this report (CM October 8) which has encouraged the consortium to go ahead. The DoE report recommended that
commercial interests and local authorities should work in partnership in providing trunk driving accommodation and suggested that, calculated on 1970 figures, a room should cost between £1.75 and £2.00 per night, with a main meal for about 40p.
THF says that its aim is to provide"overnight accommodation without tears" for long-distance lorry drivers, with accommodation normally booked in advance by the employer, and with the men giving vouchers for their singleor twin-bedded rooms and breakfast.
Said the THF spokesman: "For too long Britain's lorry drivers have had to depend on inferior accommodation." The transport inns will be centrally heated, and have their own washing facilities and modern furnishings, while in the main section there will be recreation lounges, television and a bar.
Each motel will have a secure lorry park, manned 24 hours a day.
(In its leading article on October 8 CM suggested that such developments could be commercial projects based on fully economic operation, without need for subsidy.)