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Perfect parking
Page 18
Page 19
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Dai Owen explains how he came up with a plan for a truckstop on the A55 in Flintshire, and why he thinks it is vital to have somewhere secure for trucks to park.
Words: Roanna Avison I Images: Simon Everett FINDING SOMEWHERE secure to park can be a challenge for a truck driver and anyone travelling to Holyhead on the A55 will find there are only lay-bys to park in. But this could change if Dai Owen, owner of JD Owen Transport and the brains behind the proposed Euroroute truckstop on the A55 in Flintshire, gets his way.
In July last year. Owen submitted a plan to Flint County Council to build a truckstop, a new operating centre for JD Owen and a business park south of Junction 31 on the A55. near Caerwys, and he hopes to get the go-ahead soon. Since coming up with the plan. Owen has received support from the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association, the local Chamber of Commerce and Unite. Owen's plan is also backed by the Dutch MEP Corien Wortmann-Kool (CM 21 February) and Danish MEP Anne Jensen supports the building of more truckstops, believing it is unfair that truck drivers are forced to take breaks by the drivers' hours regulations, but that sometimes there is nowhere to stop except in a lay-by without facilities.
Owen says truck drivers are the backbone of this country and the Continent. "Most things are moved by road, and yet we are not providing facilities for drivers. Vosa is laying all these rules down, but hauliers are saying they cannot keep up with the drivers' hours rules when there is nowhere to park. If their driving time is up and the only place to park is a lay-by, but someone else has beaten them to it. what are they meant to do?"
A matter of security Owen occasionally takes a truck out, and so he speaks from experience. "On my last trip hack from Ireland, every layby on the A55 from Holyhead had trucks in, but where's their toilet? Down the side of the trailer."
There are serious health hazards to lay-by users as a result. -While cars can pull off into a village and find a pub to stop at, you can't do that in a truck."
Owen insists something has to be done. "We're never going to attract young people into the job. If we owned a factory we wouldn't be allowed to open if we didn't provide staff facilities."
To back-up his application, and to show just how desperately it is needed, Owen has conducted a survey of all the available places trucks can stop in the area. "From Lymme on the M6, which is no longer secure because they've taken the barriers away, there's no secure parking area for trucks all the way down to Chester on the M56, where a lot of drivers have been told not to stop because curtainsiders are getting slashed. There is a cafe off the A55, but only six trucks can park up.
"Where are the drivers meant to stop when their hours are up?" he asks.
Truckstop strategy Since the Irish economy is booming, the number of trucks coming through Flintshire to and from Holyhead is on the increase, and this is putting more pressure on the limited number of places trucks can park.
The A55 is a major Euroroute from Holyhead to Hull, and a lot of freight is coming into the country from Holland and heading across to Holyhead to get to Ireland. "We did a survey to see how many CVs were travelling along the A55 between 7pm and 7am, and we counted 1,100."
This is one of the main reasons. Owen says, that he has chosen the site near J31 for his proposed truckstop. "I've selected this site, and included a business park in the plans, for a reason.
"The Wolverhampton truckstop closed because it wasn't profitable. That's why I want to build an industrial estate, a truckstop and my operating centre.
-Some people have said that truckstops should be built on industrial
parks, but we don't employ enough people to meet the criteria for one of these types of sites, nor can we afford the rent of building a truck park on these premium sites."
Truckstops are vital. Owen adds. "The site I have chosen is half-a-mile off the A55, so if there are any problems, the trucks will not be queuing on the A55."
Not content with just promoting his own plan, Owen is keen for the UK or the Continent to come up with a truckstop strategy to ensure sites are evenly spaced across the road network, and have the financial backing to stay afloat. "The government, I think, realises trucks are the economy of this country, and if it doesn't start to look after truck drivers, then it is ignoring the economy. I also think local councils are going to recognise this." To back up the assertion that truckstops are a necessity, Owen says: "I read an article that said the cost to insurance companies of loads being stolen or damaged while on trucks in transit across Europe is €13bn (110bn). How many truckstops could you build for that?" he asks. "I think even the insurance companies are starting to come to that conclusion. They can only pick up the tab for so long.
"A truck could be carrying a load worth at least Elm and yet it has to park up in a lay-by. It doesn't make sense.
Cleaner trucks Owen points out that distribution centres are secure and yet the loads going into them are left unprotected while out on the road. And it's not just security that's a concern for Owen.
It's also the personal hygiene needs of drivers out on the road. -Some of these drivers leave home on a Sunday, and all they have to look forward to all week is parking in a lay-by without any toilets, hot food or anywhere to have a shower."
All Owen needs now is to obtain planning permission for his proposed truckstop. "We received a lot of opposition from locals, but we are slowly beginning to explain to them we are not going to create extra congestion or pollution.
-New trucks are cleaner than most cars. I'm confident that we will get permission because we can't do without a truckstop," Owen concludes. •