ESTA Director Ton Klijn has written to the association’s members and supporters urging them to complete a European Union survey on the need for improved truck parking and driver facilities.
ESTA has been asked to join the survey through its associate membership of ESPORG, the European Secure Parking Organisation that represents all parties interested in safe and secure truck parking.
Klijn said: “ESTA has identified the lack of parking spaces and rest facilities for HGV drivers in general and abnormal transport drivers in particular as one of our focal points.
“It is important that we, as an industry, make our voices heard in Brussels and we are calling on our members to take part in the survey themselves and also to share it with their employees, colleagues and networks.”
The survey is part of a Brussels-funded study on the availability of suitable rest facilities for professional drivers as well as on the development of safe and secure parking facilities throughout the EU.
ESTA members have long argued that improved facilities will make the industry more efficient and will also be an essential aid to the recruitment of the next generation of drivers, especially women.
The feedback supplied by the survey will play a significant role in helping European regulators and the wider industry to understand the current situation better and to identify areas where improvements can be made.
For any additional information, please contact meetings@eu-study.eu.
The link to the survey is here https://truckparking.eu-study.eu/
Last year, ESPORG was one of a number of European transport and business organisations that wrote an open letter to the European Commission and the European Parliament calling for the creation of 100,000 safe and secure parking areas across Europe.
* In a separate move, ESTA is talking to German petrol station and parking operator Serways about adapting a number of their sites to accommodate abnormal transports.
Discussions are underway about which parking locations in the country should be the top priorities. Suggestions from members will be welcome.