Truckers could face fines when resting overnight on small roads

Truckers could face bans when parking vehicles up on small roads near industrial estates, if counsellor’s actions are taken further. On Thirsk Industrial Estate members of the local community have plans in place to implement a Public Space Protection Order following various complains from mess and property damage left by drivers in the area.

Head of a UK leading transport firm has pleaded that councils show more kindness and consideration when matching the demands of drivers who often struggle to find a space to rest in the area. A similar situation occurred in a Leeming Bar based industrial estate which became very problematic for drivers struggling to find a space.

If a driver is found to be parked in one of these areas overnight, where it is clearly established that they are not permitted to park they could face a fine if caught by local residents or a ticket officer. Currently, this is being trialled for the first 6 months as the council are very aware this could lead to drivers parking in other nearby areas causing further disturbances for residents in those areas.

As members of the transport industry have stated, truckers struggle to find spaces for their vehicles and local councils have yet to produce a solution that would be beneficial to both parties. This would mean truckers could find the spaces they need to match demand and park up for the night without disturbing any local residents within the area
.
Ken Devereux spoke on behalf of Devereux Transport, a Billingham based transport firm. He said many towns used to have lorry parks but in more recent memory not many towns maintained them or kept enough spaces to match the increase of lorry drivers over the years.

Speaking on the matter he stated: "If a lorry driver is parking overnight in a truck park, he might be parked next to a truck having a statutory mid-shift break of 45 minutes, so trucks are arriving and departing at all times through the night. A industrial estate might offer a peaceful area to park, albeit with no facilities whatsoever.

"Scattered across most countries in Europe are places where lorry drivers can park overnight and include basic facilities. This county I am afraid still treats the lorry driver with little respect and local councils provide little in the way of facilities and that has been the case for many years when most councils had vast financial surpluses, some perhaps gained by selling off the lorry parks for development.

"Whilst I agree totally for respect to be shown by lorry drivers to the area they might be overnight parking at, please local councillors spare a thought to providing facilities for people visiting your town in the course of their employment to either deliver or collect goods."

Mr Devereux also said the concern is nationwide and not just in North Yorkshire, mention parking for truckers and services “are not the greatest” and more efforts are needed to support truckers from everyone in the industry, including local and national politicians.

Back to news