HGV drivers will
benefit from £20 million to improve roadside facilities, as part
of continued government action with industry to boost driver
welfare and tackle the effects of the global driver shortage in
the UK.
The funding is part of National Highways’ existing £169
million Users and Communities
Fund, and will go specifically towards improving security,
showers and eating facilities as well as exploring increasing
parking spaces for lorry drivers. Roadside service operators are
being encouraged to apply for the multimillion-pound fund
immediately.
It means the government has now taken 33 actions to
support the sector and address a shortage of HGV drivers affecting countries
around the world.
The funding takes the total government investment in driver
facilities to £52.5 million since last year. £32.5 million was
previously committed in the Chancellor’s budget to
provide better facilities right across the country
for HGV drivers, to
drive up standards and further safeguard driver comfort and
safety.
Roads Minister Baroness Vere said:
HGV drivers play a
key role in keeping our nation running and contributing to the
economy, and it is vital they feel safe and comfortable wherever
they stop.
That’s why we’re allocating £20 million to ramp up security and
improve amenities for drivers – building on the raft of measures
we’ve already taken to support the industry.
We’ll continue to work closely with the sector to boost
professional driver numbers even further.
Nick Harris, National Highways Chief Executive, said:
We want all road users to reach their destination safely and
encourage everyone, from those who drive as a profession through
to people traveling on holiday or for leisure purposes, to plan
ahead before setting off and to take regular breaks.
We are dedicated to improving the experience of everyone using
our roads and remain committed to working closely with operators
of roadside facilities to help improve the standard of parking
and other amenities they provide on motorways and major A-roads.
We are hopeful that the £20 million being announced today will go
some way towards achieving this goal.
A Logistics UK Skills Report
2021 revealed significant steps have been taken by both
government and industry to help address recruitment issues that
have plagued the sector for years.
Among other measures already taken to support the haulage
industry:
Thanks to the measures taken, over the last 6
months DVLA processed
more than 240,000 vocational (bus and lorry) licence
applications, and in December 2021 they issued 150% more
provisional vocational driving licences (14,210 in total) than in
the equivalent pre-pandemic month in December 2019.
There are also no delays in the processing of vocational driving
licences, with routine applications being processed within normal
turnaround times of 5 working days.
Meanwhile, DVSA carried
out an unprecedented 27,144 HGV driving tests between
October and December last year compared to the same period in
2019 when 17,685 HGV tests were carried out.
Ken McMeikan, CEO of Moto hospitality
said:
This announcement is a welcome boost for the UK’s hardworking HGV drivers and the sector. It
is encouraging to see that the input provided by Moto and other
industry figures have been acknowledged and acted upon by the
Department for Transport.
Moto continually invests in refurbishing and cleaning the
services we provide for HGV drivers and has been
investing £12.5 million in upgrading all our showers and toilet
facilities.
We look forward to making an application to this £20 million
fund, which would allow us to accelerate our plans for enhanced
security and increase the physical number of showers we can
offer.
Mags Simpson, Logistics UK’s Head of Policy Engagement:
The announcement of an additional £20 million to
boost HGV driver facilities is a
positive step forward for industry, and
Logistics UK is now
calling on roadside service operators to urgently apply for
funding.
Logistics UK members have previously cited the
lack of available lorry parking and suitable roadside facilities
as one of the main barriers to recruitment and as a result, an
increase in funding for this vital sector of the economy is much
welcomed news. Lorry drivers are required by law to take regular
rest periods, including overnight mandated rest breaks.
It is vital that these key workers, who are charged with keeping
the nation stocked with all its required goods, have a safe place
to take these breaks, where they are also able to make use of
much needed bathroom and catering facilities.
