East of England worst place in UK for lorry driver facilities
Hundreds of drivers are forced to sleep in their cabs in laybys and on industrial estates because of a shortage of designated stopping points
Last updated 11th Oct 2022
The East of England has been rated one of the worst places in the country for the amount of overnight parking available for lorry drivers.
The Government pledged to the haulage industry in July last year that it would drive efforts to "improve the quantity and quality of overnight facilities".
But lorries pulled up at night in laybys along major roads, like the A14, A12 and A47, remain a common site across the East.
Business group Logistics UK claimed lorry drivers are "woefully under-catered for", while motoring research charity the RAC Foundation warned that so-called fly-parking blocks access for other road users.
Stopping overnight in laybys and industrial estates means drivers do not usually have access to toilets or showers, and are not protected by security personnel or CCTV.
One driver questioned said they "want to be treated like human beings and have proper facilities".
Consultancy firm Aecom was asked by the Department for Transport (DfT) to study overnight lorry parking within five kilometres (3.1 miles) of motorways and major A roads in England.
Research conducted in March recorded an average of 21,234 parked lorries each night, which is 4,473 more than the capacity of secure car parks (16,761).
Demand for spaces has grown faster than supply over the past five years, with Aecom's report describing the situation as "nearly at critical level".
Some 100 purpose-built parking sites fill up every night, compared with 65 in 2017.
95% of designated sites in the East of England are full every night - the highest rate in the whole of the UK.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation and president of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, said:
"Inadequate provision of facilities for lorry drivers has been an intractable issue for years, and the findings of multiple surveys paint the same picture: not enough locations, poor facilities, dodgy security - the list goes on.
"This affects drivers whether they are just stopping for a break or for the night. No wonder many think twice before joining the profession.
"Tackling the issue of lorry parking wouldn't only help our hard-pressed hauliers and delivery drivers, who should be recognised as essential or key workers, it would help us all by cutting down on 'fly-parking' which can clog up laybys, side streets and the slip roads for accessing motorway service areas."
A DfT spokeswoman said: "We've taken unprecedented action to tackle the global HGV driver shortage, including investing over £52 million to improve roadside facilities and lorry parking."
This funding is for improved eating and showering facilities, enhanced security and more parking spaces.