Urgent reform to the planning system enabling the provision of more HGV parking facilities is now required after a government study found pressure for overnight parking was above critical levels, according to Logistics UK.
The department for transport-commissioned national survey of lorry parking found average night on-site utilisation was 85% or more for all routes in England for 11 out of 12 months except the Midlands, which was at 62%.
In the East of England night utilisation was 99%, in the North West it was 88% and in the South East it was 89%.
The East of England peaked the highest at 119%.
“On average, 60% of vehicles observed at night throughout the 12 months across the four selected routes were UK registered, and 40% non-UK registered,” the report said.
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“A higher number of UK registered vehicles was recorded at on-site and off-site parking locations on all the routes during both day and night audits, except in the South East where the number of non-UK registered vehicles was much higher, especially at night: 87% on average at night.”
Logistics UK said the results showed that commercial drivers were being ignored when it came to their right to use proper hygiene and rest facilities.
Jonathan Walker, head of cities and infrastructure policy at the business group, said: “The publication of the latest lorry parking survey demonstrates just how desperate and urgent the need is for more secure facilities for these vehicles, an issue which our members have been pressing government to help fix for a long time.
“Drivers need safe, secure and clean facilities to take mandatory rests and to look after basic human needs – something which workers in other sectors take for granted.
“They also must be confident that those facilities will have the space to accommodate them when they arrive. Our industry is working hard to attract a younger, more diverse workforce but this issue undoubtedly harms the appeal of working in logistics.”
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