As I’ve been doing some work on this topic, I thought I’d mention to members here the existence of a petition to the Government at Parliament.com titled: Provide much needed Truck Stops across the UK with modern facilities.
The Petition might be another way to help raise awareness of the needs of UK truck drivers.
You can find all the details on the Petition page itself, and signing-up takes literally a minute or two - here’s the link: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/169853
If just 1 in 40 UK HGV license holders signed this petition, it would compel the Government to at least take notice of this need, and reply to the petition. If 1 in 4 drivers signed-up, they would have to debate it, and thus render it more newsworthy and important to the general population.
Done, but if the government plan on taxing your night out allowances, they’re not really going to entertain an idea that helps your situation. The only true answer, and something I’m looking to do in the new year, is stop doing nights out. This needs employers intervention , not employees
OVLOV JAY:
Done, but if the government plan on taxing your night out allowances, they’re not really going to entertain an idea that helps your situation. The only true answer, and something I’m looking to do in the new year, is stop doing nights out. This needs employers intervention , not employees
Think that’s a valid viewpoint, but I can’t see what problem the govt would have in at least admitting that we need more facilities - If those facilities existed, in addition, drivers would have valid expenses to charge in full, even if they exceeded the current tax-free amount . .
The people who will get done down by all this, of course, will be the drivers who overnight without spending anything, and count the allowance as part of their wages - understandable, but the reality is that they are possibly depending on an income source HMRC probably want to wipe out.
There are nowhere near enough spaces for HGV’s, and as for whether we’ll get better facilities…
The self driving trucks of the bright new future won’t need to rest, eat or crap!
Evil8Beezle:
There are nowhere near enough spaces for HGV’s, and as for whether we’ll get better facilities…
The self driving trucks of the bright new future won’t need to rest, eat or crap!
Well, at least we’re trying to achieve something . . . I’m afraid that I’m one of those people who would rather keep trying . . .
Dear Government. Can we please have some more land to park our trucks on please? Yours, A Driver.
Dear A Driver. Thankyou for your request. Unfortunately some of you are disgusting filthy pigs who crap in newspaper and leave it in lay-by’s. Some of you also throw bottles of ■■■■ everywhere. There are also many of you who throw rubbish everywhere. Some of you also ruin grassed areas.
I know we are pushed for space in this country but I am sure that there are plenty of derelict sites or old airfields near to most of our main roads that could for relatively small sums of money be converted into at the very least vast parking areas with a shower block and toilets so that no matter what time of day you arrive you know that you will be guaranteed to find a place to park and the chance of a shower. Just basic facilities such as these would make the world of difference. It is so frustrating to drive down the M1 needing a break only to pull in the services and then drive straight out again cause there is not a spot to be had. You can drive into three different services one after the other and drive straight out again. Its a ■■■■ take at times.
Evil8Beezle:
There are nowhere near enough spaces for HGV’s, and as for whether we’ll get better facilities…
The self driving trucks of the bright new future won’t need to rest, eat or crap!
Well, at least we’re trying to achieve something . . . I’m afraid that I’m one of those people who would rather keep trying . . .
And I commend you for it, but I can’t see the government caring as they can already see a long term solution rendering money spent now as wasted down the road. Whether we put up with crap facilities and lack of space for 20 years, won’t mean a thing to them if they believe this stuff won’t be needed in the future.
My bad guys, I’m the worst for this. New ind est built nice and green areas… I’ll go out my way to make it a hard reverse and put some muddy marks in that grass verge.
Think only the Beaver has given the right answer, before you ask the goverment you need to ask your bosses it’s them who want you out all night if there not bothered get a day job untill things improve
As the original poster here, delighted to tell you that around 70 new signatures since I posted the details here - although it has also been publicised heavily on Facebook and other places which I can’t mention here.
That means we just need another 8,000+ sign-ups to get the petition noticed by Govt - but the big point is getting it noticed by TV, radio and other media, who can help raise the profile.
Please mention it around the place at work or wherever, and if you can post the petition link on pages and timelines, and ask your contacts and friends to sign-up.
eagerbeaver:
Dear Government. Can we please have some more land to park our trucks on please? Yours, A Driver.
Dear A Driver. Thankyou for your request. Unfortunately some of you are disgusting filthy pigs who crap in newspaper and leave it in lay-by’s. Some of you also throw bottles of ■■■■ everywhere. There are also many of you who throw rubbish everywhere. Some of you also ruin grassed areas.
So no…F**k off. Yours, The Government.
Well said Eagerbeaver , Ive retired now but the way some drivers mistreat facilitys is disgusting ! In the services summertime the smell of ■■■■ is digusting and those that ■■■■ under the trailers want shooting .while this goe’s on we will get nowhere .
jeffrey ellener:
the way some drivers mistreat facilitys is disgusting ! In the services summertime the smell of ■■■■ is digusting and those that [zb] under the trailers want shooting .while this goe’s on we will get nowhere .
That’s a big part of the problem, Jeffrey. Since beginning to work as a (formally long-retired!) journalist in this field a very few months ago, I’ve met many drivers - and all of them sensible, interesting and interested men and women, most of whom love their work. Some of them are serious, some comical, but they’ve all been decent people.
But as is so often the case, the vast majority are outweighed by the small minority who mess up everything they touch. It’s them that create the low public opinion of truck drivers, despite the fact that without trucks we stop eating and drinking, etc., etc. One of my aims is to try to restore the public’s view of drivers as people worthy of better treatment and proper respect - and when I found this petition, I decided to get behind it.
i know that it is very unlikely to change anything, but I do believe that if drivers and everyone in the industry gets behind it, it would at least be a starting point . .
