Showers need to be improved and when/if they are then they need to be cleaned and maintained properly. This is a problem at all services. They build a facility that is designed for an occasional shower but is in reality being used constantly for most of the day. I always use showers at night and its surprising how busy they are even at 3 or 4 in the morning. Myself I would quite happily pay for a clean shower, a lot of toilets and showers on the continent (not including france!) have cleaning attendants who will clean the shower after every use.
Although I’m not sure if this is relevant to Extra… some MSAs showers are diabolical- Some of them give out about 5 seconds of water and then switch off.
Hi Deepinvet
If Showers were to improve whould you use the services more than you do now? Can I just clayify that I am not employed by Extra, I am employed by one of the retail/leisure units within the amenity building. I do have regular meetings with the management of Extra so all your and everyones elses comments will be passed on. I am also an ex Class 1 driver myself and it annoyed me when parking in urine and having to walk so far to main building etc.
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So you work for a fast food outlet, the question should of been ‘How can we make you eat even more crap unhealthy food’ !!! saw a burger the other day it was nearly 1000 cals!!!
Like alot of Truck drivers I do not buy your overpriced rubbish, I use the services for fuel or Toilet…or if I have to the showers.
Sorry if this upsets you but todays truck drivers would like a bit more from the ■■■■ smelling unhealthy food supplying services!!!
First it’s abotu time somebody asked truck drivers about MSA’s, so thanks it’s a start.
Like many I don’t really look at the owner of the MSA, it has more to do with how my hours are going and if I need a break and can’t think of anything better than an MSA, to be honest stopping at any MSA either for a 45 minute break or overnight is a last resort.
Now the reasons why.
- If I want to buy anything it’s expensive.
- Parking fees are extotionate.
- lack of parking.
As for Extra. Cambridge. Who on earth designed that parking area? When I go abroad I normally find you can drive in and out of parking spaces. this might even give you more space as you don’t need such an large manourvering area between the bays and if you run in late you can always park behind the truck in the bays.
Extra are certainly not the worst MSA brand. That accolade has to go to MOTO.
Similar to the above comments, showers that are clean and working are my priority at MSA’s.
Showers that need you to exchange keys are an insult…[ and why do some do it? who gains and
what is gained by this? ]
Basin taps that won’t stay on at all. General filth all over the loos. That’s Moto.
I wonder if these facilities have to be local-council inspected/meet standards?
Showers should be accessable from outside the toilet areas, a few are like this.
I hope that the new MSA at Cobham will have 3 or 4 showers. Are the plans available on-line?
Cambridge Services, yes I remember that place.
I pulled into the truck park in the wrecker with an artic on the hook. Trailer had a 10x50 foot cabin on and was pulled out to 55 foot.
Then found out it’s a dead end, and I can’t turn around.
I was over 90 feet long, and bent twice in the middle. Not an easy setup to reverse back out, especially as it was hossing down, pitch black and 2 more artics had followed me in 
My fault entirely I know, but I also know to avoid in the future!
Problems for all MSA’s as I see them:
Parking, at the moment there’s all these signs up saying 2 hours free, after that you have to pay. The MSA’s have invested in ANPR cameras to capture your number plate as you enter/leave. Those that don’t pay, the parking people buy the registered keepers personal info off the DVLA (this in itself is a disgusting practice) then pester the RK for months to pay the parking fee.
As we all know, and the wider public are rapidly learning, these parking ‘fines’ are nothing more than unsolicited invoices, and the best thing for the RK to do is just ignore them. Very rarely do a private parking company take anyone to court, and those that do, lose. This is due to the fact it is illegal for a private company to issue a fine or penalty on an individual. The most they can claim in court is a pre-estimate of their actual losses (usually a couple of quid). Their whole business model relies on bombarding the RK with letters from debt collectors warning of court action, bailiffs, damaged credit rating etc…
But if we simply ignore them, they just give up and move on to easier prey, like little old ladies.
Why is this relevent truckstops at MSA’s?
Simple, put a ticketed barrier on the entrance, manned 24 hours a day. Driver picks up a ticket on his way in. This ticket can then be used by the driver for a discount against food or whatever. The staff in the services will know that driver is parked in the services, not just a motorist with a class1 just trying their luck (solving the bus driver ■■■■ taking problem).
This is a bonus to both driver and MSA.
By the gate being manned, general motorists, caravanists, thieves etc can be kept out, the guy on the gate can turn them away/ redirect them to the right place. This is a bonus to the truckers, more secure area, more spaces available (not full of caravans).
Also by the gate being manned, if someone doesn’t pay the parking, you don’t open the gate. Much much easier for the MSA’s to secure the fee for parking, as increasingly these invoices are being ignored. This is a bonus to the MSA.
At the customer services in the MSA, the drivers gate ticket could be presented for a shower ticket. By doing this the MSA can have a tighter control over the showers, and ultimately improve the maintenance of them. This is a bonus to driver and MSA.
This may seem like the MSA are paying out for not much gain, but a seperate area or discounted food for drivers would ultimately secure more custom from the haulage industry. TMs would encourage their drivers to park in MSAs which are known to be more secure than others. Drivers would want to park in MSAs if they got the same level of service as they do from the independant truckstops.
mucker85:
brett73:
You would sell more food and get more trucks if there was a discount drivers could show there license to prove they are hgv driversthe problem with a system like that is it will be abused. it happened with bus drivers going in and showing their licence to claim the discount offered to working coach drivers.
Which is why most MSA’s either have a membership card, or ask to see your job ticket when going in with the coach.
Depending on how many coach bays you have, make sure that HGV’s have access to some of them between 2100 - 0700. Most coach bays are unused during those times, so leaving about 4 or 5 free for coaches should be plenty.
Also, as a coach driver (and former HGV driver), make sure you have a good rewards scheme in place for coach drivers…you will have to be very good though to beat Welcome Break.
Problems for all MSA’s as I see them:
Parking, at the moment there’s all these signs up saying 2 hours free, after that you have to pay. The MSA’s have invested in ANPR cameras to capture your number plate as you enter/leave. Those that don’t pay, the parking people buy the registered keepers personal info off the DVLA (this in itself is a disgusting practice) then pester the RK for months to pay the parking fee.
As we all know, and the wider public are rapidly learning, these parking ‘fines’ are nothing more than unsolicited invoices, and the best thing for the RK to do is just ignore them. Very rarely do a private parking company take anyone to court, and those that do, lose. This is due to the fact it is illegal for a private company to issue a fine or penalty on an individual. The most they can claim in court is a pre-estimate of their actual losses (usually a couple of quid). Their whole business model relies on bombarding the RK with letters from debt collectors warning of court action, bailiffs, damaged credit rating etc…
But if we simply ignore them, they just give up and move on to easier prey, like little old ladies.Why is this relevent truckstops at MSA’s?
Simple, put a ticketed barrier on the entrance, manned 24 hours a day. Driver picks up a ticket on his way in. This ticket can then be used by the driver for a discount against food or whatever. The staff in the services will know that driver is parked in the services, not just a motorist with a class1 just trying their luck (solving the bus driver ■■■■ taking problem).
This is a bonus to both driver and MSA.
By the gate being manned, general motorists, caravanists, thieves etc can be kept out, the guy on the gate can turn them away/ redirect them to the right place. This is a bonus to the truckers, more secure area, more spaces available (not full of caravans).Also by the gate being manned, if someone doesn’t pay the parking, you don’t open the gate. Much much easier for the MSA’s to secure the fee for parking, as increasingly these invoices are being ignored. This is a bonus to the MSA.
At the customer services in the MSA, the drivers gate ticket could be presented for a shower ticket. By doing this the MSA can have a tighter control over the showers, and ultimately improve the maintenance of them. This is a bonus to driver and MSA.
This may seem like the MSA are paying out for not much gain, but a seperate area or discounted food for drivers would ultimately secure more custom from the haulage industry. TMs would encourage their drivers to park in MSAs which are known to be more secure than others. Drivers would want to park in MSAs if they got the same level of service as they do from the independant truckstops.
Great post with some really good ideas…
cieranc:
Simple, put a ticketed barrier on the entrance, manned 24 hours a day. Driver picks up a ticket on his way in. This ticket can then be used by the driver for a discount against food or whatever. The staff in the services will know that driver is parked in the services, not just a motorist with a class1 just trying their luck (solving the bus driver ■■■■ taking problem).
This is a bonus to both driver and MSA.
Your having a laugh arn’t you, the likes of Moto don’t give a ■■■■ about service or discount for trucks, they’re only interested in £’s into their tills from the occasional visits by car and coach occupants. Lymm used to run a system of ticketed barriers with its rumoured security bods and CCTV, pilfering and fuel robbery still went on and half the time the barrier system was out of action/malfunctioning, it was scrapped in favour of the ANPR system.
Expect to see some lobbying of the Government by MSA operators and car park operators to make their fines legally enforceable in exchange for the scrapping of wheel clamping, that’ll stop those pesky wise guys from non payment of parking charges 
I’d settle for the French type of rest stop areas, decent toilets and showers, no shops, no resturant, and with free parking so no having to bend over and get shafted.
Big Joe:
Expect to see some lobbying of the Government by MSA operators and car park operators to make their fines legally enforceable in exchange for the scrapping of wheel clamping
Expect to see some ■■?
The Bill is at its second reading stage, if we don’t act now it’ll get royal ascent soon and be made law.
This law will make the registered keeper of a vehicle legally responsible for the ‘invoice’.
So that could mean that your missus/son/daughter could park your car in a car park, and you are legally responsible for it.
Likewise, whoever is the registered keeper of the Stobart fleet, for example, would be legally liable for parking tickets.
Act now, or lose another liberty!
I avoid most of the MSAs nowadays but I always thought on Extra as possibly the best of a bad bunch,I find you get a better choice at Extra but it’s still overpriced…The parking at Cambridge is horrendous due to the width of the Truck Park and lorries having to screw it round at the end as the gate is shut,have seen quite a few trucks get damaged from trailer sideswipes there!!!
I HATE chargeable cash machines ,it’s MY money and I’m not about to pay £3 to some corporate ■■■■ to draw my own money out.
Food in most services is fast food,unhealthy,overpriced,sub standard and a lot of the staff are pretty sub standard too…the only saving grace the past few years for me has been M&S as you have a much better choice and the staff are pretty decent/polite as well,still a bit pricey but it’s better than the luke warm overpriced muck that you get in the restaurants.
To be honest I hate MSAs,they just reek of corporate greed to me,they seem geared up for the stinky middle management/Audi,Mondeo driving sales people or on the other hand the new Jeans and crisp white trainer wearing holidaymakers with their caravans,blatantly ripping people off but trying to get away with it by putting up signs like “soup and a roll ONLY £5:99” when £3 would be a ■■■■ take!!!..nothing friendly or inviting about them,they just seem to want to charge top money for everything,for a crap experience.
They should let the snack wagons or independent cabins/cafes to be allowed to set up in the lorry parks that’ serve proper meals at a sensible prices,truckers only though,keep the holiday and salesman rabble away 
Oh yeah,before I forget Truck Parking!!!..over £20 in most for unsecured parking,its absolutely disgusting as fuel and load theft at MSAs are rife,no security or anything…if your gonna charge the extortionate amount they do,then at least they could provide someone to patrol at night!!!..■■■■■!!!
I’d support the notion of freeing-up coach bays during the night…say 18.00 to 06.00.
Loads of wasted space normally.
When Peterborough first opened, the showers were about the best I’d used in MSA’s; the breakfast bar was reasonable value too. Not done any tramping for about four years now, but obviously things have gone downhill. Drivers, though, need to do their part as well, leaving the shower or bog in a fit state for the next man to use.
One thing I really do object to in MSA’s is the ridiculous prices for snacks,sweets and soft drinks. The excuse used to be that it was because they were open 24 hours. Nowadays, so are Tesco’s, and that’s why a lot of drivers now park on industrial estates near a supermarket, or even on the the supermarket carpark itself if the management are accommodating enough.
And if hauliers have to pay serious money for overnight parking, the least they should expect in return is a reasonable standard of security surveillance, instead of companies hiding behind the “if owt gets nicked its your problem” get-out clauses.
Motorway service areas are rat infested rip off places that prey on motorists of all descriptions,most of all lorry drivers.They have the monopoly and overcharge for everything from fuel to rubbish food.Its high time the whole lot of them were given a good roasting and made to provide good value for money services and rest areas as they were originally meant to do.
If over in Europe i use them all the time,
Parking is free, prices are not as overpriced as MSA’s here in the uk
Showers are usually clean and working( hot water) and i don’t mind paying the 1 or 1.5 euros fee to use them
Here in the uk the only time that i will stop in an MSA is if i need the toilet or a 45mins break, then i normally will not buy anything from the food courts so matter who runs them, or anything from the overpriced rip off shops
I have only on a couple of occasions parked overnight, and then i didn’t pay as the boss would not pay me for parking ,and as said due to the crime problems in the uk @ msa’s they have do have some neck to charge to park in a non secure ■■■■ bowl
Dave the Renegade:
Motorway service areas are rat infested rip off places that prey on motorists of all descriptions,most of all lorry drivers.They have the monopoly and overcharge for everything from fuel to rubbish food.Its high time the whole lot of them were given a good roasting and made to provide good value for money services and rest areas as they were originally meant to do.
+1
i was a cambridge on monday night thought the shower was alright clean etc but like many said the park is miles away from the buildings
part of the reason for the sky high prices for food etc is that you cant go anywere else another gripe i have and it might seem petty but why do they not allow trucks to use the coach parking at night when the trailer parks are rammed there probably is a good reason for this but why not allow us to park there after 9pm for example
also you wouldnt feel as bad about paying the prices if the place didnt look like it was falling to bits just look at hilton park
I’d rather the truck parking was further away from the facilities & had more room to actually park the thing rather than trying to squeeze a rizla in between two other trucks, last thing you need after a 15 hour day when you’re shagged and just want to get your head down. I appreciate planning permission and space is at a premium but if the truck park does get full up, they should ■■■■■■■■■ some more space to make the park bigger as they charge so much for it.
If a toilet block was nearer, the ones who ■■■■ on the floor wouldn’t use it anyway. To be fair, truckers have only themselves to blame if they don’t like the smell of ■■■■ on the floor, I can’t say it’s a massive hardship.
I used to frown on the practice but since i’ve been doing more tramping, rolling out of bed at 02:30 in the morning, I wizz on the floor anyway or at the back grass verge if i’m near one, un PC I know but it is 02:30 & as I get older, it’s a must. If it’s in the day I don’t though.
I don’t use the showers so can’t comment on them, paying for the cash machine doesn’t bother me. Can’t comment on wether a gym would get much use, i’d have thought it would be un-economical anyway.
CCTV cameras!! If you’re charging for the parking, driver needs to know he has a fighting chance of not getting his load/diesel pinched in the night.
The food over here is a joke though (not the McDonalds, BK’s, KFC’s), compare our truck stops to American or Euro ones and it really is unreal.
Hiya Pacmanfan.
You have crossed the danger zone by coming in here, it is like stepping into a lions den just before teatime.
It would be interesting to know the company who pay your wages though as that would be a way for us to put your own house in order too. 
I don’t want to pay extra to get at my own money, so would rather pay for my purchases on a card if necessary. I object to the price of everything being so expensive although you are never short of customers. Cigarettes, Shortbread, Chinese Barbecue Sets and the pick and mix are almost out of a truck drivers reach. unlike the gay ■■■■ mags on the top shelf
The parking fees have been touched on, the night out money closely resembles the MSA charging, or vice versa. This money is the drivers own money, not to pay for the lorry park, it is agreed with the IR / HMCE to pay for a drivers main meal and a breakfast with sufficient left over for bedding and laundry. Some of the MSA offer either discounted meals or a free voucher, it never covers the cost of 2 meals.
Drivers park up for 11 or 9 hours, by the time they have had one meal and a shower, they need to rest so the other meal has to be taken elsewhere. It would be interesting to see how many vehicles are left in the car park all day, or certainly for more than 2 hours. The parking areas at night are full of lorries, but the car parks have a few party goers and late night burgling gangs kicking about.
I try to avoid the places because of the quality and cost of the food, I don’t find BK, KFC or Macduffs satisfying or substantial enough, and you asked about gaming machines. I haven’t played on one for over 40 years and rather than an area of flashing lights and buzzing hooters. I would prefer a quiet room away from kids, whining pensioners, reps and fluffy poodles.
don`t turn the truck park into a caravan park in summer like they do on the m5 