I look after a large truckpark in Dover Port. I want to offer some spaces to owners/operators as a cheaper alternative for their operating centre. Any ideas how best to do that. Do I just advertise it somewhere in trade mags?
MotisFSA:
I look after a large truckpark in Dover Port. I want to offer some spaces to owners/operators as a cheaper alternative for their operating centre. Any ideas how best to do that. Do I just advertise it somewhere in trade mags?
‘a cheaper alternative’, how do you know what they pay?
Associated British ports charge £20 per week.
If it’s any help to anyone, I pay £500 per calendar quarter for parking one truck and trailer in a high-security yard in Faversham, and by “high-security” I mean everything from full CCTV to a guard with an Alsation dog seven nights a week, that works out to £167 a month.
Harry Monk:
If it’s any help to anyone, I pay £500 per calendar quarter for parking one truck and trailer in a high-security yard in Faversham, and by “high-security” I mean everything from full CCTV to a guard with an Alsation dog seven nights a week, that works out to £167 a month.
I would say that’s pretty reasonable, I definitely know of people paying more for less in probably what ought to be cheaper part of the country.
What I was going to say as a general point is that you do have to be careful with what you’re paying for particularly where you’re not having an exclusive parking bay that remains unoccupied whether you’re there or not and you take your keys with you. I have heard horror stories of where places were full and trucks have been put out on the road etc.
Harry Monk:
If it’s any help to anyone, I pay £500 per calendar quarter for parking one truck and trailer in a high-security yard in Faversham, and by “high-security” I mean everything from full CCTV to a guard with an Alsation dog seven nights a week, that works out to £167 a month.
That is dirt cheap, even without all the security. Result…
Could advertise in the local paper, put signs out on the nearby roads & maybe advertise in truck stop weekly.
I pay £240 per month for electric gates & CCTV, never had any problems but I appreciate that’s a tad expensive. It’s such a rigmarole changing O centres, I can’t be arsed.
I did think about parking in Dover when I was putting the plan together and rent was a bit cheaper, £120 a month was typical, but I soon realised that any saving in rent would be more than wiped out by the extra diesel I would use in empty running at the beginning and end of the week. If I had been setting out to do international work then then Dover would have been ideal.
As for advertising it, what Silver Surfer said, particularly putting a sign up where lots of truck drivers will see it.
the going rate round here is £20 a week too !
Harry Monk:
If it’s any help to anyone, I pay £500 per calendar quarter for parking one truck and trailer in a high-security yard in Faversham, and by “high-security” I mean everything from full CCTV to a guard with an Alsation dog seven nights a week, that works out to £167 a month.
Mines the same setup but only 360 a quarter, mind everythings expensive down your end of the country
Thanks for the info. It’s very useful. Am now looking at a service whereby we can become an operating centre (for you perhaps) and as part of the deal, we’ll handle the paperwork (and perhaps even the application fee) on your behalf. Will keep you posted.
Very secure site down in Dover. Customs bonded area also in site (so gives you some idea how secure) and because of port regs on lighting the whole site if lit up like the sun! We even put light sensors on some new signs and they never came on. Contractor told us that it’s never night time!
the firm I used to work for parked in Ashford truck stop, but the problem is its open to anyone with a truck, we had back lights, mirrors ,Suzie’s ,mudguard tops stolen as well as all the damage where trucks had reversed into you then cleared off in the end the firm pulled out of there.
Sounds like a great site. The best way to get people in is the signs by the side of the road & it’s free!
I wouldn’t get too technical if I were you, if someone can’t apply for their own o licence I’m not sure I’d want them in my yard.
gazza1970:
the firm I used to work for parked in Ashford truck stop, but the problem is its open to anyone with a truck, we had back lights, mirrors ,Suzie’s ,mudguard tops stolen as well as all the damage where trucks had reversed into you then cleared off in the end the firm pulled out of there.
sounds like the fsa in dover where the op wants to set up an operating centre. too much coming and going to be 100% safe. 
It is (was) the FSA in Dover but we’ve developed the site (and still are doing). We’ve opened up another 100 or so parking spaces away from the Customs end of things. Actually the google map image is very up to date. Just look for CT17 9DN - you’ll see the new area towards the sea. Large, flat, secure.