Those in favour say "I"

[unionjack]

I have been doing some research (word of mouth with other drivers) on the ossibility of purchasing a going concern or finding land for a new style truck stop.

this is my idea for a new truckstop,

barrier entry (reason will bcome apparent) ticket taken with you, as this will need to be stamped for meal if reqd

Parking for 100 + trucks to include chang over bays (FOC), fridge bays, & short stay bays.

Shower block with washing machine/dryer facilities. £2 for shower tokens for washing

European style restuarant ( prob german style like gieselwind etc)( or what Mommas used to be likein carisio). Top quality food for a fair price, top totty waitress’s.

Bar with evening entertainment

proper shop for accesories like campogalliano or geiselwind again not the cheap crap like we have here.

Third Party workshops

Third Party truckwash/ fridge/tanks etc

exit barrier sytsem

The barrier sytem would be in place for many reasons
If you want to park overnight this will be £10 to include free FULL BREAKFAST OR MEAL& coffe flask (if reqd) to the total of £10!! those that just want to park for the eve would receive nominal fee prob 4/5 quid with recxeipt.

those freeloaders that dont wanna pay at all, ■■■■ in my parking area then cook their own food make repairs to their truck & leave me with their rubbish.

Question is where is decent sized land available apprpriate, I am gonna need backing where do i start with that, Im gonna need sponsors for certain facilities ie garage, shop etc

Or if you all think im a dreamer pls tell me or if someone has real suggestions pls add them

[alan_1]

Barrier Idea is a nice one but as they break before they scratch a bus, don’t ask, I think it would be a rather an exspensive waste.
The only time I have seen a truck go through a barrier / gate, it was at a yard where a manager had fallen out with a driver who had refused to wait any longer & had been locked in, the driver just swung round gave the manager two minutes to open the gates & then proceeded to reverse through them.
According to the Police it was a civil matter, but false inprisonment is not.

[muckles]

Sadly this keeps being tried, you have to find a plot of land in the right place and any land next to a main route with planning permission will either be bought be the MSA’s or Distribution companies.
If you buy the land and get the planning permission past the NIMBY’s (we want the goods but the drivers can stop for a break somewhere else) then your overheads would be so high could you make good food at cheap prices without resorting to serving the cars and coaches.
We do need proper facilities, but I don’t think they will happen in a free market. Perhaps mass legal action from drivers who are unable to find safe places to park. Their must be some H&S rules broken when we have to park in laybys, industrial area or sown slip roads and if people can win claims for stress from working in nice little office job, surely we can claim stress or something for sleeping in a layby or dodgy industrial area in fear for our lives (ott maybe).

[wheel_nut]

The idea is there but sorry yes you are dreaming! Truckstops are run on greed.

The barrier system is at Ashford and pops at Lymm, it doesnt keep the self catering brigade out.

BP at Roye tried this and the barriers lasted about a week.

Toni Strohofer doesnt charge customers for parking, the food is freshly cooked and there are repair shops and truck washes on site. He does allow coaches and familys to use the place but that is the case in all German Truckstops

People will pay for good facilities but not for parking in a swamp or a minefield.

The UK BP truckstops started as a good idea, showers cleaned between use, washing machines, free coffee, etc. The next thing they are removing laundry rooms, allowing prostitutes on site and charging extra for security!

If the prices are reaonable with fresh food and washrooms, drivers will use the place, If they are kept up to these standards the word spreads and profits will come from the turnover, not the parking area.

[cliff_warby]

Great idea! and it never hurts to dream, dreams can and do come true…perseverance can pay off eventually…think positive and all that, never mind the naysayers on here.

[simon]

You will need to do a fair bit of research into exactly where to site it.

Have a good look at The Stockyard, IMHO it is almost perfect. The only thing which could do with improving there is the shower block. It is a later add on but the water heating system wasn’t updated (I think) and struggles to keep up. The showers themselved need to be ‘industrial use’ one as well.

[tom_paris]

Cliff! Couldn’t agree more! Well said!
TP

[ohterry]

good luck to ya falla…at the end of the day if you get it off the ground it will get used and full up… there aint enuff places as it is… i personally think truckstops are a good earner, more importantly they are desperately in short supply… good ones anyway…again GOOD LUCK TO YA

[merlin]

Stock yard is a good example to follow. I agree there is money to be made.
BUT as others have said the problem is land…location location location!.

You need a market… it must be m’way or major trunk, A1 A38 etc.
I notice the cafe at Alrewas on the A38 is closed. i know it wasn’t brilliant but there hangs a tale.

Becareful… but look out for me too as I have the same idea!

Merlin

Take your time

[pat_hasler]

If i remember rightly you have this fantom truck stop is much the same a the poplar was when i last visited it, right down to the barrier system, shops, choice of cafes, bar and entertainment. Mind you it has probably gone down hill since then as most do.

I had a similar idea for a replacement for Jacks Hill at Towcester but got no financial backing for that cafe. I am not sure how thing are now but then Jacks hill was the only place fit to park between Northampton and Southampton on the A43 and ■■■■■■■ with the A5 of course.

I also had a great idea for a replica ‘Thatched Cottage’ style English pub on route 9 between Queensbury and Lake George NY, I actually had financial backers lined up but with the total non smoking ban in NY now, it is not worth it.

[carl]

theres an old truckstop on the a38 near burton doing nothing just needs a good refurb and the right advertising in the trucking press

[unionjack]

thanks all as this post has shown there is scope , i think i need to do some research etc

[unionjack]

after re reading some of these posts some have mentioned theres money to be made etc etc… now this may sound corny but i reckon If I provide a service & enjoy providing that service the “profit” would be a by product.

[davey_driver]

It’s a good idea, but as for financing

Well I can tell you from First hand experience Banks will not get involved, I approached them in 2000 looking for finance for the Hour Guard, every Bank knocked it back on the grounds that they could not grasp how clever the timer was.

I ended up with the full backing of the wife, re-mortgaging the family home on a (zb)or Bust outcome, along with 2 very good friends each putting £5,000 each in to the business, the family home was risked and if we failed it was cheerio to all I’d worked for, and believe me, it involved a lot of worry and stress.

Luckily we ordered 3,000 timers for the first order and based everything on it taking 6 months to sell them, the lead time was 12 weeks, by the time the first shipment arrived we could not fill the orders and had to place a second order just to supply the demand.

The Hour Guard has now been on the market 3 years on July 11th and to date over 49,000 have been sold, and this was only a dream that fruititioned into reality because of the support of my wife.

If you have a dream then go for it, it’s pointless sitting there in 4 years time wondering “What If”

Start a business, and get family and friends to chip in for a number of shares, thats the most important bit, dont go into a business blind do lots of research.

If you put £40,000 up you’ll find the Banks will be willing to put another £40,000 up, but they need indemnities and guarantees.

We found out afterwards that once you show a success, the banks litterally try to throw the money at you, but we were in a position where both of us got great pleasure in telling the Bank where to go, we struggled and reaped the benefit which lost the bank a lot of interest

Go for it, I would consider shares in it

sorry Davey it had to go mrs mix

[wheel_nut]

Davey!
I bet you get a proper cup with a saucer in the bank now. and I bet they call you Sir or Mr Driver and mean it.

Well done anyway

[dafman]

No you are not a dreamer amd me and wifey have been thinking about the same thing, i would not bother with tank, Trl or truck wash it would be to much hassle, same with a workshop, but a piece of land big enough would cost a lot of money and then there is planning permission, don’t give up though .

[davey_driver]

Wheel Nut:
Davey!
I bet you get a proper cup with a saucer in the bank now. and I bet they call you Sir or Mr Driver and mean it.

Well done anyway