Its 8pm. You have been driving for 3.5 hours and are 1hr 10 mins from secure parking.
You know there is no point trying to park on a MSA so you start looking for a parking space
Every layby/parking space it full. Then you have no choice but to push on only to find your route is closed and you are diverted. Still no where to take your 11hrs cos you already had 3x9s this week. I end up with 10 hrs 22 mins before finally parking outside the place I am booked to tip. I have a high value load in a curtainsider. This happens a lot and I am sick of it. You are screwed either way and as I am not Bulgarian I cant park on the hard shoulder
What would you have done?
- you should of chosen to park somewhere earlier if you knew you were going over your time.
- you do have a choice.
- parking outside your customers premises isn’t exactly secure parking for high value load is it.
- If this happens a lot then why do it?
- don’t come on here moaning that you’ve been screwed over when it’s your own choice to go over your hours when you clearly went past an msa to get to somewhere that wasn’t secure.
lizard:
- you should of chosen to park somewhere earlier if you knew you were going over your time.
- you do have a choice.
- parking outside your customers premises isn’t exactly secure parking for high value load is it.
- If this happens a lot then why do it?
- don’t come on here moaning that you’ve been screwed over when it’s your own choice to go over your hours when you clearly went past an msa to get to somewhere that wasn’t secure.
Did you even read what I wrote?
- At least an hour before I was due to stop I began my fruitless search for parking.
- What choice?
3.There is a manned security hut next to me.
4.Lack of parking happens a lot. Do you tramp? - When is the last time you tried to park on a MSA past 8pm. Not exactly secure either are they?
viking7000:
lizard:
- you should of chosen to park somewhere earlier if you knew you were going over your time.
- you do have a choice.
- parking outside your customers premises isn’t exactly secure parking for high value load is it.
- If this happens a lot then why do it?
- don’t come on here moaning that you’ve been screwed over when it’s your own choice to go over your hours when you clearly went past an msa to get to somewhere that wasn’t secure.
Did you even read what I wrote?
- At least an hour before I was due to stop I began my fruitless search for parking.
- What choice?
3.There is a manned security hut next to me.
4.Lack of parking happens a lot. Do you tramp?- When is the last time you tried to park on a MSA past 8pm. Not exactly secure either are they?
Yes I did read what you wrote but you do have a choice to park wherever you want weather it’s 3 hours from your drop or 10 mins, you should have made a choice of several places you would like to park so that if you did get caught out then you had a back up plan. and yes I do tramp and very successful at it for 16 years.
So you park where ever you like after 6 hours driving? You wouldnt be tramping long for my boss. Going into a service area at night serves no purpose but wastes driving time as they are all full as you should know. You might be lucky enough to get past the diesel pumps and escape. Maybe you know of a safe place to park everywhere you go in which case I will take you on as my drivrs mate.
viking7000:
So you park where ever you like after 6 hours driving? You wouldnt be tramping long for my boss. Going into a service area at night serves no purpose but wastes driving time as they are all full as you should know. You might be lucky enough to get past the diesel pumps and escape. Maybe you know of a safe place to park everywhere you go in which case I will take you on as my drivrs mate.
I always route myself along a route that has the most possible parking spots that I frequent regularly so as not to get caught out.
viking7000:
So you park where ever you like after 6 hours driving? You wouldnt be tramping long for my boss. Going into a service area at night serves no purpose but wastes driving time as they are all full as you should know. You might be lucky enough to get past the diesel pumps and escape. Maybe you know of a safe place to park everywhere you go in which case I will take you on as my drivrs mate.
Perhaps you shouldn’t be tramping for your boss either!
Frequent regularly is the key unfortunatey I go to new places mostly so do not have the luxury of local knowledge otherwise I would not have had the problem hence no post would have been written. So my question still stands, what would others have done. I am really trying to highlight the cronic lack of parking and facilities in general in the UK. They want the goods but not the trucks or drivers. Then to rub salt in the wounds you get done for breaking hours rules that were written by morons with no idea of transport at all.
A disgrace IMO and makes us a joke compared to our Euro cousins.
viking7000:
Frequent regularly is the key unfortunately I go to new places mostly so do not have the luxury of local knowledge otherwise I would not have had the problem hence no post would have been written. So my question still stands, what would others have done. I am really trying to highlight the chronic lack of parking and facilities in general in the UK. They want the goods but not the trucks or drivers. Then to rub salt in the wounds you get done for breaking hours rules that were written by morons with no idea of transport at all.
A disgrace IMO and makes us a joke compared to our Euro cousins.
parking in some EU countries can be on a par with the UK, France or parts of it are just as bad truck-stops and services are full of talibahn who seem to just abandon their vehicles where ever they can instead of parking them in the allocated parking bays, sometimes blocking your exit or access to the fuel pumps
Yes i have ended up going over my driving time,easily done if you are not familiar with the area you are going to or where parking is available along the route, more so exceeding duty time, sh*t happens as they say, but no doubt vostapo will take a dim view, and their euro land counterparts will seek to take as much of your hard earned from you as possible, you company shouldn’t plan things so tight the only thing you can do is start looking 2hrs before your time is up for a safe suitable parking place, and if that means you don’t do the full 9 or 10hrs ,tuff, unless Mr boss-man is going to pay any fines you get,and keep you in a job if your lgv entitlement is taken away for repeatedly breaking the rules
Just a question, maybe naive of me but if you have a high value load should your company/planner not sort your parking? If its that significant?
If not and your load gets liberated and you are in a layby because you are out of time, and you are unaware of said crime, life goes on.
I’m not a tramper, never have been, very rarely go places I haven’t been a million times… but I get what you’re saying, pulled into a services (Think it was Charnock Richards) with about 20 mins driving left before a 45 was required, ended up sitting in the middle of the park next to a abandoned Mini Cooper, when I woke up there was a Stobarts truck parked next to me, and another HGV parked up behind him!!! When I drive past Hamilton services at night, it looks crammed to bursting point!!!
viking7000:
Its 8pm. You have been driving for 3.5 hours and are 1hr 10 mins from secure parking.
You know there is no point trying to park on a MSA so you start looking for a parking space
Every layby/parking space it full. Then you have no choice but to push on only to find your route is closed and you are diverted. Still no where to take your 11hrs cos you already had 3x9s this week. I end up with 10 hrs 22 mins before finally parking outside the place I am booked to tip. I have a high value load in a curtainsider. This happens a lot and I am sick of it. You are screwed either way and as I am not Bulgarian I cant park on the hard shoulder
What would you have done?
You said in your next post that this happens all the time so you’ve no excuse at all. You should have planned better and made a decision to get to place x leaving yourself sufficient contingency time to still get there if an enroute road was closed. As it was you didn’t do either and have broken the law by nearly an hour and a half which VOSA will have 0 sympathy for should you get a tug.
Also, I’m intrgued to know what these “secure places” you were hoping to park are were? You contradict yourself by saying that the MSAs are always full at that time of night but you wouldn’t be parking there with a high value load anyway so it’s completely moot.
In short, you need to spend more time planning and less time whinging on internet forums.
Whinging on internet forums? HMM…Where do I recognise that writing style from? 
High value load you would rather park on a road? Even parking on an msa would be better even if it meant parking outside a bay.
Work always said if you go over your hours when you pass somewhere to stop then you get an infringement and a bollocking simple really common sense.
viking7000:
Its 8pm. You have been driving for 3.5 hours and are 1hr 10 mins from secure parking.
You know there is no point trying to park on a MSA so you start looking for a parking space
Every layby/parking space it full. Then you have no choice but to push on only to find your route is closed and you are diverted. Still no where to take your 11hrs cos you already had 3x9s this week. I end up with 10 hrs 22 mins before finally parking outside the place I am booked to tip. I have a high value load in a curtainsider. This happens a lot and I am sick of it. You are screwed either way and as I am not Bulgarian I cant park on the hard shoulder
What would you have done?
Sometimes crap happens and we find ourselves in these situations, ideally with an 1hr + driving we have loads of options but heavy traffic can change that quite a bit.
I’m new to tramping myself but usually start thinking about where I’m parking the moment I start off (if i’m lucky enough to know my jobs for the day), often though I will only be able to plan properly when i know my last job or next days morning delivery collection point.
Options is the key word here, we need to give ourselves as many as possible, easier said than done but usually we will have a good idea of parking spots available based on the day of the week and our finish time (it its gonna be before 6 we are laughing, after 7 - tricky, after 8 have to be creative).
Anyway this site might help, they have an app also but it costs a few quid - website is free:
hgvparking.com/
Although friday it was no help to me as i was late and had to get creative myself luckily using my map book I found a nice secure little spot, not telling anyone where it is though.
Oh in your sitation I would pull over locate the closest / safest spot possible then bugger going over hours just get there and write on printout reasons for going over hours, think an unkown diversion route would be acceptable. I wouldn’t care if it wasn’t though as if its a rare event I’m unlikely to be called up for smacked bottom by our Bev.
What night was this?
viking7000:
Going into a service area at night serves no purpose but wastes driving time as they are all full as you should know.
I always find places to park in MSAs on a night time. Most of the spots I park for my 45 you’d be able to take your 9 or 11hrs without upsetting anyone.
High value load does not excuse you for going over by almost an hour and a half. There’s very few places in this country where you could not find decent parking within an hour and a half.
You wouldnt be tramping long for my boss.
Don’t think I’d want to work long for someone who plans runs as badly as he appears to.
22 mins over
Write on your chart the reason why
Hope for the best if you get stopped in the next 28 days
Avoid doing again
We are all human and 5#1T Happens
This was a thursday night. The plan would have got me to my tip if it wasnt for accidents, roadworks and closures. Trying to find parking actually wastes more time. I tried and failed to find a space in any laybys and 3 MSA. All a waste of precious time.
As for choices. Well I would have been parked up until 11am so you have worry about being moved on during your rest so Ind. Estates no good. If you can find a laybe you can have your fuel nicked or curtain slashed. No different in MSA or truck stops so we are routed to park at tipping point and usually can in time.
Its a no win situation. What would your boss say if you parked up with 2 or 3 hours driving time left then got robbed, incase you might have trouble parking later on? This is the real world and facilities for us are pathetic. If I do get fined then he will pay because at least I attempted to get the job done. No wonder youngsters are not coming into the job.
Take a print out and write on it (not perfect but better than nowt)
I do a lot of night work and its sometimes very difficult to find somewhere to get a 45 break in let alone a full 11 rest. I agree all MSAs (I hate them) and lay-bys seam to fill up very early.
When I first started driving (mid 1970s) most cities and towns had lorry parks (a lot were free) but everyone seams so anti truck now. I think this maybe part of the problem.