Whats wrong with MSA's?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

A MSA wants to know… :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

No… seriously, a MSA operator serously wants to know what is wrong with the service provided to professional drivers by MSA’s.

One of the major MSA’s has contacted us and asked us to assist them in finding out why a disproportionate number of complaints recieved are from HGV drivers.

They are doing this on TruckNet UK as part of an extended research which will include other ways of gaining responses from HGV drivers
(methinks someone hasnt met their performance targets because of complaints and their bonus is at risk!! :smiley: :wink: :wink: )

I suggested that a post be made on this forum so that you can all have your say,
rather than just getting my single view,

They are expecting criticism,( and have some in return re: “professional” drivers). but can I suggest if any MSA actually gets anything right it could be worthwhile including the positive comments :open_mouth: (if any) just to show them what works!! :wink:

I have agreed that this MSA operator will remain anonymous for the purposes of this critique of ALL MSA’s

2

Too expensive

3

Rikki-UK:
One of the major MSA’s has contacted us and asked us to assist them in finding out why a disproportionate number of complaints recieved are from HGV drivers.

Because LGV drivers spend a disproportionate amount of time on the road, travelling further distances, are forced to take breaks at prescribed intervals, and find it difficult to go elsewhere (how many people would pull off at a junction and look for a nice pub nearby when driving a 58ft artic?)

Anyway, my opinions from my own (very limited) experience…

Most of them have relatively good toilets, although Membury’s are absolutely awful.

I realise that they have higher overheads than most retail outlets, but paying over £5 for a baguette and a packet of crisps was taking the [zb].

One of the MSAs on the M6 between Brum and Manchester (Hilton Park I think) has an exit from the truck park where you have to give way to cars coming from the left, at about 60 degrees to the direction of your road (i.e. in a complete blind spot. In a rigid, you can’t screw the unit round to look, so you just have to pull out very slowly and hope.

The truck parks stink of [zb], but I think that’s mostly down to the drivers (although the MSAs are partly at fault for placing the toilets so far away).

I have never had to stay overnight anywhere, so I can’t comment on that.

4

They should have toilet blocks actually on the lorry park!

5

Most have truck parks that are far too small & where you exit into MSA traffic you cannot see, yet who have priority over you. When are they going to give us a truck park exit that is not dangerous.
I disagree with McFibble on over heads, due to quantities bought & general site costs etc, they have lower costs per unit than the average village shop yet charge 100% more. its not overheads its greed.
If MSA’s charge HGV drivers for a service, i.e. parking overnight then those drivers have a right to expect a service, not contempt.

6

i know some (me included :blush: ) drivers carry a bit of weight but making us walk 1/2 a mile to get something to eat is taking the [zb] ref: oxfordand the one on the m42 south side.

the food portions are what i call kiddie portions and the 60 watt bulb keeping the food hot just doesn’t do it. if i eat at msa’s i make sure it has a kfc or burgerking, not bleeding wimpy.

if you are going to put drivers toliet facility’s next to the petrol forecourt make sure you can get in it at 3am.

o and can you stop the night trunkers blocking the forecourt just to get a coffee and take there 45 minute break there blocking the pumps.

jon

7

Showers - Not enough of them, usually in poor condition and no way to lock door. It would be better with proper washrooms, which have a toilet, shower sink and seat. As per some Nightowl stops. :smiley:

Drinks and food - Far too expensive £1.99 for a coffee, no chance of me buying one of them. Food limited menu and food been hanging around too long, ending up shrivelled and cold.

Parking - Usually not enough of it, bays often too close together.

Toilets - Too far away and usually made by Ikea. :unamused:

Security - There is none. :unamused:

8

as the old saying goes…you only get what you pay for…but…i wonder why the service areas in europe are free to park and the quality is much greater…the prices for beverages in the uk are reasonable…but most of the time it is stewed…the food is pre cooked and at most times is unpalatable…fresh cooked food is obviously better…but too pricey for the trucker…the travelling salesman can claim it back though…but upon saying that…the daily food allowance (or night out money) is used to supplement the lousy wages this industry pays…and theres the problem…im very sure that if a driver could take home a living wage, and his allowance was given to him before he sets off for the week(like we used to get ) then he would have more money in his pocket for his food..toilets need to be on the truck park..and that may stop drivers using the park as a toilet..of course you will always have the exception!! parking needs to be seperated so drivers can get a good quiet nights sleep and not be disturbed by fridges etc and of course supermarket drivers who insist on running their engines during their rest period..maybe fridges could plug into an electric point ■■ but the parking areas need to be re-designed and all this costs money..who will pay?? the current parking charges are exhorbitant £10-£11 a night is the norm and this needs to be reduced..maybe a return to the old system of drivers only cafes and a lounge with tv etc should return and lower prices should be a priority…

9

…the prices for beverages in the uk are reasonable

If you mean msa prices I would like to know which ones you have been to as I would not say ANY msa charges a reasonable price for anything. :confused:

fresh cooked food is obviously better…but too pricey for the trucker.

Yes fresh is best, but why pricey :question: I think you will actually find that fresh produce works out much cheaper than any pre-prepared rubbish. I avoid them as much as possible but of course you can’t always do that when your time runs out, some may be reasonably clean, some may have pleasent staff but that doesn’t help with the overnight parking, toilets/washrooms, security etc. they all need to get sorted maybe they should visit some of the smaller cafes and truckstops to see how they can do it and learn a thing or two.

10

My main complaint with MSA’s is the price of parking!!!

As one of the European drivers on here, I am amazed that we can park over the water free… with good facilities etc yet here it costs an arm and a leg to park. The security is rubbish and a waste of time. More truck theft happens on a MSA than anywhere in the UK!!

11

jonboy:
o and can you stop the night trunkers blocking the forecourt just to get a coffee and take there 45 minute break there blocking the pumps.
jon

Dont pull into the Moss if your ever near it then :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

12

I notice that in the last month Membury has taken out its free-to-use ATM and replaced it with a £1.50 a go ATM.

It is this sheer, unadulterated rip-off greed that nauseates people- not just truck drivers, but anyone forced to use MSAs.

The trouble is that MSA`s are not subject to market forces- there is a limited number of them (limited by the government) and so they can charge what they want. And they do. Boy oh boy, they do.

The best thing would be if Stelios was allowed to build Easy-MSA next door to Membury services. That would give the rip-off thieving scumbags something to think about…

Vince

13

A number of MSAs spring to mind, Hartshead moor W/bd, Birch both sides, and a number of others, if they sorted the parking by painting lines on the floor, they would be able to fit more trucks in, safely. More parked trucks, more money, speculate to accumalate, or don’t they believe in this.
Food prices are exorbitant, and I would agree, pay for use ATMs are a rip-off and should be made illegal.
The reason we have to pay, where we don’t over the water, is because when the government owned them, it was free or very cheap.
Then they were sold off to private enterprise, who have to look after every aspect of every inch of space they have, over the water, they are still classed as public road, so the government look after the tarmac at least, in this country if that was the case, we’d be on bare soil before long.
Be honest with yourselves, if you were running the business of running a parking area, which would you rather have.

  1. Cars with two or more people spending £5 a head, stopping for an hour.
  2. A coach with 52 passengers spending £5 a head, stopping for an hour.
  3. A truck with one person in it spending £5 a head, then stopping for up to 12 hours and taking up the space of 4 cars or 1.5 coaches, Oh, and paying a measly £10-15 for the parking.

My answer would be No 2, followed by No 1, with No 3 a looooooong looooong way behind.

I don’t like having to pay for parking, but at least I get it back from my employer, unlike some.
On a week away, I will take my fridge box with me, and have a hot meal at a cafe, without paying for parking, freshly prepared as well.
MSAs are a necessary evil, and could easily charge us a hell of a lot more than they do, And get away with it, there again, similar could be said about Truckstops, but at least they usually have more than one tiny little shower.
Birch W/bd had the opportunity to make things better during the rebuild, I doubt somehow that they will have done.
We must also have capable security on the MSAs, there is too much damage done at some.

14

Pretty much the same for me,cost too much, too far from facilities at most of them,etc,etc.

But what annoys me the most,and I have mentioned this before in the past,is that you can walk into the Gents and you may find two or three cubicles out of action due to them being, ahem, “blocked” , yet out in the main foyer of the building you will nearly always find a cleaner mopping the floor :open_mouth:
WHY WHY WHY■■?
I’m more concerned about a usable cubicle than how shiny and clean the bloody floor is!!! What kind of impression are these people trying to make?

Another thing is that they could at least try to paint parking bay lines that will actually accept an artic, EG Clackett Lane,Fleet, Stafford,Knutsford, anyone who has stopped at these places will know what I mean, and I’m certain there are many more like it.
I think also once the lorry park has reached its capacity,it should be closed,I’m thinking along the lines of H&S and fire access here( not only that it would stop Johnny Foreigner parking wiley nilly at 2am and blocking you in when you have an early start).

These are just a few of my gripes,but there are many more… :angry: :unamused:

Dan.

15

Much of the same I’m afraid and I am also a driver that crosses the water and can not understand how much difference there is between england and the rest of europe.
Along with badly laid out lorry parks the biggest thing that winds me up is the distance to the toilets. We are legally required to park some where but how would the bosses of MSA’s like such a trek when they want a wee at 2o’clock in the morning there is no excuse but little wonder as to why the smell of the lorry parks are so over whelming the french aires have a small toilet block, cheap I will admit but clean and functional. Showers are often dirty and of ill repair, The worst that comes to mind is the ladies at Toddington. The truck stop northbound at Hilton park has no toilet, is dirty and ill equiped. The amount of revenue that is received due to trucks refueling must be considerable yet we are left feeling like second class citizens who are made to park as far away as possible from facilities yet we are the most frequent visiters.
The choice of food is disgusting and vastly overpriced and the highest vigilance that MSA’s offer towards truckers is the employment of bods to make sure that every truck pays the extortionatly expensive fee’s for being subjected to this humiliation.

16

When I had to use MSA’s, I’d echo the main sentiments here -

  1. exits out of the truck park dangerous at some places as you have to pull out into the slip without being able to see if Freddy Ferrari (in his XR3i) is bombing along.

  2. Chaotic parking at some places without proper spaces marked out (and some of those who do have such tight spaces to the unit opposite you are always worrying about hitting another truck). In the summer caravans park in the spaces too, taking spaces away.

  3. Security/Lighting, I haven’t personally experienced any theft or vandalism, but always worry as it is so dark and shadowy

  4. ATM charges - DISGUSTING!! you often can’t just park outside Barclays or whoever in an artic, especially if you are a trunker; and being charged to extract cash stinks of discrimination

  5. Loo’s and showers - 1 or 2 showers in a building miles away from the trucks? No wonder you always avoid the ‘puddles’! Even a shower block in a portacabin would be better!!

17

CBR_SI:
4) ATM charges - DISGUSTING!! you often can’t just park outside Barclays or whoever in an artic, especially if you are a trunker; and being charged to extract cash stinks of discrimination

This is doubly bad when you consider that a lot of people are taking money out to actually spend in their shops, so they’re making money on it anyway…

Paul

18

I fully realise that the point of the thread was to gauge everyone’s opinion on the MSA’s and here they are, but the reality of it is that they won’t change.

A few points I’ve picked up on that, to me, would be a very good idea are [truckyboy] electric points for fridges to plug in to and [paulGY] building separate toilet and shower blocks actually alongside/on the truck parking area but[/i] these must be kept at least as clean as the facilities in the main concourse.
The idea of having a truckers ‘cafe’ and lounge room on the MSA site most definitely will never happen. The reason for this is because the operators know perfectly well that all the truckers plus the majority of car, van, caravan and coach drivers (plus their passengers) would go straight into the truckers cafe for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat for sensible money instead of spending £6.50 on a sarnie (£4), cup of coffee (£2) and standard packet of crisps (50p).
You already know my feeling on MSA’s and that is VERY SIMPLY to stop lining their pockets by not parked there overnight and buying anything from them. You’re all (well most of you) ranting on about HAVING to stop there for your break and HAVING to park their overnight (a small amount of you do HAVE to stop there for insurance reasons, although I don’t know why given that MSA’s have more thefts than parking elsewhere in my experience), but the reality of it is that there are endless other places to stop/overnight if you bother to look.
There is a very good truckstop guide on this site which continues to get additions all the time and the argument that THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO STOP/OVERNIGHT AT MSA’S is complete and utter rubbish. The only thing you need to use MSA’s for are toilet/shower facilities (if so equipped) and air/water/fuel facilities.
It’s like I’m banging my head against a very solid wall . I’ve said this time and time again and people agree but still continue to park at them and then proceed (yet again) to rant about the state of them, cost and services :unamused: . ‘Oh well, it doesn’t bother me coz I claim it back/the gaffer pays for it not me’, I hear you whine - sorry, but that’s just such a lame non-excuse :exclamation:
THERE IS NO REASON WHATSOEVER TO SPEND ANY MONEY AT AN MSA ! ! !
WAKE UP!!![/b][/size]

19

Well, if they improved the quality and price of the food it would be a start.

Last week I had the joy of stopping at the same services several days in a row (and no, I couldn’t stop elsewhere as it’s part of an established test route which we have to stick to). Every single day the menu was the same, and some days we reckoned the food was simply the previous day’s left overs. If prepared properly the food on offer would have been fine, and judging by all the adjectives and marketing speak that accompanied each dish (“Our succulent award-winning sausages served on a bed of creamy mashed potato”) you’d really think you were getting something special. Instead we had a miserable looking selection of overcooked, withered items that I think some of my old friends in Romania may have turned their noses up at!

It’s not just the food though, I realise you can’t get a decent standard of staff sometimes but some of the people who work in these places are unbelievable. Standing in the food queue we approach the counter to see the last pie disappearing onto the plate of a previous customer. Asking the bloke behind the counter for the same he informs us that it’ll be “20 minutes”. Just ideal when you’re on a 45 minute break. No other option than to take what’s left … :angry:

The only positive thing I can say about this ‘experience’ is that at least I didn’t have to pay, the owners of the truck have that joy (over £25 for three main courses and a hot drink each). The worst aspect is that this Friday I have to eat at the same place again - spare me those ‘award-winning sausages’ !

Craig

20

MSA - RIP OFF!!! :imp: :imp:

Expensive Food, Drink and Parking charge

Some MSA have poor parking bay like no parking white lane bay

Parking area is very dark, few light can be lead more thief because no one can see them in dark!

Toliet - Some is brillant clean and other is nightmare!

In over sea - Europe, most them MSA is clean, great factilies for trucker!. good parking area. for example in Poland - fact is poor country but i have seen MSA or Service Station better than in UK. Poland, some MSA, Clean and great food, shop and toliet too but toliet have to pay the fee charge! :confused:
Europe MSA, they have food, sandwich bar, restauntent is fablous,fresh and plenty of choice but in UK MSA, food is so boring as usual!!, cold, dry and stay too long for all day!

Ben