Tonia Antoniazzi backs national call for safer lorry parking on behalf of local truck drivers

Tonia Antoniazzi Member of Parliament for Gower has joined 115 parliamentarians in backing transport industry calls for better roadside facilities for lorry drivers to improve welfare and help tackle freight crime.

MPs and peers have joined the RHA (Road Haulage Association), which has been leading campaigning in Westminster on behalf of truck drivers, in signing an open letter to the Prime Minister calling on the Government to support measures that ensure drivers have access to safer, higher quality facilities and more secure roadside parking.

The RHA, which represents the haulage, coach and van sectors, says there is a national shortage of 11,000 lorry parking spaces, with police estimating that freight crime has cost the UK economy more than £1bn since 2020.
Tonia Antoniazzi MP backed the trade body's calls which includes making lorry parking a mandatory requirement for all major building and infrastructure projects. Councils should also set aside land for lorry parks, and motorway service station operators must implement minimum security standards for lorry parking as a condition of their leases.

More than 110 MPs and peers have signed the open letter at the RHA’s recent parliamentary reception, demonstrating the strength of feeling across Parliament about the deteriorating state of driver facilities.

Tonia Antoniazzi MP said: “Truck drivers keep our shops stocked, our hospitals supplied and our businesses running. In Gower, more than 700 people work in transport and logistics. They deserve safe, secure places to rest and access to decent roadside facilities when they stop and I am proud to be an ally of the RHA and truck drivers across Gower.”

Richard Smith, RHA Managing Director, said: “Truck drivers deserve to enjoy decent roadside facilities and have somewhere safe and secure to rest at the end of a shift.
​
“But sadly, thousands every night are left in laybys and secluded areas vulnerable to organised crime gangs who target them for their fuel and goods. We can do better than that – and I'm grateful that so many MPs and peers have recognised that too by lending their voices to our campaign that makes it clear that drivers must feel, and be, safe at work.'