News

Work has begun on a state-of-the-art truck stop in France, set to be a model for the rest of Europe. 

EU vice president Jacques Barrot officially marked the start of building work on the Truck Etape facility last week, off the A2 motorway near Valenciennes in the north east of the country. The site, scheduled to open in January 2008, will provide rest facilities  for drivers, as well as video surveillance.

It is part of a two-year EU pilot project to develop a standard for secure parking sites across Europe. This will include investment in security at existing rest areas at Ashford in Kent, Wornitz and Uhrsleben in Germany, and Liege in Belgium.

A database of parking sites throughout the continent will also be compiled. Motorway and truck parking site operators, logistics trade associations, insurance groups and the police across Europe have all been consulted and the European Commission has committed £3.7m to the plans.

Barrot said: "These initiatives will help to overcome the lack, in certain parts of Europe, of parking areas with suitable facilities for ensuring rest and security for professional drivers. They will also help to deal with the growth in traffic, of criminal acts targeting trucks or their cargoes."

He says the scheme is proof the EU is doing more than just regulating road transport. "It is also  cooperating with industry and the social partners to carry out specific projects on the ground which will improve working conditions for truck drivers and the security of the goods they carry," he adds.

"As a result, in the coming months, truck drivers will begin to see parking sites better suited to their needs on the trans-European network."

Chrys Rampley, manager of infrastructure, environment and business affairs for the Road Haulage Association, tells Motor Transport: "This is a very exciting project that will set new standards for truck stops around Europe."