News

A staggering 86% of all goods vehicles travelling to mainland Europe, be they British-run or from the Continent, use the Dover Straits, including the Channel Tunnel. Yet the town of Dover itself is not exactly awash with the kind of truck-parking facilities required for such a volume of traffic.

Now a 100-space HGV park has opened just three miles from the Port, just off the A2 approach to Dover on Menzies Road. It hopes to make a dent in what is a growing concern for both local residents  and local government. Dover Truck Stop is the brainchild of freight forwarder Priority Freight, which has been scaling back the operator side of its business in favour of facilities and services for operators.

The stop is packed with the kind of facilities that any sane driver and operator would want near one of the major border crossings in Europe; all vehicles entering and exiting the site are monitored by an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system.

Adding to the security on site is a three-metre security fence as well as a £70,000 investment in CCTV and 24-hour security personnel. For the driver there is an American-style diner, with a menu more varied than just full English, burgers and fish and chips; a flatscreen TV and jukebox; and toilets and showers. All this costs just £2 for 90 minutes or £20 for 24 hours.

Neal Williams, managing director of Priority Freight, says: "Within the South-East,  the amount of safe and secure truck parks is few and far between, and the services often do not live up to what drivers all really want.

"What we are trying to achieve here is a high level of security and driver comfort, and we are in a unique position to meet a number of different requirements for the truck driver and operator."

Part of that is using the truck park as a hub for freight forwarding. Priority Freight will offer 24 hour trans-shipments and storage, as well as the restacking of loads that have shifted during transit by way of its three-tonne and five-tonne forklifts. And for any haulier moving hazardous goods, Priority Freight will handle and give advice on its shipments, particularly given the regulations around their movement on the ferry.

Development of the truck park has been welcomed in Dover as the town looks for a solution to the parking problem that will appease local residents and haulage operators alike. Councillor Bernard Butcher, chairman of the council in Dover, says: "We take lots of phone calls concerning parked trucks that have been vandalised or broken into. Now they can park in an area with CCTV and that provides all the facilities the drivers need.

"The more vehicles we can get off the public highway, the better for all concerned. I have it on good authority that HGV regulations [on the Continent] are not as strong as in the UK. If the authorities know where [foreign trucks] are, they can pop along and give them the once-over from a safety point of view," Butcher adds.

Critical to the truck park's success will be the installation of road signage in the area directing lorries to the A2 side of Dover, as opposed to the more popular M20 route. A decision on signage is expected from Kent County Council later in the year. To book a space at the park, call 01304 828795.

Cool benefits for reefer runners

Reefers will be made more than welcome at the site as part of a green initiative. Operators of refrigerated vehicles will be able to use three-phase electronic power points so the cooling unit does not need to run on the diesel engine.

"The benefit is that the cost will be cheaper for the operator as it reduces the consumption of diesel as well as the emissions from the truck. There will be less noise pollution, meaning the driver and the neighbouring drivers will get a peaceful night," says Priority Freight managing director Neal Williams.