Employers’ organization TLN and the trade unions FNV and CNV demand direct government action to expand the number of parking spaces for trucks. It is the umpteenth cry for help to tackle the problem. On Thursday afternoon action was taken at the provincial government office in Den Bosch. “Drivers who are on the road experience a lot of stress because they cannot park. But no one within the government seems to want to take responsibility,” says Tessa de Jong of TLN.
For many road users it is a familiar image around dinner and at night. Full rest and parking spaces and trucks that then park on the emergency lane of the highway. That is not allowed and drivers know that too, but it is choosing between two evils De Jong explains. “The fine for violating the driving times law runs in the thousands of euros. Parking on the emergency lane only costs a few hundred euros.”
“Sometimes I just park somewhere.”
The driving times law stipulates that after 4.5 hours are continuously behind the wheel, truckers have to take a 45 -minute break. The rest times are longer at night, but there is often no place to rest. The Eindhoven driver Hans also has that experience: “The stress of the parking problem only makes my work heavier. Sometimes I am so tired that I just park somewhere, regardless of safety. That is not a way of working.”
Truckers who cannot park along the highway, turn out to a business park or residential area. “But that is not the intention and many municipalities have already forbidden it. As a result, drivers can hardly go anywhere,” says De Jong. That problem is getting bigger and bigger, because the number of drivers is increasing and the number of places is decreasing. That is because gas stations are lifting more and more truck stops to make more room for cars and charging stations.
“It seems like nobody wants to take responsibility.”
There is a shortage of 4,400 places throughout the Netherlands, of which 776 in Brabant. TLN’s conclusion is also done in two years. “Two years ago we were talking about exactly the same figures. We all need municipalities, provinces and The Hague to solve this problem, but it seems as if nobody wants to take responsibility.” Because in 2013 there was already a shortage of 250 places in Brabant. Since then there have been many plans, but few places have been added.
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If drivers can park somewhere, they also want to do that safely. And then it’s not just about road safety. “It happens that trucks are robbed during the mandatory breaks or drivers are even attacked,” says De Jong. In an ideal situation, the parking lot is fenced and you can only enter with a special pass for professional drivers. In addition, there is camera security or there are physical guards, such as in Belgium.
“I am a human, not an animal.”
The reality is that if truckers have found a parking space along the highway, it is also often lacking in Brabant, also notes trucker Frank from Eindhoven. “I am someone, not an animal. I just want to be able to take a shower and go to the toilet if I need it. But in practice that is often not possible.”
Tessa de Jong knows drivers for whom the lack of parking spaces and facilities has become too much. “They were the stress and the unsafe and unlivable parking spaces that they stopped their work.” Marco from Breda recognizes that image. “If you’ve been driving for hours, you just want to be able to stop and rest, but it’s just not an option. The stops are a disaster.”
“Drivers want to pay for a good and safe parking space.”
TLN has made an action plan in consultation with the drivers and also described what the ideal parking space looks like. “And truckers are also quite willing to pay for a safe parking space with good facilities. So perhaps private parties can also help us solve the problem.”
A spokesperson for the province announced that it is understandable for the provincial government office. “The shortage is stubborn. And in Brabant – located between the port of Rotterdam and the German hinterland – that is more acute than in other parts of the country.”
Nevertheless, according to the province, there are explanations why new parking spaces are not just laid out. “It takes time, money and manpower, which is not in proportion to the proceeds and payback period. Initiators are therefore not in line to construct a parking.”
And there is careful hope, the spokesperson said. “We are not standing still. At Moerdijk, for example, major steps have been taken to a parking for hundreds of trucks.”
