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The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has called for safer parking and upgraded facilities for truckstops in the UK following a spike in freight crime incidents. They have released a blueprint document to appeal to policy makers to invest in improvements and new security measures, and also create a specific recording category for freight crime.
There are approximately 100 truck stops across the UK providing essential services for long distance haulage drivers such as food, hygiene facilities, parking, rest and fuel areas. The majority are located alongside motorways and major trunk roads. Sometimes the truck stop buildings are made up of modular or portable cabins.
However, as the amount of HGVs on the road increases every year, these facilities are under pressure. Many drivers complain that they are too few and far between, and they have to resort to parking in laybys, which leaves the vehicles vulnerable to theft.
Another common complaint is inadequate facilities at existing stops, with too few toilets and showers, poor standards of cleanliness, unhealthy and expensive food options, and no spaces for rest or recreation. By law, HGV drivers have to take a stipulated amount of breaks during each shift, yet often they struggle to find somewhere safe and convenient to do so.
Currently, the theft of a valuable load from the back of a goods vehicle is recorded by police in the same manner as the theft of a purse from a car. However, often criminal gangs threaten drivers with weapons and steal the load from the lorry, causing trauma and stress as well as financial loss and disruption.
Public Affairs Manager of the RHA, Ashton Cull spoke to the BBC to call for a new category of freight crime to be created. He said:
“It’s remarkable that theft of perhaps millions of pounds worth of goods from the back of a truck is in many ways recorded the same as an opportunistic theft of a purse from a passenger vehicle of a personal vehicle. It needs to be clearer; the impact needs to be seen.”
Ashton also told the BBC: “Freight crime is low risk, high reward for highly organised criminals. This is happening every night in truck stops across the UK. We believe the specific offence of freight crime should be recognised, with tougher sentencing in place to reflect the wider harm caused.”
RHA Policy Lead, James Barwise, added: “What we’re seeing now across the country cannot continue. Last year there was over 5,300 incidents of freight crime and £68 million worth of goods stolen. That’s not a victimless crime, it has a huge impact on drivers and their mental health.”
Mr Barwise also told the BBC: “We want to hear more from the new transport secretary regarding her support for the industry. Specifically, we need to see more safe and secure lorry parking. Without assistance from the Government on planning reform, we won’t get the secure facilities that drivers and businesses need to feel safe when doing their job.”
BBC News reports that according to the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), lorry crime is a rising problem in the UK, with 5,000 incidents recorded in 2023, which amounts to about 14 incidents per day. Sometimes, organised criminal gangs will steal millions of pounds of goods from targeted vehicles.
An anonymous NaVCIS officer explained to the news corporation that the gangs study supply chains and monitor police and surveillance systems. The source also revealed that the gangs have “underground networks of handlers that’ll handle a vast quantity of cargo for serious sums of money”.
He added: “I don’t always get an easy ride, particularly from drivers and haulage companies, [but] there is an awful lot of good work going on nationally to combat this type of offending.”
The BBC also spoke to the owner of a 10-acre truck stop near the M5 at Tewkesbury, which is protected by CCTV, floodlights and night time security guard patrols.
Mr Gilder said: “People do feel safe when they park up here. Lorries are getting robbed parking in lay-bys and also, in the 21st century, it’s not right for drivers to be parking in lay-bys with no facilities. Most of the drivers who come here, they really like this truck stop because I’ve put a lot of effort into making the facilities driver-friendly.”
The previous government pledged to invest £16.5m in better parking and welfare facilities for drivers in March.
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