Better loos for lorry drivers, demands petition

The calls for the state of roadside toilet facilities for HGV drivers to be addressed have risen again in volume, with the launch of a petition by truck driver recruitment specialist Blue Arrow.

The ‘Drive with Pride’ campaign calls on the Department for Transport (DfT) to adopt and enforce a set of “unambiguous minimum standards for lorry drivers’ toilet facilities”.

Blue Arrow’s petition was developed in conjunction with Gillian Kemp, founder of Truckers’ Toilets UK, and has already garnered more than 2,500 signatures.

It states that: “Any toilet, shower or hand washing facility should be available 24 hours a day. It should be clean, well-maintained, appropriately stocked and have suitable lighting and non-slip floors.

“Separate toilet and shower cubicles should be available for both male and female drivers, and shower cubicles must never be communal.”

The recruiter is hoping to amass a total of 100,000 signatures, in order to provoke a government debate.

Mark Manaton, CEO of Blue Arrow, said: “Lorry drivers are the backbone of the UK’s infrastructure, and yet aren’t currently getting the basic right of access to clean, working toilets.

“We know first-hand that drivers are suffering. Our petition is the first step in our campaign to do something about it. It’s also vital in terms of the impending driver shortage – how can we attract young people to an industry that can’t even offer them a clean loo?’

The news follows recent remarks by Road Haulage Association (RHA) chief executive Richard Burnett (Transport Operator, May) on the state of facilities at motorway service areas.

“Professional drivers quite rightly object to filthy and ill-maintained washing and other hygiene facilities,” he said.

“This industry is heavily regulated and drivers, by law, have to take rest breaks. The current standard of facilities at many ‘official’ areas is so inadequate that parking in a layby is often a preferable option. This is unsafe for drivers, their vehicles and their loads.”

Readers wishing to sign the petition can do so here.