Sarah Champion MP backs national call for safer lorry parking on behalf of local truck drivers.

Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, has joined 115 parliamentarians in backing transport industry calls for better roadside facilities for lorry drivers to improve welfare and help tackle freight crime.

MPs and peers have joined the RHA (Road Haulage Association), which has been leading campaigning in Westminster on behalf of truck drivers, in signing an open letter to the Prime Minister calling on the Government to support measures that ensure drivers have access to safer, higher quality facilities and more secure roadside parking.

The RHA, which represents the haulage, coach and van sectors, says there is a national shortage of 11,000 lorry parking spaces, with police estimating that freight crime has cost the UK economy more than £1bn since 2020.

Sarah Champion MP backed the trade body's calls which includes making lorry parking a mandatory requirement for all major building and infrastructure projects. Councils should also set aside land for lorry parks, and motorway service station operators must implement minimum security standards for lorry parking as a condition of their leases.

More than 110 MPs and peers have signed the open letter at the RHA’s recent parliamentary reception, demonstrating the strength of feeling across Parliament about the deteriorating state of driver facilities.

Commenting, Champion said: “Truck drivers are the lifeblood of our country. They keep our shops stocked, our hospitals equipped, and our parcels delivered. In Rotherham, more than 1,750 people work in transport and logistics, and they deserve safe, secure rest areas and proper roadside facilities. Haulage is a tough job and the drivers deserve to be safe and comfortable. I’m proud to stand with the RHA and support the truck drivers who serve our community.”

Richard Smith, RHA Managing Director, said: “Truck drivers deserve to enjoy decent roadside facilities and have somewhere safe and secure to rest at the end of a shift.”

“But sadly, thousands every night are left in laybys and secluded areas vulnerable to organised crime gangs who target them for their fuel and goods. We can do better than that – and I'm grateful that so many MPs and peers have recognised that too by lending their voices to our campaign that makes it clear that drivers must feel, and be, safe at work.”

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