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I come with an update this month. You might remember me mentioning, roughly a year ago, a proposed lorry park that was to be built at the Port of Dover. Well, as the council just approved the project this week, plans are now more concrete and on the move. I thought I’d fill you in. Details of the Lorry Park First things first: the essential information. I figure you probably have some questions about the practicality of the park and how useful it might be to you and your fellow drivers when you pick up loads or return loads in Dover. Let’s cover the basics: • How Big Will the Park Be? If the plans continue as predicted, the Port of Dover’s pit stop will be able to host over 300 trucks thanks to the brand-new lorry park. Sounds great, right? It’ll certainly make collecting your return loads from the port easier, as you’ll have somewhere to spend the night. • Where Will the Park be Located? It will be situated within the Dover port radius. For now, the proposed site is in Whitfield, on Palmerston Road. It was chosen in the hope that it would limit the disturbance caused by trucks in the local towns. • When Will Construction Start? As I mentioned, the council has just approved the application. All that’s left now is for the planning department to give the thumbs up and then development and construction can begin. Currently, the plans have been sent to the Dover District Council to be verified by a haulage firm based in Belgium, known as Mattheews. • What About the Existing Dover Truck Stop? If you regularly deliver and collect return loads in Dover, you’ll know that the port already offers hauliers over 100 spaces in an open area close by. Don’t worry! This facility won’t close. In fact, this project is going to be an extension of this area as a joint venture with the existing Dover Truck Stop. Why is the Park Necessary? In case you’re thinking that there are already lay-bys and a perfectly good truck stop, making this new project seem unnecessary, maybe I should explain why the new park will make a difference to your delivery runs. • A Comfortable Overnight Stopping Place It will be a great spot for hauliers and drivers to rest for the night. If you have a delivery on one day and return loads to collect the next, you won’t have to drive miles to find somewhere to rest to then have to drive back to the port again. It will save you time, reduce your millage and make your journey more comfortable. • Reduce Illegal Parking Dover has recently encountered many problems due to HGV drivers. They are illegally parking overnight in residential areas or in overcrowded lay-bys because they have return loads to collect the following morning. By providing a rest area on the city’s outskirts, the new park will improve relations between HGV drivers and locals. You wouldn’t want to give hauliers a bad name! Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching loads and return loads with available drivers. Over 4,500 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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