A new study funded by the European Commission seeks to quantify a major pain point for the road transport sector: the critical shortage of safe and secure parking.
The study is a direct response to the long-standing concerns of IRU and its members, whom have consistently highlighted the inadequacy of existing safe and secure parking facilities.
The survey responses, which are being collected directly from professional drivers and road passenger and goods transport operators who navigate these challenges daily, will map the current infrastructure and identify locations where new facilities are desperately needed.
IRU encourages its members and the road transport community to take part in the survey, which is available in multiple languages.
On-the-ground experiences and suggestions will help drive the development of better, safer and more secure parking areas for all professional drivers in the EU.
IRU members, including DB Schenker, have shared the survey with tens of thousands of transport operators.
The lack of suitable rest areas poses a significant threat to the well-being, safety and efficiency of professional drivers on EU roads. It’s also one of the main causes behind the shortage of drivers, particularly long-distance drivers.
In 2022, the EU released EUR 750 million, allocated evenly over three years, for the construction of safe and secure truck parking facilities.
The latest call for proposals brought a substantial improvement to the eligibility criteria. It lead to a more flexible funding call for safe and secure parking covering a larger geographical scope, as called for by IRU. A new call for proposals is expected to be launched in September 2024.
As the Connecting Europe Facility budget allocated to truck parking under this financial period will end in 2024, with the final call foreseen for this autumn, IRU counts on the incoming EU political leadership to ensure continued financing of this important area for the well-being of professional drivers.