SSTPA Study

Study on Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas in the EU

Safe and Secure Truck Parking Areas (SSTPAs) are a top priority for the freight transport industry.

SSTPAs are needed to ensure socially fair conditions for professional drivers when taking their compulsory rests. However, SSTPA infrastructure is lacking in many European countries. This lack of safe and secure infrastructure for drivers to rest harms the image of the freight industry and causes understandable difficulties in attracting new drivers to the profession.

Through its funding of the SSTPA study, the Commission intends to contribute to improving the situation with regard to SSTPAs in the EU. This will be achieved by means of harmonising standards for rating and certification of truck parking areas, as well as by setting the basis for interoperable ICT solutions that will allow drivers to find and book secure parking areas and plan their trips accordingly.

IRU's role

IRU's role in the study is to to gather information on the SSTPA needs and requirements of stakeholders, including drivers, transport operators, parking area operators, shipping companies, and insurers and to assist in the formulation of policy recommendations regarding SSTPAs.

The interpretation of survey results and recommendations will be reflected in the creation of a common rating system for SSTPAs.

Project results

The SSTPA project gathered responses from a representative sample of road transport sector workers, operators, shippers, and insurers. Below are some selected statistics that were borne out through IRU’s survey of European freight transport sector stakeholders.

A significant percentage of all stakeholders agreed that SSTPAs are urgently needed.

83% of drivers say that the number of SSTPAs in the EU is insufficient for their regular rest time.
86% of transport operators believe that, if rest in the cabin is banned then there are not sufficient SSTPAs for drivers to spend their weekly rest in hotels.

According to the gap analysis:

15 EU countries are in urgent need of additional truck parking areas.
Only in the Benelux countries, Baltic states, Spain, Greece and UK is the supply equal to demand or greater.

The results of the study have been used in development of a standard certification rating system, mapping and gap analysis of current SSTPA availability, policy recommendations for the EU, and a instruction manual for operators and users of SSTPA. This manual contains instructions, for example, on how to build, maintain, certify, and book truck parking slots in an SSTPA.