PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Large Goods Vehicles: Coronavirus (11 May 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that road hauliers have access to (a) hot food, (b) toilet facilities, and (c) washing facilities while making long-distance deliveries during the covid-19 outbreak.

Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)

Officials in the Department have been working closely with the freight associations and operators of Motorway Service Areas (MSAs), to ensure that the MSAs continue to provide suitable food, toilets and shower facilities to hauliers travelling on the road network. We have also been working with large Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs), to ensure they have implemented hygiene procedures and social distancing in line with government guidelines.

In a small number of cases, MSA operators have reduced the opening hours of some facilities, but fuel, toilets, and takeaway food and drink currently remain available at all MSAs 24 hours a day. MSAs must provide these amenities as required by the DfT planning circular.

Truck stops and garages may also provide facilities, however, these are private businesses which are subject to different levels of regulation to MSAs.

Where access to toilet or handwashing facilities is denied, and proper social distancing measures are not in place, this can be reported via e-mail to [email protected].

Answered by:
Rachel Maclean (Conservative)
19 May 2020