The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is calling on the UK Government to provide more legal rest areas for truck drivers.

The call comes after the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) announced new drivers’ hours rules for truck, bus and coach drivers. From Monday 5 March, DVSA traffic examiners will start issuing on-the-spot fines for drivers’ hours offences committed in the previous 28 days. They’ll be able to issue fines for five offences in a single check.

“We welcome enforcement that increases road safety and ensures drivers get their rest breaks,” said RHA Chief Executive Richard Burnett. “And it will certainly help DVSA get a grip on drivers who’ve crossed into the UK having driven long distances without sufficient breaks before they’ve got here. Whilst we support action against firms who deliberately flout drivers’ hours rules, we also call on the Government to address the urgent need for more lorry parking areas so that drivers have somewhere secure to rest.”