Freight News, Logistics, Road

TAPA publishes truck parking standards

[ June 8, 2018   //   Chris ]

The Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) has published all three levels of its Parking Security Requirements (PSR) certification programme for industry review. It has also signed a memorandum of understanding with SNAP Account, the cashless payment system for the haulage industry.

TAPA has also reiterated its strongly-held belief that there are hundreds of professional parking sites in Europe that can already meet its self-certification PSR Level 3, a free of charge certification for Parking Place Operators available now. It says that demand for controlled parking locations outweighs availability on key routes – so operators that do meet the TAPA security standard will find a ready market.

TAPA’s Incident Information Service (IIS)data for 2017 shows an 89.9% year-on-year rise in the number of freight thefts from trucks parked in unsecured parking locations, mostly due to the lack of secure parking options.

Thorsten Neumann, chairman of TAPA EMEA (pictured below) said: “Sadly there is no quick fix to tackle the risks drivers and cargoes face when they have to stop in unsecured locations. However, at an industry level, we have to start providing more controlled parking areas that offer improved safety and security, and reduce the need for vehicles to stop in laybys, on industrial estates and at motorway service areas where statistics show they are highly vulnerable to attack. We are working hard to engage with Parking Place Operators to highlight the commercial benefits of being TAPA-approved, and we are also encouraging our members who book parking spaces to promote the new PSR standard to the parking site owners they know.”

TAPA says it is on course to launch the higher Levels 1 and 2 of its Parking Security Requirements (PSR) later this year following the latest stage of consultation with its manufacturer and logistics service provider members. As well as addressing the critical issue of security, PSR also recognises the importance for sites to provide suitable driver facilities, which remains an important factor for drivers with the ability to choose where they park.

It has also launched a new membership category for Parking Place Operators (PPO) to increase their engagement with customers, and extended its Security Service Provider membership to include Parking Booking Platform Operators.

Site liaison manager at SNAP Account, Nick Long, stated: “The main feedback we receive from transport companies is that they wish for all the sites we work with to become more secure. TAPA’s new PSR allows parking areas to see how good they are against an industry benchmark and to strive to improve…Our hope is that we can provide more areas with TAPA accreditation where drivers can park securely each night and get a good night’s rest. We are already in talks with some of the sites we work with in regards to PSR.”

Tags: TAPA