I know that parking up for the night is a subject close to a great many hearts (yes Lucy, especially you!). On a recent job for T&D, the editorial team and I had the grave misfortune to use three of the M25’s service areas. At the time, the cost of parking an LGV at any one of these dreadful places didn’t really compute. But once safely back at FOTO Towers and going through the pictures, I was utterly astonished to see the overnight parking charge at South Mimms was £24.00 - or £28.00 with a £10.00 food voucher. And yes, we sampled the grub too. Will Shiers and I had to cough up £8 to park our cars - but we did get a £2 food voucher(!) - which we promptly lost.
Now there’s a lot of variables in the following calculations. But let’s just say you own a truck park with a capacity of 100 trucks. Five out of seven nights you’re full. At the lowest amount charged, here’s the sums:-
Income per week: £12,000
Income per month: £48,000
Income per annum: £576,000
Please tell me a solitary security guard (on minimum wage) and rent/rates/VAT aren’t your only costs? It’s got to be well over 12 years since I drove a commercial vehicle in any sort of anger. So just out of pure curiosity, I’ve got a question:- Where’s the dearest place you’ve ever parked?
mine was strensham southbound m5 parking £20.00 with a £7 voucher which you can use in burger king … which i hate but then again i hate msa food even more. i dont know if they provide a shower southbound but they do northbound.
£17 or £18 (cant quite remember since I avoid them like the plague) - Annandale and Frankley.
Slightly off topic - I know of a few people who have a paid for parking yet still amazingly get clamped at MSA’s. Did they have any opinion on the third party contractors they are using?
~Best place I park is Sourton just of the A30 - Cafe, toilets, 24 Shell garage 200 yards away, nice enough setting and its totally free to park.
Better than Knutsford, yes, but that’s hardly a recommendation is it?
I’ve suffered Lymm twice this summer; the food may be cheaper than the MSA’s but it’s also rubbish; tasteless junk which would cause a riot if it were served in a prison.
Glad I don’t drive artics, at least with a rigid I’ve got more choice of parking places.
Better than Knutsford, yes, but that’s hardly a recommendation is it?
I’ve suffered Lymm twice this summer; the food may be cheaper than the MSA’s but it’s also rubbish; tasteless junk which would cause a riot if it were served in a prison.
Glad I don’t drive artics, at least with a rigid I’ve got more choice of parking places.
Doesn`t matter what you drive at Lymm If ( sorry, ) WHEN you get clamped at Lymm this must be the most expensive services to stop in
I remember reading years ago that MSA`s dont pay rent as we know it, but pay a percentage of the turnover as rent, maybe thats why they get away with it more for money for the goverment coffers
There is profit to be made it just needs
proper planning and preperation, take
a look at the good sites in the UK,plus
look at the sites abroad and not just in
the western european countrys but
those of the eastern europeans, the
standards are much better and not
all ways cheap, try eating in the swiss
stops , it is excellent food and service
but it costs ,however i am preparde to
pay for a decent meal, ot the truck
stops in Hungary,or poland also excellent.
DUE to the high rate of incedents any good
secure truck stop will make aprofit it just needs
to be well positioned,well run and have a good
working force ,plusgood security,
It’s an NCP car park near Guys Hospital. Once a month or so I take my other half up there for treatment and it’s necessary for her to be accompanied. I have to pay £8 congestion charge then £1 per 20 minutes in the car park. The bill was £14 on this trip.
tartanraider:
‘…It’s an NCP car park near Guys Hospital…’
It’s been called a health tax: I’m confident that some are campaigning against the principle whilst I understand Scotland is to get freebie hospital parking from next year. Count me in favour…perhaps instead of transfering hods of cash to Brussels each day we can look after our needs first.
jessicas dad:
mine was strensham southbound m5 parking £20.00 with a £7 voucher which you can use in burger king … which i hate but then again i hate msa food even more. i dont know if they provide a shower southbound but they do northbound.
Call that a Shower It`s a cleaning cupboard, ■■■■ place stinks because they leave the stinking mop bucket in there, the shower floor is never clean ( hair etc in all the corners ) and the shower control button has been broken now since January and I told the duty manager then and still nothing has been done to fix it If they make around 1/2 a millon a year they could spend some of it on the shower, in fact a re-design of the whole gents area is way overdue
willie_mac:
I remember reading years ago that MSA`s dont pay rent as we know it, but pay a percentage of the turnover as rent, maybe thats why they get away with it more for money for the goverment coffers
That was the 1980’s before the whole MSA system was ‘privatised’. Its different now.
(not sure how much the meal voucher is though!)
If ( sorry, ) WHEN you get clamped at Lymm this must be the most expensive services to stop in 
