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New site for truckers
Page 16
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From parking to driver training, Guy Sheppard reports on plans for a "transport village" in the Black Country.
A TRANSPORT complex offering everything from overnight parking and truck washing to training facilities and agency drivers is planned for the Black Country.
The £300,000 facility will be based at AE Hawkins Haulage in Kingswinford near Dudley.
MD Gary Hawkins describes the 12-acre site as a "transport village" made possible by the acquisition of a disused brickyard alongside the family-owned haulier's existing yard.
"Unless it is a motorway service station, there is nowhere around here to park trucks," he explains. "This will have spaces for 30 of them at night. It will also have a cafe and a fuel station which will hopefully offer a bunkering service.
He expects much of the demand to come from operators delivering to the giant Pensnett Trading Estate next door.
Hawkins has been involved in road transport training for 10 years, mostly with a college of further education in Stourbridge. He wants to use the company's existing training facilities to attract Eastern European drivers to the UK: "What we are going to offer is a complete package so they can live on site.We will offer them ajob at Hawkins as well as training for driving on UK roads."
Hawkins is talking to a national driver agency about setting up a franchise operation which could develop the East European link.
The cafe and truck wash are due to open in November with the rest of the complex ready by Janua ry.