As a professional HGV driver, driving long distances on a daily basis, you’re going to become very familiar with LGV rest stops and service stations. In fact, these are likely to become your lifelines – the place you can safely park your LGV, grab some food, have a shower and even get some sleep before you continue on your journey. But while it might seem like these are simple things, it’s amazing how often they become abused or tarnished – not because drivers are deliberately making a mess, but because they aren’t thinking when they do. So here are a few very basic rules of etiquette for LGV rest stops.
While you might be pulling into a rest stop to take a well deserved break, you should still treat the rest stop like the rest of your route. This means paying attention to where and how to park without causing problems for others, and ensuring you are firmly within the lines of your space and not hogging two. It also means driving with as much care as you would on the road to avoid causing accidents with other drivers or pedestrians. Parking up at a petrol pump should be done considerately, leaving enough space for people to get around and bearing in mind that others will be wanting to use them too. If you need to go shopping, grab some food or use the toilet, park up in a proper space and don’t leave your HGV at the petrol pumps. It’s all very simple, basic courtesy, but the thought makes a big difference when you’re driving a big vehicle.
When you pull in at a LGV rest stop, try to remember what your mother always taught you about manners. Courtesy and manners are always appreciated at rest stops, whereas hostility is openly frowned upon. If someone is struggling to drive or park, offer them assistance. HGV drivers are all in the same boat as a community, and a ‘good morning’ or ‘good evening’ can really make a difference to someone who’s having a hard day. Driving HGV’s can be a very lonely job, and if every driver made the effort to simply say ‘hello’, it might help everyone feel a little less isolated at a rest stop.
Washing your hands, keeping the area around your vehicle clean and free form litter, using bins instead of throwing your rubbish outside the cab are all things good car and HGV drivers should be doing. But HGV drivers also tend to take advantage of other facilities, such as long stay restaurants and showers, so making sure these are left in a decent state is important. Use the rule of thumb ‘leave it as you would want to find it’ with everything you touch at a rest stop. These are all facilities universally considered to be the most important to all drivers, and some consideration with them goes a long way.