My Truck Stop

My Truck Stop For Truck's Sake, Leave A Review And Make Some Noise!

04/09/2026

BRAKES AND BREAKS 🚛

We wouldn’t dream of sending a truck down the road knowing its brakes weren’t working properly.

Because brakes are safety critical.

But what about breaks?

The person sitting behind the wheel needs maintaining too.

Drivers have legally required rest periods, of course.

But there’s a big difference between taking a break and actually getting a break.

🔸 Finding somewhere to park.

🔸 Feeling safe when you get there.

🔸 Being able to get something decent to eat.

🔸 Having access to a clean toilet and shower.

🔸 Getting enough proper rest before doing it all again.

And sometimes, simply being able to say:

“I’m tired. I need to stop.”

Without worrying about the run, the delivery time, the parking charge, whether there’ll even be a space when you arrive, or whether somebody somewhere is going to think you’re being difficult.

We spend fortunes keeping trucks roadworthy.

Inspections. Servicing. Tyres. Brakes. Maintenance schedules.

We do all of that because nobody questions the consequences of neglecting the machine.

Perhaps we should start asking what happens when we neglect the human being operating it.

Because ultimately…

A truck needs good BRAKES to stop safely.

A driver needs good BREAKS for exactly the same reason.

Maybe it’s time we treated both as safety critical.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

03/09/2026

A LITTLE LESS CONVERSATION, A LOT MORE ACTION… PLEASE❗️

Another Awareness Week.

Another flurry of hashtags, graphics, webinars and posts telling us something matters.

And then Monday comes.

We move onto the next one.

Don’t get me wrong.

🔸Awareness matters.
🔸Talking matters.

But there’s a VERY thin line between raising awareness and patronising people.

Because during …

🍎 We KNOW fruit is better than chocolate.
💧 We KNOW we should drink more water.
😴 We KNOW quality sleep matters.

Drivers KNOW.

I doubt anyone thinks a Mars Bar counts towards their five-a-day. 🙄

The problem isn’t always awareness.

Sometimes it’s a lack of choice.

🗣️ Eat more healthily.
❓What food is available where drivers stop?

🗣️ Get eight hours sleep.
❗️Try that when safe parking is full.

🗣️ See your GP.
❓When exactly?

There’s a big difference between:

“Here’s what YOU should do differently.”

And:

“What could WE do differently to make it easier?”

So what happens on DAY EIGHT?

❌ A hashtag doesn’t clean a shower.
❌ A webinar doesn’t create safe HGV parking.
❌ Telling drivers to make healthier choices doesn’t give them healthier choices to make.

So let’s turn AWARENESS into ACTION.

♥️ HEALTH IS HEALTH
From head to toe. Stop putting it into boxes.

🚛
Health checks and support at truckstops and depots.

😴 CREATE QUIET ZONES
Somewhere to decompress, relax or grab a power nap.

🥗 PROVIDE BETTER CHOICES
Decent, affordable, healthier food. Not limp lettuce and a bruised banana.

🩺 MAKE HEALTHCARE FIT THE JOB
Protected appointment time, occupational health and mobile services.

🚿 GET THE BASICS RIGHT
Clean toilets and showers. Hot water. Safe parking. Decent food. Somewhere suitable to sleep.

Hardly revolutionary, is it?

Perhaps we need a little less:

“Drivers need to look after themselves.”

And a lot more:

“How can WE make it easier for them to do it?”

Not just for seven days.

For the other 358 as well.

🎶 A little less conversation, a LOT more action, PLEASE!

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

02/09/2026

JUNCTION 31 SECURE PARKING GETS A “CHEF’S KISS” 👨‍🍳😘

The weekend before last I was back on HGV Radio with Simon Williams for our fortnightly “Park It or Pass It” discussion feature.

And for our third location, we headed to Sheffield’s Junction 31 Secure Parking.

New My Truck Stop reviewer Jimbo-tiny-trucker kicked things off with this cracking headline:

“Excellent food and good, clean facilities, security guards on site, and really quiet.”

Ticking plenty of boxes already, I think you’ll agree! 👏

But Jimbo didn’t stop there…

🚿🚻 FACILITIES
“Good, clean showers and toilets.”

🍽️👨‍🍳 FOOD
“Best food ever served in a truckstop… cooked fresh by Steven, the quality is top restaurant standard.”

Now THAT is some recommendation!

🅿️🔐 SECURITY
“Security on site is excellent, and you can book in advance.”

💷🧾 VALUE
“Worth every penny.”

And there’s a little more to this one…

In 2024, Junction 31 opened a new driver welfare facility with gents and ladies toilets and showers, European toilets, a launderette, driver lounge with big screen TV and a café.

In other words, facilities designed around the people actually using them. 👏

Unsurprisingly, Jimbo-tiny-trucker rounded off his review with the full five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

And Junction 31 currently holds a 5-star rating on MyTruckStop.co.uk too.

So what was the HGV1 Radio verdict?

🧡 PARK IT!

And I think Steven deserves an extra…

👨‍🍳😘 CHEF’S KISS!

PS: I’ll be contacting Junction 31 directly to make sure this fantastic feedback reaches the site team, and particularly Steven.

Because MyTruckStop isn’t only about highlighting where things need to improve.

It’s about shouting just as loudly when somebody gets it RIGHT.

And when someone is doing such a bloody good job, they deserve to hear about it! 👏

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change. 🚛🧡

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

27/08/2026

RATE YOUR PLATE… 🍽️

You certainly won’t go hungry at The Stop, The Hollies!

😋 Homemade BBQ pulled pork baps
😋 Homemade coleslaw
😋 Chips

The verdict?

“Bloody lovely!” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Enjoy a safe, comfortable stop, grab something decent to eat, and don’t forget to on My Truck Stop

🍽️ Eat well
🔐 Stop securely
🚛 Drive safe

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

26/08/2026

SNAP AND SORT!

My recent post didn’t pull any punches.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/suealtymytruckstop_why-just-solutions-might-not-be-the-right-activity-7493599791948509186-rExx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAB3yrecB3xAgt-_-V795Fpay1l-P8Xj-r9E

Just Solutions depot parking in Coventry sounded anything but the answer to the continuing shortfall of safe, secure and suitably equipped facilities for HGV parking.

My Truck Stop reviewer Kato had reached out to SNAP with no response.

So I thought I’d have a go.

And I’m glad I did!

Matthew Cullumbine, thank you for responding and reacting.

It’s a positive step to hear that SNAP have carved up the UK into regions, each with its own Business Development Manager.

And, as I understand it, the person responsible for the region that Just Solutions falls into is now very much on the case.

Good. 👍

But that’s only part of the issue, of course.

It’s one thing to rectify a problem.

The real skill is preventing it from happening again.

Because this raises a bigger question for me.

How are facilities assessed before they become part of a parking network, and perhaps more importantly, how are those standards monitored afterwards?

Drivers shouldn’t have to pay £36, discover facilities that simply aren’t good enough, complain about them, and then trigger the quality control process.

Surely the quality control needs to come first?

I’m a huge supporter of anything that increases the amount of safe and secure HGV parking available to professional drivers.

But more parking only solves the problem if it’s parking worth paying for.

So credit where it’s due.

🔸SNAP listened.

🔸SNAP responded.

🔸SNAP are now taking action.

That’s exactly what I want MyTruckStop.co.uk reviews to achieve.

Not moaning for the sake of moaning.

Not naming and shaming for a few social media likes.

Drivers highlighting what’s actually happening out there, the right people listening, and something being done about it.

Sorting it once is good.

Making sure it doesn’t need sorting again is better.

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

25/08/2026

“FACILITIES ARE GRIM, PROBABLY THE UNTIDIEST TOILETS YOU’LL EVER SEE…”

Not a great opener to a review, I think you’ll agree!

These were the words that My Truck Stop subscriber ScottMac889 used to headline their feedback of Monmouth Raglan Service Area.

And this intrepid reviewer kindly sent me some supporting photos… together with a couple of voicenotes, such was the strength of his feelings about the place!

The voicenotes pulled no punches… declaring the place a sh1thole, and summing it up as:

“It’s just a dirty, dirty place.”

This particular location has a site on both the northbound and southbound sides, and although this review relates to the northbound position, apparently the south side isn’t much better.

It’s worth noting that the state of the toilets was enough to send ScottMac889 on his way.

Not even the very reasonably priced parking was enough to entice him to stay.

And that matters.

The toilets are often the first port of call when making a stop, so dirty, unsanitary facilities set the tone for the rest of the business.

If you can’t keep your toilets clean, then you start to wonder about the standards across other areas.

Puts you off your meal, doesn’t it!

In his review summary, ScottMac889 took no prisoners with these words:

“The place is disgusting, it’s run down, and uncared for.”

Asda Express, I’m tagging you, not to name and shame, but to advise you that drivers are “voting with their wheels”… choosing not to stay, and taking their money elsewhere.

Because this isn’t simply a complaint about dirty toilets.

It’s a potential customer telling you exactly why they chose not to become a paying one.

🔸No parking fee.

🔸No meal.

🔸No coffee.

🔸No spend at all.

He simply got back in his truck and drove somewhere else.

And I wonder how many other professional drivers are doing exactly the same thing… without ever leaving a review or telling you why?

Sometimes the cost of dirty facilities isn’t the cleaning bill.

It’s the business that drives straight past. 🚛

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

24/08/2026

TAKING HEALTHCARE TO THE DRIVER 🚛🩺

Now THIS makes sense to me.

As part of the forthcoming Driver Health Week, Driving Better Health are taking GP support directly to professional drivers at Formula Premier Truck Stop.

📍 Formula Premier Truckstop, Ellesmere Port
📅 Tuesday 1st September
⏰ 11am – 4pm

And I think there’s a much bigger point here than one event.

We’re constantly telling professional drivers to look after their health.

🔸To get things checked.

🔸To see their GP.

🔸To not ignore that ni**le.

🔸To take better care of themselves.

But then we expect them to access healthcare through a system that doesn’t fit particularly well with the reality of their working lives.

🔸Long days.

🔸Early starts.

🔸Nights away.

🔸Unpredictable schedules.

Appointments that can be difficult enough to get when you work 9 to 5, never mind when your workplace spends most of the day travelling around the country.

So why not take some of that healthcare to where the drivers actually are?

Truckstops aren’t simply somewhere to park a lorry.

They’re one of the few places where professional drivers regularly stop as part of their working day.

Imagine if initiatives like this became commonplace.

🧡Blood pressure checks.

🧡General health checks.

🧡GP consultations.

🧡Advice and early intervention.

All available while a driver is taking a legally required break anyway.

We talk endlessly about driver wellbeing.

Perhaps sometimes the answer isn’t another campaign telling drivers to look after themselves.

Perhaps it’s making it bloody easier for them to do it.

👏👏👏 to Driving Better Health and Formula Premier Truckstop for doing exactly that.

So, if you’re going to be around Ellesmere Port on Tuesday 1st September between 11am and 4pm, why not make your stop count for something more than a cuppa and a break?

Take healthcare to the driver, rather than always expecting the driver to find their way to healthcare.

Because perhaps real driver wellbeing isn’t just about telling people to look after themselves.

It’s making it easier for them to do it. 🚛🩺

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

22/08/2026

IT AIN’T WHAT YOU DO, IT’S THE WAY THAT YOU DO IT 😉

A driver took the time to leave a review on My Truck Stop

We talked about it on “Park It or Pass It” on HGV1 Radio.

Moto Hospitality listened.

And something actually changed.

🔸 Not another meeting.

🔸 Not another conversation about “driver wellbeing”.

🔸 Not another report gathering dust somewhere.

ACTION. 👏

The showers at Moto Hospitality Woolley Edge Northbound were cleaned, the problem was acknowledged and a replacement bench was ordered.

Is it going to change the world?

No.

Did it make that facility better for the professional drivers using it?

Yes.

And that’s exactly the point.

One driver speaking up might feel like a very small thing.

But when somebody actually listens and acts, small things can become bloody important things.

That’s why I love doing “Park It or Pass It” with Simon Williams.

We praise the places getting it right.

We call out the ones that aren’t.

And we get to see Real Drivers and Real Reviews… create Real Change. 🧡

And on that note…

🎙️ I’ll be back on HGV1 Radio TODAY, just after noon, joining Simon for another “Park It or Pass It.”

Who are we parking?

Who are we passing?

And who might be getting a little Sue-style nudge to up their game? 😉🚛

You’ll have to tune in to find out!

TODAY! Just after noon. HGV1 Radio.

Tune in. Truck out. 📻🚛

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

21/08/2026

EVEN IF IT’S JUST A ‘GRAB & GO’… I WANT TO KNOW! 🚛☕

You don’t have to stay overnight to have your say.

You don’t even have to be there for an hour.

Maybe you’ve just pulled into a truckstop or roadside facility to…

☕ Grab a coffee.

🚽 Use the loo.

🥪 Pick up something to eat.

🚿 Have a quick shower.

🛒 Buy a few essentials.

Or perhaps you’ve simply stopped for ten minutes to stretch your legs.

I STILL WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT!

Because even a ten minute visit tells you something.

🔸 Were the toilets clean?

🔸 Was the coffee decent?

🔸 Were you welcomed with a smile… or treated like an inconvenience?

🔸 Was it easy to get in and out in a truck?

🔸 Did the place feel clean and cared for?

And, most importantly…

🗣️ “Would you stop there again?”

You don’t need to write War & Peace! 😂

A quick rating and a few words about what you found can be incredibly useful to the next driver wondering whether to pull in.

And every review and rating helps build a clearer picture of what our truckstops and roadside facilities are REALLY like.

👍 The good.

👎 The bad.

🤔 And the somewhere in between.

So next time you make a quick pit stop, don’t think:

“I wasn’t there long enough to leave a review.”

Because if you stopped, you’ve got something to say.

GRAB. GO. RATE. ⭐

Have your say at My Truck Stop

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

20/08/2026

HAVE I GONE TRUCKING MAD? 🚛🤪

There was a time when I could travel past a motorway service area without giving it a second thought.

Those days are LONG gone.

🔸Now I’m clocking the HGV parking.

🔸Looking at the lighting.

🔸Wondering what the showers are like.

🔸Checking whether there’s somewhere decent to eat.

And mentally asking myself…

“Park It… or Pass It?”
(Simon Williams, HGV1 Radio)

I’ve even reached the point where a nice bit of freshly laid truck parking can genuinely brighten my day.

What has happened to me?!

But joking aside…

Maybe I have gone a little trucking mad.

Because the more I’ve listened to professional drivers, the more I’ve realised how many things the rest of us simply never notice.

And once you see them…

You can’t really unsee them.

🔸You notice the driver trying to squeeze into the last remaining parking space.

🔸The poorly lit corner of a truck park.

🔸The facilities that clearly haven’t been given the attention they deserve.

🔸The driver eating in their cab because there’s nowhere decent to sit.

But you notice the good stuff too.

🚿 The immaculate showers.

🍽️ The freshly cooked food.

🔐 The secure parking.

The truckstops where somebody has clearly thought about the person behind the wheel, rather than simply thinking about where to put their truck.

And perhaps that’s what My Truck Stop has done to me.

It’s made me look at our truckstops and roadside facilities through a completely different pair of eyes.

The eyes of the people who actually depend on them.

So yes…

Maybe I HAVE gone trucking mad.

And you know what?

I’m quite happy staying that way. 🚛🧡

Because the more you notice, the harder it becomes not to care.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

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Peterborough
PE84HN

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