TAPA is pushing to cooperate with the EU on developing safe truck parking standards (Image: Shutterstock)
Among the many vulnerabilities faced by truck drivers across Europe, secure truck parking has remained a ubiquitous problem that drivers are constantly grappling with – something reflected in a European Commission (EC) study, which cites unsafe parking spaces as a hotspot for theft Goods exceeding €8.2 billion annually. Road freight accounts for almost 50% of Europe’s total mileage, making it a major driver of the economy and helping to attract the attention of the European Union (EU) on the truck parking issue.
In its study earlier this year, the European Commission pledged to create a denser network of secure truck parking areas (SSTPA) and began creating a standard that could clearly define the levels of security that might be required to address the issue of goods theft. This standard will be common across the industry, stipulate guidelines ensuring reliability, and provide comprehensive maps providing the locations of SSTPAs in Europe.
The Moving Assets Protection Association (TAPA) for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region has announced its strong support for “all initiatives, standards and regulatory requirements” from the European Commission to address the safety and security of truck and freight drivers. While also pushing for cooperation with its existing industry standard on safe truck parking.
The Parking Security Requirements (PSR) is an industry standard developed by TAPA a year ago, which includes a multi-level accreditation program for parking space operators (PPOs) helping to promote an increase in the number of safe parking spaces within Europe. TAPA’s expanding database now includes approximately 5,000 safe truck parking spaces spread across 10 countries in the EMEA region.
“We believe the EU should work with industry as it sets its standards, as they are driven by the industry, by the industry and, ultimately, are driven by the industry,” said Thorsten Neumann, President and CEO of the company. Tapa. “That is why we say that if the EU is looking to create a standard on safe parking spaces, it must accept the existing standards.”
TAPA demands mutual recognition, as there have been cases in the past where standards created within industry in silos failed to gain wider adoption. However, TAPA’s PSR standard has found significant traction, as stakeholders have accepted its regulations and created tangible change within the industry.
“At TAPA, we want to actively contribute and offer our expertise to the EU. It is important that the industry does everything it can to mitigate risks, while the EU and its politicians work to create the right awareness and change the mindset to achieve this,” said Newman.
To develop its PSR standards, TAPA invited all key stakeholders to the table with the goal of connecting every part of the supply chain – including shippers, freight forwarders, trucking companies and insurance companies. Newman explained that it is critical for supply chains in general to understand where risks come from, as risks are rarely stagnant and evolve over the years.
“Our greatest hope is that the EU will accept our industrial standard from a mutual recognition point of view and link it to their own standards. It is clear from their press release that they are looking to have 20 certifications by 2020, when we are already there,” said Newman. Our target now is to obtain 80 certifications, so it does not make sense that if the EU accepts our standard, it can double or even quadruple its numbers.”
