Hegelmann Poland is building an integrated operational centre in its response to the EU’s mobility package requirements. The plans include a hotel for lorry drivers with 750 beds so drivers can spend their obligatory rest period outwith their cabins.
The Hegelmann operational centre is being built on an 11.6 ha plot. This vast area, however, will house far more than just a company office. The base will be divided into a number of zones that comprehensively meet all the needs of Hegelmann’s drivers, vehicles and carriers.
The office area will be located in a three-storey building that features a room for the company’s business partners and also other carriers (there shall be around 60 additional offices for external entities in total).
The extended support base primarily includes a comfortable hotel offering over 750 beds. The rooms were designed according to the requirements of drivers returning from European routes, who need to observe their obligatory rest periods in suitable accommodation outwith the cabin. A further advantage of the hotel is the separate, high standard commercial space intended for business partners, carriers and other transport companies.
The service zone will include extensive infrastructure for trucks. One building, with a floor area of 6820 m2, will house a full range of services including a workshop and diagnostic facility, a paintshop and a truck wash.
A dedicated warehouse is also set to be built with trucks in mind. An area of 5900 m2 will be allotted to the storage of spare parts and tyres. Such a solution optimises repair times and ensures efficient operation of the whole service area. Further plans for the expansion of Hegelmann Polish Hub include the creation of a separate logistics complex and warehouse centre.
Moreover, ample parking space around the offices, hotel, service areas and warehouses will accommodate 220 trucks and 450 passenger cars at one time.
“There is no other investment like it in Poland. We are building our own operational centre primarily with a view to ensuring the comfort of our employees. However, we have been observing the situation of the transport industry in Poland as a whole. We are considering market needs and the difficulties faced by smaller transport companies in meeting the requirements of the mobility package, which is why we have decided to give access to the centre to all drivers and entities, also our competitors,” states Fedir Yurkevych, Hegelmann Poland CEO.
Convenient location by a cross-border transport hub
The Centre’s location has a strategic dimension. The mobility package’s new requirements make it compulsory for drivers to return to their countries every 8-9 weeks. The carrier’s obligations include sending drivers for a rest period in their country of employment: to the company’s operational centre or the driver’s place of residence. The Hegelmann operational centre will be located in Żarska Wieś, right next to the German border, between the A4 motorway and national road 94. Easy access will make the necessary break between successive routes more efficient.
The proximity of Germany and other Western European countries, which are the main region of operation for drivers employed in Poland, will be a double advantage: shorter time of accessing the rest location will generate savings for companies, make work easier for drivers and contribute to reducing the carbon footprint.
Photo credit @ Facebook/ HegelmannPoland