Dutch transport association TLN recently published a visualisation of the driver hotel design prepared by the Austrian company Asfinag. It’s a reply to the German ban on spending the 45-hour break in the cab of the truck. Would the drivers have to sleep in such circumstances?
It turns out that the ban on spending the 45-hour break in the cab of the truck introduced by Germans in May is a problem not only for Eastern-European carriers. Also Austrians are looking for an alternative to sleeping in the cab.
According to the TLN association and transport industry website 40ton.net the Austrian toll system manager Asfinag recently unveiled the designs of hotels for driver in which they would be spending the 45-hour break in Germany.
The Dutch drivers were not impressed with narrow rooms and bunk beds with shutters to ensure privacy. They were not convinced by the Internet access or showers. It’s hard to be surprised. The first comments of outraged Internet users who know the industry inside and out appeared under the visualisation in the TLN profile on LinkedIn:
It looks more like a cell.
It’s not funny.
Tragic, much worse than in the cabin.
Pigs and chickens are treated better and have a better life.
It doesn’t solve anything. Truck cabs are well-equipped nowadays. You need to provide more parking spaces with access to clean toilets and shower facilities on each station.”
According to TLN the entire accommodation infrastructure would be created in border car parks in Germany. Drivers would be able to leave trucks there and have a 45-hour break in the buildings pompously named ‘hotels’.
We asked the Asfinag company for a comment but we still have not received any response.
What do you think about the project?
Photo: TKO