My Truck Stop

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

10/09/2026

TRUCKSTOPS ROCK… IT’S OFFICIAL! 🤘🚛

(DEF LEPPARD SAID SO 😉)

It’s 1987.

(How the f**k is that 39 years ago?)

Def Leppard release their studio album “Hysteria”.

The first UK single released from the album was “Animal”.

It’s a track that still sits firmly in my all-time Top Ten.

I’ve loved the band ever since… especially their drummer, Rick Allen.

I had a huge crush on him, which only grew when he overcame a devastating car crash that cost him his left arm, returning to drum with the band using a custom electronic kit.

I loved him all the more!

If you’re wondering what ANY of this has to do with truckstops, let me explain…

Fast forward 39 years and Def Leppard are still touring.

And during the UK leg, they’ve been conducting their very own TRUCKSTOP REVIEWS! 🤘🚛

Don’t believe me?

Check out TikTok and YouTube.

And it turns out the boys know a decent truckstop when they see one…

Tebay Services on the M6 in Cumbria topped the charts, with lead singer Joe Elliott awarding it a flawless 10/10.

And the drivers agree.

It currently has the full ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating on MyTruckStop.co.uk too.

So there we have it.

Whether you’re hauling a stadium tour around the country or a trailer full of baked beans…

WHERE YOU STOP MATTERS. 🚛

And if Def Leppard can review their truckstops…

YOU CAN TOO! 😂🤘

📍 Find your stop.
⭐ Rate it.
✍️ Review it.
🚛 Help the next driver.

Recognise the great ones.
Highlight the ones that need to do better.
And help other drivers make better stops.

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

09/09/2026

📻 WELL… THAT WAS A LOVELY SURPRISE!

Heard an unexpected shoutout on HGV1 Radio earlier today from Kevin Swallow and Mikey Faulkner during their weekly Transport News feature, talking about the winner and shortlisted truckstops in the Logistics UK Truckstop of the Year Competition 2026… and my involvement on the judging panel.

Thank you, gentlemen! 🙌

It’s always good to hear MyTruckStop.co.uk getting a mention… but even better when we’re recognising the truckstops getting it RIGHT for drivers. 👏🚛

Very much appreciated. 🧡

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

09/09/2026

EXCELLENT SHOULDN’T BE THE EXCEPTION. 🚛🏆

A HUGE congratulations to Ashford International Truckstop, crowned Logistics UK’s Best Truck Stop of the Year 2026. 👏👏👏

I had the pleasure of being part of the judging panel for this year’s award, alongside Christopher Holloway and Maddi Solloway-Price, and one thing became VERY clear from the nominations we received…

When truckstops get it right, drivers notice.

🔸They notice the clean facilities.

🔸They notice good food.

🔸They notice proper security.

🔸They notice when they’re made to feel welcome.

And they absolutely notice when somebody has invested in making their legally mandated rest actually feel like REST.

Ashford is a very worthy winner and deserves the recognition. 🏆

But something Logistics UK President Philip Roe said really stood out to me:

Their excellent standards are “the exception and not the rule.”

And THAT is the bit we need to change.

Because clean toilets, decent showers, safe and secure parking and somewhere reasonable to eat shouldn’t make a truckstop exceptional.

They should be the basics.

We absolutely SHOULD shine a light on the truckstops doing a fantastic job.

In fact, recognising the good is every bit as important as highlighting where things need to improve.

Because recognition doesn’t just say:

👏 Well done.

It also says:

👀 Look. This CAN be done.

So congratulations to Darren Smith and the whole team at Ashford International Truckstop. Very well deserved. 🏆👏

And to every other truckstop…

The bar has been set.

Now let’s make exceptional the norm. 🚛🧡

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

08/09/2026

IS IT FUNNY IF SOMEONE GETS HURT?

800 barrels of Guinness stolen?

Cue the jokes about someone having one hell of a party. 🍺

A lorry load of chocolate disappears?

Cue the KitKat jokes. 🍫

I get it. I like a laugh as much as anyone.

But I do wonder whether making light of these thefts sometimes makes us forget what they actually are.

CRIME.

Not a funny story about someone helping themselves to a few pints.

Not a cheeky haul of chocolate.

Freight crime can involve organised gangs, stolen vehicles, damaged property, threats and intimidation.

And sitting at the front of that load is often something we seem to forget…

THE DRIVER.

Someone who may find themselves confronted by criminals simply because they turned up for work and were doing their job.

So yes, we can all laugh at the thought of 800 barrels of Guinness disappearing.

But perhaps we should also be asking a much more serious question:

How are we protecting the people transporting it?

Because the cargo might make the headline.

The driver matters more.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

08/09/2026

DRIVERS HAVE SPOKEN… AND ASHFORD CAME OUT ON TOP! 🏆🚛

More than 200 nominations.

Six truck stops shortlisted.

And one overall winner…

👏 Ashford International Truck Stop Ltd!

Back in March, Logistics UK launched its search for the Best Truck Stop of the Year 2026, asking the people who actually USE these facilities to nominate the truck stops they believed deserved recognition.

Professional drivers.

And THAT was the important bit. 👏

Because drivers weren’t being asked to judge fancy marketing, glossy brochures or what somewhere looks like on paper.

They were asked about the things that actually matter when you’re out on the road:

🔐 Security
💡 Lighting
🍽️ Food availability
💷 Value for money

More than 200 nominations came in from drivers across the UK, before we had the rather difficult job of whittling them down to a final six:

⭐ Ashford International Truck Stop
⭐ The Old Fox, Grantham
⭐ The Hollies, Cannock
⭐ AWJ Penrith
⭐ Formula Premier, Ellesmere Port
⭐ Route 74, Lesmahagow

I was delighted to join Maddi Solloway-Price from Logistics UK and Christopher Holloway, Founder of Motorway Buddy, on the judging panel.

And choosing between the final six?

It really bloody wasn’t easy! 😂

But ultimately, Ashford International Truck Stop was crowned the overall winner. 🏆

A HUGE congratulations to the team. 👏👏👏

But also a huge well done to every one of the shortlisted truck stops.

Because I spend a lot of time talking about where facilities need to improve.

And rightly so.

But highlighting the good is every bit as important as calling out where things need to improve.

Good truck stops NEED recognition.

The people working hard behind the scenes NEED recognition.

And drivers who take the time to recognise them NEED to know their voices are being heard.

Because when somewhere is getting it right, drivers should absolutely be shouting about that too.

Which brings me back to those 200+ nominations…

They prove something I bang on about rather a lot.

DRIVER VOICES MATTER.

When drivers speak up, review, rate, nominate and share their experiences, people DO listen.

And sometimes…

It even ends with somebody holding a trophy. 🏆😉

Congratulations Ashford International Truck Stop.

A worthy winner. 👏🚛🧡

Real Drivers. Real Reviews. Real Change.

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

07/09/2026

IT’S DAY EIGHT, BUT I’M STILL DRIVING THE MESSAGE…

is over.

The hashtags have gone quiet.

The graphics have been posted.

The webinars have been watched.

And drivers have once again been told to:

🥗 Eat better
💧 Drink more water
😴 Get more sleep
🩺 Look after their health

They KNOW.

They absolutely bloody KNOW!

The question is…

WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED?

Because awareness should be the START of something.

So let’s turn it into ACTION:

🚛 TAKE HEALTH TO HAULAGE

Health checks and support at truckstops and depots.

🅿️ CREATE MORE SAFE PARKING

Because broken sleep in a lay-by isn’t a safe strategy.

🥗 PROVIDE BETTER FOOD

Affordable, healthier choices when drivers actually need them.

🩺 MAKE HEALTHCARE FIT THE JOB

Protected appointment time and services that work around haulage.

🚿 GET THE BASICS RIGHT

Clean facilities. Hot water. Safe parking. Somewhere suitable to sleep.

Hardly revolutionary, is it?

A hashtag doesn’t clean a shower.

A webinar doesn’t create safe parking.

And advice doesn’t create healthier choices.

Drivers don’t need seven days of lip service.

They need 365 days of ACTION.

The talking has been done.

Who’s going first?

Sue 🚛🚚🛻

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.

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6 The Old Quarry, Oundle
Peterborough
PE84HN

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