Get to Know Europe’s BEST Truck Parking Area: TIP’s DELTA PARK Truck Secure Parking

DELTA PARK Truck Secure Parking in Dourges, France won the 2024 ESPORG Award for Excellence in Truck Parking in the category of large parking areas (more than 50 spaces).

Delta Park Truck Secure Parking is located in the north of France 30 kilometers from Lille, on a strategic area at the junction of the A1 and A21 highways, on the North Sea Mediterranean Corridor. With 25 000 trucks driving everyday, this is the most frequented way to go to the UK, to Belgium or to Germany.

Background

Delta Park opened in 2019 with 146 spaces and was expanded to 213 spaces in 2023. In particular, 19 spots are allocated for running reefers, 5 spots in front of the security post are only reserved for women, 31 spots are allocated to drivers who made a reservation, 10 spots for cars or van are offered free of charge for the customers and there is 1 charging station for electric vehicles.

The secure truck parking area’s main focus, after safety and security, is to offer the best services to the drivers. This is one of the reasons why the staff and personnel often discuss with drivers or propose surveys to know what drivers truly want at the parking area.

Services

Delta Park was voted the winner based on several criteria: comfort & health, mobility & connectivity, environmental friendliness, and service quality & customer satisfaction. Read more below about their offer in those categories:

Comfort & Health

Food is available onsite, 24/7 for customers

At any time of the day or night, drivers can enjoy a hot or cold drink or even buy a sandwich or a meal to reheat directly from the vending machines which are accessible 24/7.
If they prefer to drink fresh coffee, services make it available to them free of charge every day from 3 a.m.
Food is available at their diner onsite called Ri’chti or in nearby restaurants La Taverne or Stratto
If drivers prefer to stay in their truck, they can order food via their phone for delivery within 20 minutes.
Vegetarian, halal, meat and fish items are available for customer consumption

Shops are also available onsite and nearby: If drivers want to go shopping, they have the choice between 3 stores in or next to Delta Park. In the summer of this year, Delta Park will open its own supermarket onsite.

Drivers also have the option of preparing their own meals after shopping in the kitchen provided on site. Drivers have access to 2 ovens, 4 hotplates, a plancha, a pancake maker, 2 microwaves, a dishwasher and 2 sink basins.

Drivers need to relax and do a little sport so a fitness area has been added with the following equipment :

Abdo board
Pull-up bars
Hanging rings
Elliptical bike
Dip bars
Ladder course

Other installations include:

A basket ball hoop
A badminton or padel area
A pétanque ball court
Running enthusiasts can run around the Truck Secure Parking in complete safety by following the red arrows. A parking lap is close to a kilometer.

Other options for relaxation include a game of chess, checkers or solitaire, table football, table tennis or darts.

Drivers also have two different lounge rooms, with two televisions that broadcast all important sporting events, outlets, several tables and comfortable chairs. Per request of several customers, the secure parking area also installed an open office area with internet access and a printer for those who want to work in peace without being disturbed.

In addition, laundry services are available on site for drivers:

4 new washing machines of 10 kg, 4 new tumble dryers of 10 kg
Payment center accepting cash and all credit cards
Hotline available 7 days a week with camera and change
Steam iron for ironing clothes

There is also an alarm system where drivers can receive a notification directly on their phone when a machine is free.

In addition, as with all certified secure parking areas, medical assistance, pharmacies and multilingual service options are all available at or nearby Delta Park.

Mobility & Connectivity

To apply for the ESPORG Award, secure truck parking areas must show that accommodation is available onsite or nearby as well as fuel and alternative truck charging/filling stations are onsite or nearby.They must also have a secure and stable WiFi connection for customers and a payment system directly to the customer company.

For Delta Park, several hotel options are nearby and customers can simply ask the secure parking area for a list of all the available options. In addition, the Total station or the AS 24 station which are barely 5 minutes from the car park. On the Delta 3 platform, also 5 minutes from the car park, there is also a Multi Energies station with LNG, BIOCNG and an electric charging station.

Delta Park is e currently in a project to install around ten electric charging stations for E-trucks onsite. The installation should be finalized by the end of 2024 or the beginning of 2025

Payment System

Drivers have the option to pay using different payment methods.

The simplest and quickest is to use the toll OBU to make payment. The driver doesn’t even have to get out of the truck and the invoice is sent directly to his company. Otherwise, the driver can pay by credit card, fuel cards or via the Snap, Travis or Otra apps. As the Truck parking is often full, especially on weekends, Delta Park recommends that customers book before coming. They can book either by phone or email or use a booking app like Steero, Otra or Travis.

Environmental Friendliness

To focus on the safety of drivers and goods, Delta Park has installed a tire reader at the entrance of the truck parking which alerts drivers to the condition of their tires.If a tire is punctured or worn, the truck park then sends a team to carry out the repair or replacement, thus saving the transport company costs and loss of time due to interventions on highway. Thanks to their team of professional technicians on site and their fully equipped mobile maintenance units, they can intervene in 30 minutes on the truck parking. Deflated tires can lead to higher fuel consumption and increased CO2 emissions as well as being a safety hazard.

Shuttle and bike services for drivers available

If drivers want to visit the town, Delta Park provides 16 free bicycles with panniers to transport their shopping. During the hours maintenance agents are present, they also organize shuttles to the store or in town with the company vehicle according to the drivers’ requests. Drivers also have the option to call a Taxi if they wish to visit other towns next to Dourges, Delta Park works with a company that has over 80 independent taxi drivers

Limiting Fossil Fuels

Delta Park does everything possible to limit fossil fuel usage.They have replaced the gas boiler with a heat pump and the water is now heated mainly by an electric hot water tank produced by green energy. In addition, they use an electric van for parking maintenance and are gradually replacing gasoline-powered equipment for maintaining green spaces with electric battery-powered equipment.

Eco grazing and sustainability

In Delta Park everything is organized to work for the environment favoring late mowing and ecograzing to preserve biodiversity and reduce the use of machines (less noise and pollution).

To encourage fauna and flora, they have installed several dozen insect hotels and have grown a wild meadow which attracts insects and also partridges. With the extension of the parking they have created a garden area where drivers can grow flowers or vegetables.

Waste sorting & composting

To avoid the carbon impact linked to the collection of the organic waste of the truck parking, Delta Park uses it as compost directly on site. In addition, sorting bins are on site as well as used battery collectors and numerous composters for organic waste.

Service Quality & Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a key component of the Delta Park development strategy. When Delta Park opened in 2019. although the company had little experience in the management of a truck center, they learned a lot by talking to the drivers, reading their online reviews, surveying them, etc. Step by step, Delta Park learned how to successful manage not only a truck parking area, but the best secure truck parking area in Europe. The voice of their customers was of primary importance when deciding the services to add during the extension of the parking, and clearly their attention to their customers paid off.

Based on the feedback they received, they have implemented the following measures :

A kitchen where drivers can cook
An office where they can send emails to customers
More sanitary facilities for women : we now have 4 showers and 4 toilets forwomen drivers
2 additional sanitary blocks with sinks and hot water for washing dishes
5 water taps
5 specific spaces are always reserved for women drivers next to the security post: this is to prevent female drivers to walk through the car park alone at night
full accessible for those with disabilities

Going the extra mile

Delta Park goes beyond what an “average” truck parking area does to ensure that their customers receive the best services and every convenience they can over them.

Every year the truck parking area organizes different events to chat and socialize with drivers
At the request of a transport client who wanted to store equipment for its trucks, they have now provided a container free of charge, monitored 24/7.
They also allow our customers to leave the shuttle vans free of charge all week in the LV parking area of the truck secure parking.
Depending on the needs of the drivers, the maintenance agents can repressure tires free of charge.
If the kitchen is busy, there have been 2 additional ovens and 2 microwaves installed in the snack room .
So that drivers can recharge any electrical device safely, Delta Park has installed secure electrical lockers free of charge.
If they have a defective part, drivers have the option of purchasing it directly from the parts store.
The SSTPA has also installed a postbox per customer request and every Monday they forward the mail.
In the men’s and women’s toilets, hair dryers and magnifying mirrors have been installed.
In case of heavy downpours, if drivers wish, they can also borrow an umbrella to return to their truck.
For the well-being of drivers, they have installed 2 sanitary blocks equipped with sinks with hot water for washing dishes and taps for water needs. There is one in the middle of the truck parking and another at the end.
In total, there are 5 drinking water taps accessible to drivers 24/7