THE FUTURE OF TRUCKSTOP FACILITIES IS REVEALED

Transport company William Gilder has revealed the future of UK truckstops.

The new truckstop at Teddington near Ashchurch, Tewkesbury opened in February, o ering a secure facility for the tens of thousands of lorry drivers who drive our highways day and night.

It’s a far cry from the truck stops of old – greasy spoon cafes o ering plates of cholesterol-busting fried foods with pints of tea on formica tables – and where domestic car drivers feared to enter.

According to the Road Haulage Association: “The state of lorry parking facilities is a national disgrace.

“Nowhere else in western Europe is there such ramshackle, unsafe and unhygienic provision for the basic human needs of lorry drivers.”

That’s no longer true in Gloucestershire. The Teddington truckstop, just o the M5’s Junction 9 and next to William Gilder’s head o ce, o ers drivers showers, laundry facilities, a bunkered fuel service – even a licensed restaurant which looks more like the fabulous Gloucester Services.

The development, which includes the company’s new head o ce, is estimated to have cost around £2 million.

Last year the government promised up to £100 million to help the HGV industry improve the UK’s roadside facilities, and this is the first of four truckstops that William Gilder hopes to build – others are planned for Evesham, Cirencester and Avonmouth near Bristol.

At last year’s announcement of the £100 million funding, roads minister

Richard Holden said: “Hauliers and drivers are critical to our economy. But for decades, our truckers have had a raw deal. I’m proud our government is providing match funding support to the industry to boost drivers’ welfare, safeguard road safety and make sure driving an HGV is an attractive career by providing the facilities and respect lorry drivers deserve.”

William Gilder Group Director, Mark Fowles, said: “Everyone relies on lorry drivers, but few appreciate how the goods get to where they’re needed, or the infrastructure required to support that. Other than truckstops, the alternative is often an open layby.

“We o er all the provisions and security; those services people don’t appreciate that lorry drivers need – but do.”

The new restaurant also has a large mezzanine floor which Mark hopes the local community will use.

“We are a family business and William Gilder, the founder, farms nearby,” added Mark. “We also plan to put our locallyreared beef on the restaurant menu.”

William Gilder started the business in 1985 as an agricultural contractor. Since then the company has grown to include road haulage, waste management and – more recently – development.

Oxbotica collaborates with Google Cloud on last-mile logistics

Oxford-based autonomous vehicle software developer Oxbotica is to collaborate with Google Cloud.

Combining Google Cloud’s cloud infrastructure with Oxbotica’s autonomous vehicle software, the partnership will help last mile-logistics, light industry and public transport, to adopt autonomous driving.

Oxbotica intends to develop, test and validate its technology using Google Cloud’s computing and data analytics products, along with improving its security using Google Cloud’s cyber-security technologies.

Gavin Jackson, CEO of Oxbotica, said: “Google Cloud is a global leader in cloud infrastructure, and using its technology and AI powered tools will strengthen our customer proposition.”

Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, added: “The combination of Oxbotica’s leading technology and our reliable infrastructure, AI and data-enabled cloud platform has the potential to accelerate autonomous mobility in a variety of industrial use cases.”

In January Oxbotica, which was established in 2014, announced that it had raised $140 million to deploy its operating system for Universal Autonomy in multiple commercial and industrial domains around the world, bringing the total raised by the company to $225 million since it was established.

Oxbotica has a number of firsts to its name, including running the first UK autonomous trial airside at Heathrow Airport in 2018, the first autonomous passenger rides as part of the UK’s DRIVEN project in 2019 and leading Britain’s first multi-city autonomous vehicle demo, Project Endeavour, in 2020.

It has also seen investment from food retailer Ocado and German tech company Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen (ZF), among many other investors.

Wigley Group agrees new venue partnership with racehorse trainer

The Cotswolds is about to get a new events and wedding venue.

Warwickshire property development and investment company the Wigley Group will build and operate the new £2 million venue near Cheltenham at Naunton Downs Estate.

Planning consent has been granted on a 5,000 sq ft barn, and construction is set to start this year.

It follows National Hunt racehorse trainer Ben Pauling’s purchase of the 200-acre site last April, which includes a golf course and dining, entertainment and retail venue. The joint venture will also invest £300,000 to upgrade the existing venue and golfing facilities.

Ben said: “The existing dining and entertainment venue and Fitzdares Club are well-established and we believe there is significant potential for a luxury venue in this location that can cater for a wide range of events – personal, business and racingrelated.”

Chief Executive O cer, James Davies, said: “We have got to know Ben and his wife Sophie really well over the last few years and can see the potential that Naunton Downs presents.”