At the Gimbsheim location in Rhineland-Palatinate, the logistics company, together with the Düsseldorf company Roatel GmbH, has opened the first micro-hotel where truck drivers can spend their rest periods.
The accommodation, consisting of four mini-apartments, specially designed from a converted shipping container for travelers, offers guests 7.5 square meters with a shower, toilet, satellite TV, and a bed. According to the two companies, it provides all the amenities associated with a hotel stay. TST Division Manager Guido Schmidt:
“We want to make life easier for truck drivers and ensure that they feel comfortable and can properly relax at our logistics sites.”
More TST locations plannedAfter a six-month test phase at the approximately 50,000 square meter warehouse location in Rhineland-Palatinate, where goods from Europe are transshipped for an international trading company, the concept is to be extended to other TST locations.
This will also include charging stations for electric trucks, which the logistics company plans and builds
nationwide with its subsidiary PamSun. Roatel Sales Manager Amelie Riemann:
“TST is the first company with which we are implementing our concept directly on the premises of a logistics operator.”
So far, the currently 29 container hotels distributed across 11 federal states can only be found on highways and major transport routes.
A key driver for the founding of Roatel in 2019 was reportedly the EU Mobility Package, which mandates that truck drivers spend their regular weekly rest
period outside the truck. Riemann:
“Unlike in the USA, there are currently virtually no suitable motels or similar overnight accommodations with truck parking near highways in Europe.”
According to the two companies, the overnight prices per night average 50 euros. However, this depends on occupancy and location.
Truck drivers can book directly via the specially developed booking platform my.roatel.com or via the web portal booking.com. The digital key for contactless access to one of the four mini-apartments is
