Route 74 Truckstop: Transforming Derelict Spaces into Award-Winning Service Stations with Tuffa Tanks

As any seasoned trucker will know, Route 74 Truckstop is an oasis to many a weary traveller travelling between Carlisle and Glasgow on the M74. The Truckstop has a bunch of facilities from white or red diesel and AdBlue dispensing to car or truck washes. However, it’s the American-style diner that most truckers will be familiar with. The top-quality diner was the main reason Truckstop News crowned Route 74 the UK’s Truck Stop of the Year 2015, shortly after the service station opened in 2014.

From derelict car park to fully-functioning forecourt

With an award-winning recipe for success, plans are now underway to develop the popular Truckstop into a chain of service stations with a new site currently being constructed further north on the M74 in the heart of Glasgow. Bill Law is Route 74’s Site Manager and the man tasked with turning a derelict car park into a fully-functioning forecourt, all while maintaining the existing site in Lanark.

To make this happen, Bill contacted Staffordshire-based tank manufacturer Tuffa Tanks at the end of summer 2020 to tender towards obtaining a high-capacity steel white diesel tank, as well as two smaller tanks for red diesel and AdBlue. Fortunately, Bill has worked with Tuffa in the past and was familiar with the quality tanks and service. With the tender awarded to Tuffa, our Senior Sales champion Dee worked with Bill to make sure the tank’s specifications met the site’s exact requirements.

Staffordshire tanks keep Scotland’s motorway running

A popular forecourt specifically designed to service trucks – which can hold upwards of 200 litres – needs high-capacity fuel storage. To fulfil these needs our local team of steel-fabricators manufactured an 86,000 litre steel diesel tank all handmade using a 6mm thick mild steel, making it extremely strong and durable with a life expectancy over 30 years. With maximum protection against leaks and spills vital in all tanks, but particularly one with the capacity to store 86,000 tonnes of diesel, our steel diesel tanks are ‘fully bunded’ with an independent primary tank and bund. A simpler and cheaper method used by some manufacturers involves having a single base plate on bottom of the tank. However, this is an area particularly susceptible to rust where leaks can go undetected and not something we would recommend. To secure the ancillary equipment a steel high-security walk-in cabinet was also constructed which housed the drop fill point, suction outlet and a C2020 electronic fuel tank contents gauge and bund alarm giving +/-1% accuracy readings at the tank and the remote Building Management System.

With most trucks using Selective Catalytic Reduction technology, and with a large farming community in the area, the new truckstop also needed red diesel and AdBlue facilities. Bill ordered our 10,000 litre plastic diesel tank for red diesel storage, and a 10,000 litre tank to store AdBlue. Both tanks were fitted with a lockable cabinet containing the fill points, outlets, contents gauges, and battery bund and overfill alarms. Both these models are bunded and rotomoulded using a strong, UV stabilised and corrosion resistant polyethylene making an extremely durable tank with a life expectancy of 20 years. Generally, these tanks are factory fitted with high-spec dispensing equipment. In this instance, however, the tanks were linked to a double-sided forecourt-style dispensing tower with nozzles for white diesel, red diesel and AdBlue making it suitable for filling two trucks simultaneously.

The Tuffa fuel island

With the tanks on order Bill set about laying the foundations for the ‘fuel island’, a bespoke concrete plinth measured to site the three tanks and dispensing tower. We caught up with Bill to enquire about the service from Tuffa and to ask how the new truckstop was progressing:

“The service from Tuffa has been excellent and Dee has worked with me throughout the entire process. Delivery was smooth and we hired a crane to lift the tanks onto the plinth. We’re due to get the electrics fitted shortly and then we can test the new tanks and dispensing equipment. Like everything else COVID-19 has caused a few issues and slowed the truckstop’s launch date which I expect to be around March 2021.” – Bill Law, Site Manager

Quiet roads, a lack of demand for fuel and low pump prices, make it a precarious time for all forecourts. However, freight transport will always be needed on our roads and haven’t been as affected as domestic traffic. With Bill Law at the helm, we’re positive that the new Route 74 Truckstop will become another award-winning service station – all powered by the Tuffa fuel island.