The U.S. Department of Transportation asked the public to provide recommendations for what should be included in the next highway bill.
The public responded with thousands of comments on everything from the Highway Trust Fund to speed limiters, but one of the most common themes from trucking organizations and individual truck drivers was the need to address the truck parking shortage.
Such organizations as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Transportation Intermediaries Association, American Trucking Associations, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety, PrePass Safety Alliance and the Shippers Coalition all submitted comments about the lack of truck parking.
OOIDA has long pushed for Congress to pass the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would dedicate $755 million toward expanding parking capacity.
“OOIDA will not support surface transportation reauthorization that fails to dedicate federal funding exclusively for the expansion of truck parking capacity,” the Association wrote in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “Specifically, truckers support HR1659, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, championed by Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn). This bipartisan legislation enjoys universal industry support and was reported out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in 2023 by a vote of 60-4.”
That universal support can be seen by the number of other organizations asking the DOT and Congress to address the truck parking crisis.
The Transportation Intermediaries Association, which butts heads with OOIDA on such issues as broker transparency, also supports the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.
“For drivers – this legislation would be transformative,” TIA wrote in comments signed by Daniel Hoff, the group’s vice president of government affairs. “The chronic lack of parking forces drivers to waste valuable time searching for spots – costing the average driver about $5,500 in direct lost compensation, which adds up to about a 12% pay cut for drivers.”
PrePass Safety Alliance said the lack of truck parking creates a “critical safety risk.”
“By supporting expanded, accessible and secure truck parking and upgrading existing parking facilities with smart parking technology, DOT can address one of the most persistent barriers to both highway safety and supply chain efficiency,” wrote Ashley Simmons, the group’s vice president of policy and external affairs.
Many truck drivers also asked for something to be done to address the problem.
“Parking has become a huge issue and seriously needs to be addressed,” wrote Jeremy Overfield.
Fixing the problem is long overdue, OOIDA added.
“Somehow, after nearly a decade of unified advocacy, the trucking industry still finds itself pleading for help and feeling anxious that Congress may again fail to act,” Spencer wrote. “Frankly, truckers are sick and tired of some lawmakers ignoring their pressing safety needs while funding other pet projects, and rest assured, they will be watching closely to see if Washington finally delivers.”
The deadline to submit comments was Monday, Sept. 8. According to Regulations.gov, the DOT received nearly 2,800 comments. LL
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