Paid truck parking at a state-owned service plaza? It happened in Connecticut, but it did not last long.
Truck parking has been an industry issue for at least an entire generation of drivers. More freight needs to be moved, but the infrastructure has not caught up.
Government funding to add more truck parking has fallen short. To make up for the lack of public spaces, the private sector has moved in. Unfortunately for truck drivers, that has come in the form of paid parking.
In Connecticut, the state-owned service plazas tried to get into the paid truck parking game.
In July, truck drivers may have noticed signs at Connecticut rest areas with a large QR code. Signs directed drivers to scan and pay before leaving their trucks. The cost? $25 for up to 12 hours. The first two hours are free.
Truck drivers were quick to voice their frustrations on social media.
“As if the state of Connecticut isn’t screwing truck drivers and trucking companies enough by charging for every mile a truck drives in Connecticut,” Bryan Swett said in a Facebook post. “And as if it isn’t hard enough for truck drivers to find a place to shut down and rest for the night. Connecticut is now charging truck drivers for parking for more than two hours at Connecticut rest areas.”
“Oh look! Politicians find a ‘solution’ to the problem by creating even more problems!” one Reddit user said. “GENIUS!!!”
Apparently, those messages were received. In an email to Land Line, Mike Modine, director of operations at Project Service LLC, said the program is “not in effect.” Modine said that all signs have been removed.
It’s not clear what compelled Project Service LLC to stop the paid truck parking program or whether it will come back sometime in the future. For now, parking at rest areas is back to being free.
Although the 23 service plazas in Connecticut are state-owned, they are privately operated by Project Service LLC. In 2009, the company entered into a 35-year concession agreement with the state.
In 2023, state Attorney General William Tong sued Project Service LLC for more than $6 million over unpaid wages. Last year, a settlement was reached, putting the service plaza operator on the hook for $1.5 million. At the same time, the state facilitated another agreement allowing service plaza workers to unionize.
Until recently, federal funding for truck parking has been sparse. In July, the Department of Transportation released more than $60 million for parking projects. That’s on top of the $200 million allocated towards parking inside a $1.2 trillion spending package.
With truck parking funding and awareness increasing, states have taken action. In Georgia, the state DOT announced plans to ease the parking crunch along Interstate 75. Wyoming plans to build nearly 400 truck parking spaces. LL
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