When it comes to expanding truck parking, states have been telling the federal government, “Show me the money!” How does more than $1 billion sound?
Although that amount has not yet been allocated, nearly $1.2 billion is on the table. That money comes from three different bills, all of which use language similar to that of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, including prohibitions on paid-parking projects.
One of those bills, a $1.2 trillion spending package, is a done deal. Signed into law in February, that bill set aside $200 million for truck parking expansion. Just a few months later, the Department of Transportation is already getting the ball rolling to dole out that money.
On Tuesday, June 9, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced more than $600 million in infrastructure funding. That includes the $200 million for truck parking from the spending package. The remaining dollars come from previous bills, including the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Now, the federal government is accepting applications due July 15 so it can disburse those funds. The relatively quick turnaround will get truck parking projects moving forward sooner rather than later.
“From our thriving commercial space industry to our hardworking truck drivers, the Trump Administration is delivering for the American people,” Duffy said in a statement. “We are moving at the Speed of Trump to prioritize critical infrastructure needs in grants, move federal dollars out the door, and start turning dirt.”
While states and other public entities try to get a piece of that pie, there may be a much bigger pie ahead.
Currently, a new highway bill awaits a full House vote. In that bill is a near carbon copy of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would allocate $750 million to parking expansion projects over five years.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association helped craft the original truck parking bill back in 2020. Several years later, the Association drew a line in the sand to ensure funding for parking made its way into the latest highway bill.
“If the next surface transportation reauthorization fails to provide dedicated funding for truck parking, but authorizes even a single penny of funding for new initiatives, OOIDA will use every tool it has to ensure the legislation is defeated,” the Association wrote in 2025. “Based on a history of strong bipartisan support for the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, we are confident the House will again agree this crisis requires federal leadership to solve. Together, we can deliver a key victory for hundreds of thousands of truckers across the country.”
The highway bill still needs to clear both the House and the Senate. During that process, the truck parking provision could be modified or eliminated.
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a funding bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD). That bill also includes $200 million for truck parking expansion projects.
If the highway and THUD bills both make it to the finish line as is, that would mean an additional $950 million in funding for truck parking. That’s on top of the $200 million already underway from the spending package in February.
Anything can happen between now and when those bills are signed into law, but 2026 could be a milestone year for publicly available truck parking. LL
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