The federal government has been criticized for failing to meaningfully address the truck parking crisis. One man with a direct line to the Department of Transportation secretary has a grandiose idea. Will it work?
Ever since Jason’s Law was enacted in 2012, truck parking has been on the federal government’s radar. Unfortunately, little action has taken place.
Significant federal funding for parking projects didn’t begin until fairly recently. Even then, the amount of money allocated to truck parking projects is barely making a dent in solving the nationwide crisis.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation set up a first-of-its-kind advisory board. According to the DOT, the advisory board will “provide strategic vision and high-level guidance to modernize and enhance the United States transportation systems.” USDOT Advisory Board Chair Gregg Reuben told Land Line the goal is to bring in subject matter experts “to initiate as much change as possible” in the three years they have with the current administration.”
Reuben’s area of expertise? Parking. He’s the CEO of Centerpark, a company that owns and manages parking garages mostly in New York City. It’s no surprise then that Reuben has an idea on how to put a large dent in the truck parking shortage.
1,000 truck parking facilities in three years
That’s right. Reuben wants to build 1,000 truck parking facilities that would create 40,000 parking spaces by the end of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The devil is in the details, which are sparse right now, but here is what we know. These would be DOT-sponsored, certified or approved truck parking facilities. Each facility would meet minimum standards of safety, quality and amenities.
Considering the federal government has been hesitant to pony up the cash for truck parking, how will this be achieved?
Public-private partnerships
During the DOT Advisory Board’s second meeting last December, board members delved into the topics of private-public partnerships and “asset recycling,” i.e. monetizing vacant, unproductive properties.
Those properties are mostly state-owned, with the DOT having little influence over them. Think of old weigh stations, airports, military bases and truck stops.
When it comes to truck parking, 50 state DOTs and the federal DOT are collaborating. Even when everyone is on the same page, Reuben said “it’s like herding cats.” He believes a “proliferation of (public-private partnerships)” can change that.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ latest infrastructure report card, America’s roads are graded at a D+, with bridges at a C. Why does one of the wealthiest countries in the world have such poor infrastructure? Reuben said fragmentation among all participants shoulders much of the blame for the poor grades.
While other countries rely heavily on public-private partnerships to build out infrastructure, the U.S. does not. From 1990 to 2006, the United Kingdom financed $50 billion in transportation infrastructure through private-public partnerships. The United States? Only $10 billion.
Although public-private partnerships seem like a great way to advance U.S. infrastructure quickly and efficiently, including truck parking, there is one problem.
Public-private partnerships = paid parking?
If the private sector gets involved in infrastructure projects, companies will need a return on investment. In the world of truck parking, that usually means paid parking.
Tens of thousands of new truck parking spaces are needed, but are truck drivers willing to pay for them? An OOIDA Foundation survey revealed that truck drivers are not using paid parking.
Public-private partnerships in the form of traditional truck stops could provide free parking. However, Reuben is in the business of paid parking. Is he bringing that business model to solve the truck parking crisis?
In a conversation with Land Line, Reuben all but guaranteed that the hypothetical 1,000 truck parking facilities would include paid parking. However, everything is on the table right now.
“I also do believe that there are other ways to generate revenue and that it doesn’t have to be solely dependent upon paid parking,” Reuben said.
What are those options? That is exactly what the DOT Advisory Board is tasked with finding out. Reuben is aware that truckers are generally opposed to paid parking, and the DOT needs their support.
“(Paid parking) just won’t be utilized, right?” Reuben said. “They’re going to look for other alternatives, and they’ll continue to do what’s being done, and parking at off ramps and shoulders. It’s just going to continue to exacerbate some of the problems … We want the buy-in. We have to have the buy-in, otherwise it won’t work from the truckers.”
Get involved
Three years is not a lot of time to build 1,000 truck parking spaces, and the clock is ticking.
Right now, the USDOT Advisory Board is hot-mapping the country to find out where to focus its energy. From there, the board will reach out to state DOT representatives in those areas to obtain cost estimates and identify potential investors.
Reuben said the advisory board will get input from stakeholders. That includes truck drivers.
Have any thoughts, ideas or concerns about how to build 1,000 truck parking facilities? Let the people in charge know by sending a message to [email protected]. LL
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