The federal government has launched the third periodic truck parking survey required by what’s known as “Jason’s Law.”
That’s a provision of the 2012 highway authorization law known as MAP-21. It required the U.S. Department of Transportation to assess the volume of truck parking in each state and to develop a system of metrics to measure the adequacy of truck parking on a periodic basis.
The provision is named in honor of trucker Jason Rivenburg, who was shot to death in 2009 during a robbery attempt while resting at an abandoned gas station in South Carolina.
Surveys were previously conducted in 2015 and 2019.
After the first survey, the DOT launched the National Coalition on Truck Parking to work on how best to address truck-parking problems across the country.
What to Expect from the Truck Parking Survey
The new Federal Highway Administration survey questions cover where and when drivers have difficulty finding truck parking, how drivers prefer to get information on available parking, plus a question for motor carriers regarding route scheduling.
Addressing the parking shortage is a long-standing priority for the trucking industry, and the survey results will support advocacy efforts for additional federal and state funding.
Truck parking was number four on the list of top trucking priorities in the American Transportation Research Institute’s Top Industry Issues report released last fall. For truck drivers, it was number 2 on the list. For motor carriers, it was number 9 on the list.
Congress is likely to consider truck parking legislation as part of highway reauthorization over the next 12 to 18 months. The FHWA anticipates publishing its survey results and analysis within the coming year.
Survey responses are due by February 27.
NATSO Wants Truck Parking Research to Go Further
NATSO, the organization of truck stop and travel plaza operators, said it has urged the agency to go further and include questions such as:
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Whether trucking companies reimburse their drivers for truck parking.
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How frequently trucking companies include truck parking in their negotiations on fuel purchase agreements.
NATSO also requested that DOT officials be surveyed about the degree to which truck parking is considered when new regulations are being proposed for the trucking industry.
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