A lack of truck stops across the nation is a serious issue. It affects the safety and well-being of truck drivers. It also poses challenges for emergency preparedness.
This is a key finding from a new research paper, “Truck Stops as Critical Infrastructure: Enhancing Resilience and Driver Safety in Times of Crisis.” The paper explores gaps in truck stop infrastructure. These gaps negatively impact truck drivers during normal times and emergencies, like hurricanes or pandemics.
In short, many areas lack enough truck stops. This includes regions at high risk for disasters. Public policies often overlook the needs of truck drivers.
“Despite truck drivers being essential to maintaining supply chains, they often operate under conditions that lack basic respect for their time, safety and well-being,” the study states. “From limited access to safe and legal parking to the absence of essential services during emergencies, many aspects of the current freight system neglect the human side of logistics and everyday realities faced by drivers. This is most evident during crises, when drivers delivering life-saving supplies may be forced to sleep in trucks without reliable access to power, hygiene facilities or food.”
Researchers highlighted many problems with truck stop availability and quality. These issues worsen during emergencies. They urge policymakers to listen to truck drivers, who are most affected.
“No stakeholders in the trucking ecosystem have a clear obligation to provide humane treatment or sufficient infrastructure,” researchers state. “Advocacy efforts – often led by drivers themselves – highlight the disconnect between frontline experiences and institutional responses. Organizations such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and Real Women in Trucking, as well as independent voices in our interviews, have called for policies that prioritize human dignity alongside operational efficiency.”
High risk, low parking
The lack of truck stops and parking in high-risk areas is a big problem.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Risk Index, 144 counties are at “relatively high” or “very high” risk for natural hazards. Of these, 29% lack rest areas or truck stops from the Big Three operators (Love’s, Pilot and TravelCenters of America). The Big Three provide half of the nation’s truck parking capacity.
Many of these counties are hurricane- and flood-prone areas in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina. In Florida, five of the 28 high-risk counties lack rest areas or Big Three truck stops. As part of its “Pro-Trucker Package,” the Department of Transportation is giving Florida $180 million to add more than 900 truck parking spaces.
There are also “truck stop deserts” in crowded areas like Austin, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Limited land may explain this. Truck parking is dense in the middle of the country but sparse along the coasts.
“These truck stop deserts expose drivers to safety and regulatory risks, especially if they have exceeded daily driving time as defined by HOS regulations and cannot find a place to rest,” researchers point out. “In times of crisis, such gaps create dangerous chokepoints that could impede evacuation efforts and relief operations.”
Researchers recommend boosting truck parking capacity. This includes using unused lots at businesses, schools and government land for “surge parking.”
A place to park, eat and clean up
Truck drivers need more than just a place to park; they need basic facilities too.
The research shows that truckers prioritize the availability and quality of truck parking, food and restrooms. This matches findings from a recent Trucker Path survey.
Truck stops with large parking lots get better reviews. However, smaller lots or those with paid parking receive negative feedback. During the pandemic, half of negative comments were about paid parking.
Drivers also want food options, especially hot food. High-quality showers are also important, with positive comments more common in low-risk counties.
To improve conditions, researchers recommend modernizing truck stops with backup power, water storage and communication systems. They also suggest establishing federal standards for truck stop amenities, including restrooms, showers, food options and safety features.
HOS, ELD, predatory towing and other obstacles
Researchers spoke with truck drivers and stakeholders to uncover many barriers to finding truck parking.
The study notes that hours-of-service rules and mandatory ELDs “reduce a driver’s flexibility to find parking on short notice, making prior planning essential.” During emergencies, hours-of-service waivers differ by state, complicating logistics. Republicans in Congress have urged the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to address that problem.
Drivers are frustrated with the rise of paid parking, especially surge pricing during peak times. Predatory towing adds to their troubles.
“There are places drivers parked for 20 years – now they’re getting towed,” one fleet owner told researchers. “I recently had a truck towed. Cost? $20,000.”
There also are issues with real-time communication of facility or road closures. Most truck parking apps do not have real-time parking availability information. Those that do are limited to certain truck stops and/or have some lag time. A recent FMCSA study highlighted the need for a centralized truck parking database.
Some drivers are sticking with old-school technology.
“CBs are still how we talk,” Jess Graham, an owner-operator, told researchers. “Apps are fine when they work, but in a disaster? It’s old-school radio that keeps you safe.”
Researchers suggest that policymakers should encourage the availability of free or low-cost parking, especially in high-risk counties. They also call for strengthening legal protections against predatory towing. LL
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