ATA applauds bipartisan, bicameral truck parking legislation

The American Trucking Associations applauded the introduction of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act by Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) in the U.S. Senate and Representatives Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bipartisan legislation would authorize $755 million in competitive grant funding to expand commercial truck parking capacity across the United States.

"The lack of safe and accessible truck parking places an enormous and costly burden on our nation's truck drivers as they work to deliver for the American people. Given the chronic nature of this issue and its national scope, it is imperative Congress takes action to provide dedicated funding to expand commercial truck parking capacity,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "We thank Senators Lummis and Kelly and Representatives Bost and Craig for their leadership on this vital piece of legislation, which will strengthen our supply chain and improve highway safety for all motorists."

The industry says the parking shortage is having a costly, measurable impact on supply chain efficiency, driver health and wellbeing, highway safety, and the environment. When truck drivers are unable to find safe, authorized parking, they're stuck in a no-win situation—forced to either park in unsafe or illegal locations, or to violate federal hours-of-service rules that regulate their daily drive-time to search for safer, legal alternatives.

• A U.S. Department of Transportation report found 98% of drivers regularly experience problems finding safe parking.
• The same report found the truck parking shortage exists in every state and region and is most acute along major freight corridors.
• 70% of drivers have been forced to violate federal hours-of-service rules because of this common scenario.
• To ensure they can find a safe and legal space, truck drivers often park prior to exhausting available drive time, surrendering an average of 56 minutes of valuable drive time per day, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.
• The time spent looking for available truck parking costs the average driver about $5,500 in direct lost compensation — or a 12% cut in annual pay.

The Senate bill establishes new funding eligibility criteria, including considerations for drivers' personal safety. The lack of safe parking options is often cited as a deterrent to more women joining the industry.