ATA Hails Committee Passage of Bill to Boost Truck Parking Availability

American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear praised congressional leaders for advancing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act – which would authorize $755 million over the next four years to address the nation’s critical lack of truck parking.

“The lack of safe and accessible truck parking is an issue that causes serious concern for our industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Without it, drivers waste hours looking for secure places to park for an hour or for the night, hurting their ability to rest and adding undo stress to their days. Moving this legislation forward is a tremendous step toward addressing what has been significant challenge to our industry’s ability to safely and efficiently move the nation’s goods.”

During the markup today, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee passed an amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2187, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which was introduced by Reps. Mike Bost (R-Illinois) and Angie Craig (D-Minnesota) last year.

The legislation would authorize the creation of a competitive grant program for states to spend $755 million over a four-year period on new truck parking projects including capacity expansion and enhancements like lighting, restrooms and other security features.

Access to truck parking is routinely highlighted in the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual list of top issues facing trucking, and ATRI research has found that on average drivers spend nearly an hour – 56 minutes – per day looking for parking, time that reduces their wages, adds undo delays to the supply chain and raises stress on an already taxed workforce.

“The availability of safe and secure truck parking is not just a challenge current drivers, it is a barrier our industry must overcome in attracting new drivers – particularly women. Solving it won’t just help today’s industry, it will go a long way toward helping trucking recruit and attract a more diverse workforce,” Spear said. “This kind of bipartisan solution shows that Congress can still step up and address real challenges faced by American workers and I want to thank bill sponsors, Congressmen Bost and Craig, as well as Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves, for moving this important bill forward and urge the full House and Senate to quickly to make it law.”

The ATA’s newly formed Women in Motion advisory group and ATA's Law Enforcement Advisory Board along with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance sent letters to members expressing strong support for the provision.