More Trucks Than Spaces Force Drivers to Extremes. Congress Finally Takes Action
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OOIDA hails bipartisan, groundbreaking truck parking legislation
The U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Angie
Craig (D-MN), members of the House Transportation & Infrastructure
Committee, introduced the most comprehensive piece of legislation in decades to
increase truck parking capacity.
H.R. 6104, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement
Act, would dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to projects that increase
truck parking spaces so that truck drivers can safely comply with hours-of-service
regulations. Funding would be awarded on a competitive basis and
applicants would be required to submit detailed proposals to the U.S.
Department of Transportation. The primary focus would be to construct new
truck parking facilities and convert existing weigh stations and rest areas
into functional parking spaces for truck drivers.
“After decades of ignoring the problem, Congress
is finally getting serious about fixing the severe lack of truck parking across
the country. Finding a safe place to park is something most people take
for granted, but it’s a daily struggle for hundreds of thousands of truckers,”
said Todd Spencer, OOIDA President and CEO. “Congressman Bost and
Congresswoman Craig have shown they not only understand truckers are
experiencing a crisis, but have the mettle to address it through
groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation.”
While Congress and the Federal Highway
Administration have tried to address this issue with the enactment of Jason’s
Law and launching of the National Coalition on Truck Parking, OOIDA believes
substantive federal investment to expand capacity is long overdue.
“The national truck parking crisis is also a
national highway safety crisis. Truckers don’t want to park on the side
of the road. It creates a hazard to them and the motoring public.
But sometimes there’s literally no other option. This bill has the
potential to generate much more truck parking capacity and every member of
Congress should support it,” said Spencer.
Knowing the lack of parking is affecting every
segment of trucking, OOIDA worked closely with Reps. Bost and Craig to develop
meaningful legislation that would garner support throughout the industry. In
addition to OOIDA, H.R. 6104 also boasts the support of the American Trucking
Associations, Truckload Carriers Association, National Association of Small
Trucking Companies and the National Motorists Association.
“Growing up in a family trucking business, I
learned at early age what a rewarding career it could be,” said Rep. Bost.
“However, I also understood that trucking can be a tough, demanding, and even
dangerous job. One concern for truck drivers is the lack of enough safe parking
spots where they can get the rest they need without risking collisions on the
shoulder of the highway or being forced to push their limits to find the next
rest stop. This puts the truckers and other motorists as significant
risk. That’s why I’m proud to lead this effort to create sufficient rest
parking options for long-haul truckers.”
“Right now, there is a lack of places for truck
drivers to safely stop, forcing them to pull over to the side of the road, or
continue driving, both of which are risky,” said Rep. Angie Craig. “That’s why
I am proud to be working my colleague, Rep. Mike Bost from Illinois, to
increase truck parking spaces, increasing safety for folks transporting goods
to and from Minnesota’s Second Congressional District.”
David Heller, TCA Vice President of Government
Affairs, said “Truck parking consistently ranks as one of the most important
issues for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) and trucking stakeholders
across the country. On a daily basis, our companies’ drivers face dangerous
conditions due to the lack of safe and convenient parking options. TCA applauds
Representatives Bost and Craig for their dedication to resolving this critical
safety obstacle through this legislation, which will devote significant funding
toward the development of suitable parking on our nation’s highways.”
David Owen, President, National Association of
Small Trucking Companies, said “The availability of truck parking has become so
scarce that, in many parts of the country, it’s reached crisis levels.
The scope of the problem is such that the solution must be multifaceted.
The legislation sponsored by Reps. Bost and Craig represents an important part
of the solution — grants dedicated to putting truck parking along federal
roads.”
The bill was introduced on the 11th anniversary
of the murder of truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who had resorted to using an
abandoned gas station when he had nowhere to park. His situation led to the
creation of Jason’s Law.
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