Many truck drivers know that finding a spot to park safely overnight can be nearly impossible. Spaces are generally limited, and drivers often feel that they are forced to park in unsafe places, such as on the shoulder off a highway.
U.S. Representatives Mike Bost and Angie Craig introduced legislation to Congress last March to set aside funding for additional truck parking along the federal highway system.
The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act would approve $125 million in federal transportation funds to be dedicated to truck parking in the 2022 fiscal year. This amount would gradually increase through 2026.
Rep. Bost is a former long-haul truck driver who has experienced firsthand how a lack of parking can put drivers in danger.
“Creating sufficient parking options for long-haul truckers will not only help keep truckers safe during their rest breaks but will also mean safer roads for everyone,” he said in a statement from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
Parking at most rest stops is often overcrowded and not an ideal place for truckers to stay for the night. Therefore, many drivers don't get as much sleep as they should. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has estimated that 13 percent of commercial vehicle accidents involve fatigued truck drivers.
Rep. Craig recently called on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to consider supporting the bill. Committee Chairman Rep. Peter DeFazio has agreed that changes to infrastructure such as this are necessary.
The bill has received bipartisan support from several Representatives, as well as from the American Truckers Association and the National Association of Small Trucking Companies.
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