A nationwide shortage of available parking for commercial trucks is creating safety issues and negatively affecting the supply chain, according to a statement released by the American Trucking Association (ATA).
The ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB) sent a letter to all 50 governors and state departments of transportation urging them to apply for federal funds to expand truck parking capacity.
“Law enforcement organizations across the country, from local police departments to statewide patrols, are impacted by this issue and have seen firsthand how the truck parking shortage jeopardizes road safety for all motorists,” said Fred Fakkema, LEAB chairman and vice president.
Due to the parking shortage, truck drivers are often forced to park in illegal or unsafe locations when authorized parking is unavailable, or violate federal hours-of-service rules that regulate their daily drive-time in order to search for safer, legal alternatives.
According to stats provided by the ATA:
- 98% of drivers regularly experience problems finding safe parking.
- 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 the parking shortage.
- 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.
- The time spent looking for available truck parking costs the average driver about $5,500 in direct lost compensation.
“Truckers need accessible parking options to move the economy’s freight safely and efficiently. This issue is critically important – not just to drivers, but to patrolmen, troopers, and officers as well,” said Derek Barrs, LEAB industry outreach advisor.
There are various grant programs under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that can help fund parking projects at the state level, including helping to expand truck parking capacity. Recently, Florida and Tennessee were awarded INFRA grants by USDOT totaling $37 million to expand truck parking capacity. “We encourage states to capitalize on these resources now while they are available,” said Mr. Fakkema.
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