IC1118

NEWS
Independent Contractor
November 2018
Trucker Path survey says
finding safe parking still a
stressor, may have gotten
worse
Professional truck drivers and their loved ones
know all too well how being forced to park in
unsafe areas because a driver is out of hours can end
in robbery and/or death of the driver. And, says new
parking research, parking availability has improved
some, but not nearly enough. In some respects, it
may have worsened.
In fact, nearly 90 percent of drivers said finding
safe parking is their No. 1 work-related stress,
according to a survey by Trucker Path, the provider
of mobile apps that help truckers report parking
availability in real time.
Trucker Path said its most recent study on the
parking problem shows that on average, parking has
improved in nearly every state from 2016 to 2017,
but the largely urban eastern U.S. still has a “severe
lack of capacity.”
Fifty-four percent of drivers surveyed by Trucker
Path prefer to park at truck stops and 56 percent
said they feel safe at those locations, while 52
percent said they feel safe parking at shippers’ locations
but only 34 percent prefer that parking.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they
don’t favor parking at weigh stations while 23
percent they feel weigh station parking was unsafe.
The study says truckers being able to secure
spots in advance would help, but admits the idea
of parking reservations is still controversial among
drivers.
A recent trip to a Central Arkansas TA/Petro
showed dozens and dozens of reserved spaces
empty, and more than one driver has called The
Trucker editorial offices to complain that they
shouldn’t have to pay for parking spaces that were
free several years ago.
A tally by The Trucker of TA/Petros along the
major commercial routes of Interstate 40, Interstate
75, Interstate 95 and Interstate 10, showed only
10 percent of parking spaces in those areas are
reserved.
A random sampling of about 100 locations of
Pilot Flying J truck stops by The Trucker revealed
about 5 percent reserved spaces, while Trucker
Path reported that Pilot Flying J’s “Prime Parking”
allows drivers to reserve a spot at 400 out of
750 locations for up to 12 hours for between $12
and $20. The report said TA/Petro allows drivers
to reserve a spot for 250 out of its 550 locations
and that drivers can book a spot up to 30 days in
advance.
However, the report continued, 53 percent of
drivers surveyed have a
negative view of parking
reservations.
The study recommended
that truck stops
allow drivers who make
reservations to earn
credit at their stores to
bump up use of reserved
spots.
“Love’s currently
does not have a reserved
or paid parking system,”
said Laura Noland, the
chain’s external communications
manager.
“Our approach has been
to focus on adding parking
spaces as a form of
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