IC1118

Independent Contractor
NEWS
solution instead of reserving. We see that as being
a better solution.
“We are testing technology that allows drivers
to see how many parking spots are available at a
given location, but that’s in the early stages. We feel
providing visibility gives our customers more value
than reserved parking, so we’re looking for the right
technology that will be helpful.”
The Trucker Path study says currently 30 percent
of truck drivers report using the reservation method.
It goes on to say that the largest impact could be
achieved by spreading out the need for capacity
throughout the day since most drivers need parking
spaces at the same time.
The survey found 65 percent of drivers look for
parking between 6 p.m. and midnight and
more than 125 percent of drivers using Trucker
Path’s parking search feature do so between the
hours of 4 and 8 p.m.
Hours of Service requirements and shipper
detention are “constraining factors that can’t be
ignored,” especially since data collected from
ELDs back that up, the report added, citing that a
recent survey conducted by Trucker Path found 70
percent of drivers have had to violate HOS to find
parking and 96 percent admitted to parking in areas
not designated for trucks.
Plus, it said, industry data show that 75 percent
of drivers are detained at a pickup or delivery site
for two or more hours every week and 35 percent
are delayed more than six hours every week.
It said lengthening the 14-hour, on-duty limit by
two hours if the driver is delayed by more than two
hours at the shipper’s/receiver’s “would not only
ease some driver stress, but also widen the driving
window and even out the demand for parking during
the day.”
The study lauded the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration for revising the personal
conveyance rules to give truckers extra time beyond
HOS limits to search for safe parking.
However, it said, despite efforts by Trucker
Path, and other apps to help truckers find real-time
parking, and the reservations introduced by travel
centers, the parking problem may have worsened.
“When Trucker Path carried out our Trucking
Parking Survey in 2017, 40 percent of truck drivers
reported that they needed an hour or more to find a
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