2211_TTJM_AllPages

NATIONAL
FOCUS
circling
the lot?
Federal agencies promise to prioritize
safe, secure parking for big rigs
THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE STAFF
There are only 313,000 truck parking spaces in the U.S. Contrast
that with the almost 3.5 million truck drivers who haul America’s
goods from ports and warehouses to stores for consumers. According
to data from the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), there
is just one truck parking space for every 11 drivers. As such, truck
parking is often listed as one of the top issues facing truckers today.
In late September, the U.S. Department of Transportation (US-
DOT) convened state, industry and federal leaders at a meeting of the
National Coalition of Truck Parking to share resources available in
the President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to address the
nation’s truck parking shortage. USDOT officials say the issue “puts
all road users at risk and is costing truck drivers time and money.”
At the meeting, USDOT shared a new handbook for states that details
strategies for developing truck parking, along with best practices on designing
and constructing new truck parking. Officials also discussed the
new and expanded funding resources that are available for truck parking
projects to make the nation’s freight system safer and more efficient.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said he has heard directly
from truck drivers and industry partners that the availability of truck
parking is a top concern for drivers.
“It costs them time and money — not to mention making our
roads less safe and weakening our supply chains,” Buttigieg said.
“We’re using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law to help address truck parking shortages, and we’re working
with state and industry leaders to develop more parking that will
improve safety and quality of life for our nation’s truck drivers.”
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and Owner-Operator
Independent Drivers Association wrote a joint letter to USDOT
earlier this year citing that 98% percent of drivers report problems
finding safe parking, costing drivers more than 56 minutes of
drive-time to find parking. That wasted time is estimated to cause
a $5,500 loss in annual compensation — roughly a 12% pay cut.
In October, for the first time ever, the USDOT announced significant
investments to expand the nation’s truck parking capacity
on the interstate system through the Nationally Significant Multimodal
Freight and Highway Projects program.
These first-of-their-kind investments include $15 million
to add approximately 120 new truck parking spaces along
the Interstate 4 corridor in Florida between Tampa and Orlando,
and a $22.6 million investment to add approximately
125 spaces along Interstate 40 east of Nashville, Tennessee.
USDOT officials say the projects will improve safety and freight
operations, and make freight transportation more sustainable.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
also awarded $1.4 million in grant funding to Montana and Kentucky
to improve truck parking through its High Priority Innovative
Technology Deployment grants.
“One of the leading causes of truck crashes is driver fatigue. It
is clear that adequate rest for drivers is foundational for safe operations.
We have heard loud and clear from drivers — they need
more places to rest, and they need to be safe and secure while doing
so,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson.
“We are proactively working at the local and regional level to
point to the numerous resources across USDOT for truck parking
construction, expansion, and technology solutions, and we will
continue to work collaboratively with agencies within USDOT and
with all of our partners in the industry,” she said.
USDOT has also updated guidance on the sources of federal
funding that are eligible for states interested in making further
investments in truck parking. States and other government entities
can apply for grants or prioritize formula funding for capacity
projects from over $47.4 billion in eight programs.
“Truck parking is a safety issue — both for truck drivers and all
other road users, which is why FHWA (Federal Highway Administration)
has updated our guidance to ensure there is no question about
eligibility for truck parking projects in new formula and discretionary
grant programs authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law,” said FHWA Acting Administrator Stephanie Pollack.
“This new information will help states, localities and other eligible
entities identify eligible formula funding sources and apply for discretionary
grants to fund truck parking projects that not only support the
increased demand for truck deliveries and strengthen our supply chains,
but also provide safe truck parking, which is critical to protect the truck
drivers we rely on, as well as the traveling public,” she concluded.
36 THE TRUCKER JOBS MAGAZINE | | NOVEMBER 2022 WWW.THETRUCKERJOBS.COM