Truckers have been seeking additional parking for quite some time now. With more parking for truckers, comes a more productive, safe and resilient workforce. That’s what the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association wants people to realize when it comes to improving parking for truckers.
In an effort to improve parking spaces for truckers, ATA and OOIDA sent a letter to Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, pushing for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds to be prioritized to boost the nation’s truck parking capacity, FleetOwner reported.
Why is more parking for truckers important?
The biggest reason is safety. Truckers need to feel safe and comfortable when they pull over to take a break, eat, sleep, or finish up the administration duties of the job. On average drivers spend nearly an hour of driving time every day trying to find parking, and 58% of drivers say they have parked in unauthorized places at least three times a week, FleetOwner reported. Not just that but if drivers continue to spend a chunk of time trying to find parking and continue to be unsuccessful, they either have to keep driving to try and find parking, park in potentially unsafe locations, or keep driving when they are fatigued – all of these are not great situations. A dent in these issues could be fixed, with additional parking.
“Just park in a regular ole parking lot then!” Well, it’s not that easy. For one truck drivers need parking that accommodates for the size of their vehicles, so they don’t have to worry about causing an accident with their size. In addition, truckers need to have parking spaces that are well-lit and secure – truckers drive at various times during the day/night and haul thousands of dollars’ worth of goods and need to feel comfortable that they are in a secured area.
“Year after year, surveys show the severe lack of truck parking ranks amongst drivers’ top concerns. Not only does this add severe strain to the supply chain, but it also presents a growing safety hazard for the entire motoring public,” Chris Spear, ATA President and CEO stated in the letter to Pete Buttigieg.
What’s being done?
The Arizona Department of Transportation is collaborating with California, New Mexico, and Texas to build a truck parking availability system to help prevent long-haul drivers putting themselves in dangerous situations when need to park along Interstate 10. This project would include 37 public rest areas and 550 parking spaces in those states and will hopefully be put in place by 2023, reported Tucson.
One idea that has the potential to benefit drivers and is increasingly being discussed amongst those in the industry is asking shippers to provide onsite parking to drivers whose Hour of Service (HOS) clocks are running out, especially when detention times draw out at many terminals, FleetOwner reported.
There is also an app out there for truckers called the Trucker Path app where truckers can find the closest truck stop, available parking, weigh station, fuel stops, trip planning and truck-safe routing, and more.
Trucking forward
As we truck into the future, it is important for people to realize the importance of improving the parking situation for truckers. Truckers are a vital piece of our economy and directly impact those around us, they deserve to feel safe and comfortable when finding time in the day to rest and not have to constantly be worried about find a safe (and legal) parking spot during their day.
Please reach out to us at Commerce Express if you have any questions or comments!
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