Truckers ask DOT to allocate $ 1 billion for parking

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) asked the US Department of Transportation (DOT) to invest money in solving the main problem of truckers.

On Monday, OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer address to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for $ 1 billion in federal funding to tackle the problem with lack of parking for trucks.Spencer is confident that the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) expects this. Currently IIJA doesn’t account for funds earmarked for parking trucks, but OOIDA is urging DOT to use “discretionary funding” to pay for projects.

The letter points to an updated 2019 Jason Law Survey, which concludes “lack of truck parking is a major problem in every state and region, and it continues to get worse.”

OOIDA says there is currently “significant” bipartisan support in Congress for investment in truck parking.

The letter deals with safety issues related to the lack of truck parking:

“Truckers need a safe place to rest when they’re tired and to observe mandatory breaks required by federal laws. If truck drivers can’t find a safe and legal place to park, they’re forced to park in unsafe places, such as roadsides or waste grounds, or keep driving when they may want to take a break or disrupt working hours.”

This causes unsafe situations not only for truck drivers, but also for road-users.

According to Spencer, truckers spend 56 minutes of their work hours every day looking for safe parking: “As we know there is no shortage of truck drivers, the time wasted looking for parking affects current supply chain disruptions.”

At the end the letter points at the fact that the increasing number of available truck stops is an important step towards making trucking an attractive career option for anyone who`s interested.