The U.S. Department of Transportation has finally decided to acknowledge the need for more truck parking… in the most non-committal way possible. The USDOT announced its attention to begin studying the availability of truck parking on a state-by-state basis.
You might think that they have finally woken up and realized the absolute necessity for this sort of action, but no, even now they had to be pushed to it. The study is part of a 27-month surface transportation reauthorization bill that Congress approved last July. It will begin on April 1st and will look at truck volumes in each state and the availability and quantity of parking spaces that those states need.
There has been no word on whether new spaces or whole new parking facilities will be added, or indeed if any action will be taken at all.
This is absolutely better than the complete indifference that we’ve become used to seeing on this issue, but given that this is a study with no guarantee that any action will be taken regardless of the findings, it seems difficult to be optimistic that we will see any more parking spaces any time soon.
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Source: overdriveonline
John Dees says
Number one:
Since when is it a government function to provide parking for any vehicle? Do we now have a dept of parking?
Number two:
When are the TCA and ATA members realize that this parking issue is due simply to the number of trucks staying away from their terminals. Should every com
John Dees says
Company provide parking for their own vehicles? I think so! It is part of the cost of doing business. Either provide parking outside of company terminals or keep the trucks within a 300 miles radius hauling freight so that they can return to a local terminal! Trucking companies have been getting a free ride on the taxpayers back for too long
David says
So John I guess you are either a local driver or not one at all. If trucks stayed in ranges as you say there would be a lot of freight that never makes it to where its going. That means higher prices for food as well and not nearly as fresh of product.
HeyZeus says
I’m going with ‘John isn’t a trucker’, but a troll. How about this, John. We go back to the ‘good ol’ days’ when trucking companies had ‘slip seating’ with men working shifts at bunkhouses along the routes.
A bunkhouse every 300-500 miles with men staffed, of course on the time-clock. That load of vegetables from California’s Central valley to NYC gets re-powered about 8-10 times. When there is a weather delay, flat tire, etc, well, the time clock keeps on tickin’. You can imagine the logistical nightmare of ANY delay, can’t you? With Union wages of course, unless you can get the Politicians to just let the drivers sit for free…which happens a lot now, by the way. Too bad we drivers can’t get paid minimum wage sitting/waiting in that truck NOW, eh John? Maybe you can talk to your buddies in WashD.C. and get our labor laws changed?
Now then, John, can YOU estimate if this will increase, or decrease, the cost of goods sold for YOUR family, and are you willing to pay double? for the products you buy? Trust that it CAN be arranged.
Now please explain this ‘free ride on the taxpayers’ you were referring. I seem to have missed that one.
RE: Carriers getting away with it. says
The best part is who is going to pay for all this new parking? The government has always been good at spending money. 🙂
Lovesthedrive says
LOL It will take place April first. Some one has a joke up their sleeve.
Lonnie Roberts says
John, truckers spend more money in taxes and fees then any car out there. How do you figure we get a free ride on the back of tax payers?
Stormy says
John Dees… I am going to say John is a troll and probably closely attached at the hip to FMCSA or Anne Ferro. We have already paid our taxes for infrastructure. We pay fuel tax, federal highway use tax, unified carrier tax, IFTA tax, KYU tax, tolls, excise tax, and on and on. Then Ms. Ferro raids the funds to have listening sessions but doesn’t listen to anyone and keeps ordering reports until she gets one that agrees with her opinion. Put the money back into the fund, use it for what it was intended for and let the taxpayers stop riding on the backs of the truckers. And demand Anne Ferro stop looking for new problems and fix just one real problem. As for John, he.needs to see if Lowes or Sears needs a delivery man because he has no clue what trucking us about anymore than Anne Ferro does. All the money she is wasting is just her way to justify her job. Shame she just justifies her job but never does her job
LONG TIME GONE says
They better start studying the lack of highways for trucks also… if you want to rebuild / repair infrastructure, is it not time to rethink the whole movement of cargo, nationwide? The Interstate for trucks only… hmmmm? Imagine 3- 4 trailer “truck trains” …. this shouldn’t be a problem on an interstate system designed just for trucks… automated trucks with pre-programmed routing, speeds, fuel usage, automated guidance system, where all the driver does is ride along to start / stop the tractor & monitor functions.
James C says
D.O.T. is about politicians impressing the 4-wheeling public, and mostly by continually making up new rules for those big “unsafe” trucks to follow.
It is NOT an organization that HELPS truckers.
Larry Watson says
Doesn’t sound like he’s got a clue what he’s talking about!
John O'Neill says
There is a reasonably easy fix. City politicians control city parking laws. So require all cities that collect taxes from companies that load or unload trucks to provide legal street parking proportional to the taxes they collect.
City of Commerce, California (ironic name) is posted as no overnight truck parking, anywhere. Thousands of cities nationwide are the same way, even in zoned industrial areas! In Torrence, CA there are huge, wide empty streets with not a car in sight at night. But signs every 100 feet, “No overnight parking.”
The entire state of Nevada disallows truck parking accept on private property. No pulling off when you’re tired. There’s nothing but desert to either side but you gotta wait for the next town, maybe 50 miles away! At least CHP in California allows exit ramp parking as long as it’s off the pavement. There are even places they allow it beside the freeway itself. Thank you CHP.
Since becoming a trucker I’ve found myself lamenting the demise of large unions. How long would it take for a city, boycotted by truckers as unfriendly, to change their tune and eliminate those ‘no truck parking’ signs?
Midnight Mark says
Just a note for the dreamer, if its an automated truck, on a truck only route, and the driver is just along for the ride, they already have those, its called train…
road devil says
Perhaps if they would let us access the abandoned and closed down rest areas and weigh stations maby that would help solve the problem, also this is more than a parking issue when you have a driver forced to continue on and violate his hours (drive fatiuged) because there is no more parking available, you hace 80,000 lbs rolling at a high risk of a fatal accident if you have a problem with truckers having to push their hours then you have never heard the fraze just in time I say most 4 wheelers get a free ride on the backs of truckers especailly in new york where they use throughway funds for some yhatt canal
Stormy says
Seems more and more cities are going to beat them to the punch and pass city ordinances prohibiting truck parking. I think they need a reminder of what Jason’s Law was about.