A Law Enforcement Advisory Board for the American Trucking Associations recently dispatched a letter to every governor and state departments of transportation to increase truck parking spaces.
“According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 98 percent of truck drivers regularly experience difficulties finding safe parking — a sharp uptick from the 75 percent figure reported just four years earlier. USDOT also found that the truck parking shortage exists in every state and region,” the letter states. “Year after year, truck drivers have indicated that the parking shortage is one of the top three challenges they face, rising to number one in 2021. With the volume of freight moved by trucks expected to increase by more than 21 percent over the next decade, this problem is only going to get worse.”
Although the shortage has been widely acknowledged at every level of government, truck drivers continue to take a backseat to government pet projects. The $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending package initially had significant funding to create legitimate truck parking spaces. Lawmakers negotiated the money away, prioritizing issues such as electric vehicles and charging stations.
For instance, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program established by Infrastructure law invests upwards of $5 billion in EV charging stations and infrastructure over five years. More than $615 million is expected to be awarded by the end of fiscal year 2022 alone.
To date, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg has allotted only a portion of a $37.6 million grant to Florida and Tennessee for truck spaces. Keep in mind, the money involves other uses, and a total of 145 spaces would be created. That’s largely why the ATA advisory board petitioned governors and state-level DOT administrators to improve trucking working conditions. The board’s letter points out that the language in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act allows states to apply for grants that can, creatively, fund projects to increase truck parking.
“Construction of new truck parking capacity at rest areas or adjacent to private facilities is eligible for funding, as are improvements that allow for increased parking capacity at nontraditional locations, such as weigh stations and commuter lots, when appropriate,” the letter states.
The ATA statement indicates that funding through National Highway Performance Program, Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, and Highway Safety Improvement Program may support safe truck parking efforts. Discretionary grants such as the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects Program, National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program, Local and Regional Project Assistance Program, and Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program could solve some of the issues.
“Truck drivers are the backbone of our society and economy. Without them, the daily conveniences we take for granted — from fresh water to fuel to the physical roofs over our heads — would not exist. On behalf of the Law Enforcement Advisory Board, we urge you to examine the availability of truck parking within your State and take such actions as are necessary to ensure that truck drivers have a safe place to sleep when they are out on the road delivering 72 percent of America’s freight,” the letter states. “We urge you to use the aforementioned resources, as well as other non-Federal resources, to prioritize and address this serious safety problem.”
Sources: highways.dot.gov, ata.msgfocus.com
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