FHWA to host National Coalition on Truck Parking Workshop

The Federal Highway Administration plans to conduct a National Coalition on Trucking Parking Workshop at 1 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, Dec. 16.

The virtual meeting is open to the public and will focus on the creation of the Truck Parking Development Handbook for local and regional offices.

According to the FHWA, the workshop will cover:

• Why FHWA is developing the handbook.
• How the handbook will help in making decisions toward addressing truck parking challenges at the local level.
• When the handbook will be available.
• User considerations and participant feedback on practical designs.

The meeting, which is free to attend, is scheduled to last until 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Those wishing to attend may register here.

A recap of the 2020 National Coalition on Truck Parking Workshop can be found here.

OOIDA efforts

Truck parking has become a nationwide issue, and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been working toward getting funding. OOIDA has worked with Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., on introducing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which would dedicate $755 million to projects that will increase truck parking capacity. The bill, HR2187, is now up to 28 co-sponsors.

In addition to the bill in the House, OOIDA has asked Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to use $1 billion in discretionary funding to address the national truck parking crisis.

“The enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act presents an opportunity for you to address a safety crisis that America’s truckers have faced for decades – the national shortage of truck parking,” OOIDA wrote in the Nov. 29 letter signed by President and CEO Todd Spencer.

Supply chain

OOIDA says improving the truck parking situation will help the industry’s driver retention problem, and it also will play a role in making the supply chain more efficient.

At a House Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on supply chains in November, transportation expert David Correll said the American Trucking Associations’ estimated 80,000 driver deficit could be resolved by simply improving the utilization of America’s existing truck drivers by 18 minutes per day. According to Correll’s data, truckers typically drive only 6.5 hours a day even though they are allowed a maximum of 11 hours.

OOIDA pointed out that studies indicate truckers spend an average of 56 minutes per day of driving time looking for parking.

The Association says that solving the truck parking crisis will benefit safety, improve the efficiency of the supply chain, and help retain truck drivers.

“Truckers consistently rank the lack of truck parking as one of their top concerns, and there are few better ways you could improve their safety and livelihoods than by addressing the parking crisis,” OOIDA wrote. “It should not be a shock to anyone that good drivers leave the industry over the inability to find something as basic as a safe place to rest when they are weary.

“We can and should do better by these absolutely and always essential workers.” LL