$1 billion for more truck parking?
To say this year has been the busiest one for truck parking may be an understatement. So many conversations are being held at all levels of government, with the federal government poised to do something meaningful about the crisis.
Fed up with truck parking
State and local governments can only do so much without the guidance and helping hand of the federal government. Until recently, the feds have been mostly silent on the issue of truck parking. That has all changed.
In June, the House of Representative’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced its highway bill called the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act. You can read about the details on Page 20.
Although it is filled with several poison pills, there is one thing inside the INVEST in America Act truckers should be happy about: funding for more truck parking. Specifically, Section 1308 allocates $1 billion to add truck parking capacity. Yeah, billion with a “b.” That is not a typo. The bill sets aside $250 million for each fiscal years 2023 through 2026.
Section 1308 provides nearly a quarter of a billion dollars more than HR2187, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, in less amount of time. HR2187 allocates $755 million over five years for truck parking capacity. In fact, Section 1308 is very similar to HR2187, including restrictions that no more than 10% of the funds can be used for informational systems (e.g., electronic signs telling you where there isn’t truck parking) and none of the new projects can charge for truck parking.
That’s the good news.
The not-so-good news is the INVEST in America Act was released shortly before press time. Since the bill is in its infancy, many of the provisions can – and likely will – change or be completely eliminated. Let’s hope Congress flushed the poison pills down the toilet and keeps Section 1308 intact.
Since we do not know what can happen with the INVEST in America Act, it is still important to tell your House representative to co-sponsor HR2187. Here is who’s on that list as of press time:
- Angie Craig, D-Minn.
- Eric Crawford, R-Ariz.
- Antonio Delgado, D-N.Y.
- Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
- John Garamendi, D-Calif.
- Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo.
- Bill Johnson, R-Ohio
- Dusty Johnson, R-S.D.
- Trent Kelly, R-Miss.
- Ron Kind, D-Wis.
- Darin LaHood, R-Ill.
- Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif.
- Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
- Tom Malinowski, D-N.J.
- Chris Pappas, D-N.H.
- Greg Pence, R-Ind.
- Tom Reed, R-N.Y.
- David Rouzer, R-N.C.
- Pete Stauber, R-Minn.
- Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.
- Thomas Tiffany, R-Wis.
- Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J.
- Susan Wild, D-Pa.
Truck parking news roundup
It has been a busy summer in the world of truck parking so far. Below are some tidbits that were missed in the online edition of The Parking Zone.
The city of Steubenville, Ohio, has introduced legislation that will increase fines for illegal truck parking. If signed into law, fines for illegal truck parking in residential areas would increase to a mandatory $150 fine for the first offense, $250 for second offense and $500 for a third offense. Currently, the fine is set at $25. For many truckers, it’s less expensive to pay the fine than finding a parking spot or paying for one. One council member said the city needs to find a solution. Another council member replied with, “That’s their issue to deal with,” and another councilmember said the council “isn’t there to babysit these people. These are grown men.” So that’s the trucker vibe in Steubenville.
In Washington County, Md., Bruceton Farm Services is looking to redevelop the Hancock Truck Plaza off of Interstate 70.
According to The Morgan Messenger, the plans include a 7,700-square-foot, two-story building to include a convenience store, a mezzanine for offices, a gas station with canopy, a Little Caesars Pizza and an attached building for an IHOP. All of these will be open 24/7. More importantly, the developer said there will be “plenty of overnight parking.”
Meanwhile in South Carolina, the state Department of Transportation plans to renovate its rest areas, according to WLTX-TV. State lawmakers allocated $40 million for SCDOT to make much-needed updates to rest areas that were built nearly half a century ago. A SCDOT spokesperson told WLTX that part of that funding will go towards adding more truck parking spaces. SCDOT is in the planning and permit phases of the project, which could take up to two years.
More truck parking is needed, but not just any kind of parking. Secure truck parking is what drivers need. Case in point: the Cahokia Heights Police Department in Illinois is saying that tractor-trailer thefts there are rapidly increasing. According to Fox 2 Now, thieves targeted the local Flying J Travel Center twice in one week. They stole two trailers. It happened again at least two more times. It’s bad enough that finding a truck parking spot is difficult. We do not need to add the fact that your trailer can be stolen.
For more truck parking news, make sure to check out the online edition of The Parking Zone at LandLine.Media. LL