A trucker’s reality

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, painted a picture for his committee members about an issue truck drivers frequently encounter.

“Folks in the room, imagine you went to the office and you’re there after a long commute and say ‘I’d like to use the bathroom,’ and you’re told ‘Sorry, it’s not available. You’re going to have to hold it for a couple of hours.’”

In many truck drivers’ cases, it’s not because the business was undergoing renovations or because it had a plumbing issue. Instead, it’s because many shipper and receiver facilities do not open their restroom facilities for truck drivers loading or unloading freight at their business.

“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” Nehls said at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Feb. 1. “I thought it was ridiculous.”

That’s why Nehls worked with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association to introduce the Trucker Bathroom Access Act. The bill simply requires shipper and receiver facilities that have restrooms accessible to their customers and employees make those same restrooms available for truck drivers who are delivering or receiving a load. The legislation would not require businesses to construct new restrooms.

Nehls and Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., introduced the bill in December and, as of press time in early February, were expected to reintroduce the legislation in the 118th Congress.

“I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation that ensures truckers have access to a business’s restroom when making a pickup or delivery,” Nehls said at the hearing. “I’m kind of smiling here. I can’t believe that Congress has to address this issue. Again, it’s bipartisan and just plain commonsense. I will do everything I can to ensure that this bathroom bill becomes law.”

OOIDA President Todd Spencer said that the bill is long overdue and that truck drivers not being allowed to use the restroom has contributed to the difficulties of keeping truckers in the industry.

“Truck drivers are often not allowed access to restrooms while loading and unloading cargo at warehouses, retailers, and other businesses,” Spencer said. “This contributes to the larger driver retention problem that has persisted for decades. Imagine not having access to a restroom at work and being forced to hold it for hours on end. You probably wouldn’t like your job much. Reps. Nehls and Houlahan have demonstrated incredible leadership to expand trucker restroom access, and we look forward to working with them and our coalition partners to get this bipartisan legislation to the president’s desk.

“The men and women of America’s trucking industry keep our supply chain moving, and it’s only reasonable that their most basic of needs be accommodated while they are on the job.”

The Women in Trucking Association also supports the bill.

“As more women enter the trucking industry, the need for restroom access increases while access to facilities has decreased,” Women in Trucking president Ellen Voie said. “We applaud Rep. Nehls’ support to require shippers and receivers to offer our drivers this very basic need.”

The legislation would:

• Require retailers, warehouses, and other businesses to give truckers access to bathroom facilities when they are picking up cargo or making deliveries.
• Not require businesses to construct new restrooms. It only requires that if a business has a restroom available to their customers or employees, truckers should have the same access.
• Require the operators of ports and terminals to provide bathroom access to drayage drivers.

“A business does not have to construct new bathroom facilities,” Nehls told Land Line in December. “All it requires is that if a business has a restroom available to their customers or employees, truckers should have access to those same restrooms.”

Nehls said that he believes it shouldn’t be difficult to get the bill signed into law.

“I don’t believe I’m going to have a problem getting enough support to get this through the House of Representatives. Again, this isn’t throwing another unfunded mandate on businesses. There’s really no cost to this thing. It’s actually just a courtesy these businesses are going to provide to the truckers – the men and women who are delivering cargo to that business … I think this is very simple. This should be something that should have a great deal of support in the House of Representatives and then it should slide right through the Senate and get signed.”

When the bill was introduced in December, Houlahan said that restroom access is critical in the trucking industry’s attempt to recruit more female drivers.

“Time and again, we’ve seen that when we include women in our workforce, our economy prospers,” Houlahan said in a news release. “That’s true for the trucking industry, too. But restricted access to bathrooms is putting that progress in jeopardy. In response, our bipartisan legislation will give all truckers, and female drivers in particular, the confidence of having access to a restroom when they deliver goods to businesses and American families.

“Especially as the trucking industry continues to face employee retention challenges, we must ensure that we are providing truckers a working environment that honors the vital role they play in growing our economy. Ultimately, keeping more drivers on the road means fewer supply chain delays and lower costs. I’m proud to partner with Rep. Nehls on this straightforward effort.” LL