Truck parking funding gets support from top House reps
Keeping a promise he made more than a year ago, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., is doubling down on his efforts to dedicate funding for truck parking projects.
And he’s not hedging his bets.
Within a 24-hour time frame in early June, DeFazio shoved his truck parking agenda in front of the U.S. Department of Transportation and a House transportation subcommittee. As of press time, it was not known if his efforts will result in dollars and cents toward adding parking capacity.
However, an official letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg signed by a Republican colleague coupled with a powerful opening statement during a Highways and Transit subcommittee hearing may be the final nudge needed to get funding exclusively for truck parking across the finish line.
Letter to Buttigieg
On June 7, DeFazio and ranking member Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., wrote to Buttigieg about the need for more truck parking capacity.
“With the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Department of Transportation has an opportunity to address longstanding safety deficiencies on our nation’s infrastructure,” DeFazio and Graves wrote. “As the department establishes its spending priorities, we ask that you closely consider applications for and award funding to projects that will expand truck parking capacity. We believe that focusing funding on truck parking will improve highway safety for all road users and help to alleviate longstanding supply chain inefficiencies.”
DeFazio and Graves said the lack of truck parking is a danger to commercial drivers and others on the road.
“The national shortage of truck parking makes it difficult for truckers to find a safe place to rest and to take breaks in compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations,” the letter stated. “If a truck driver is unable to find a safe and legal parking space, they are often forced to park in hazardous locations, like road shoulders or abandoned lots.”
The T&I leaders cited an April 2020 Texas Statewide Truck Parking Study from the Texas DOT. From 2013 until 2017, the study found that there were more than 2,300 crashes involving parked trucks, resulting in 138 fatalities.
A national roadway safety concern
The very next morning, DeFazio addressed the national truck parking crisis during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing discussing roadway safety, reigniting optimism that the federal government will dedicate funding exclusively for projects adding parking capacity.
On June 8, the Highways and Transit subcommittee held a hearing titled “Addressing the Roadway Safety Crisis: Building Safer Roads for All.” Although there was a wide range of topics discussed, truck parking was addressed multiple times, including a plea for dedicated funding from the committee’s chairperson.
“We’ve got to do something about (truck parking), and I hope that the administration will use the discretion that they have to deal with that in addition to all the other tools that we’re talking about here for the states and localities to reduce fatalities on the roads,” DeFazio said.
DeFazio reminded the subcommittee that the House version of the infrastructure bill included $1 billion exclusively for projects that add truck parking spaces. Acknowledging “there is an absolute critical shortage of truck parking,” DeFazio also suggested that a lack of parking is “very inefficient” and “discourages people from getting into the profession.”
DeFazio is not the only subcommittee member addressing truck parking. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., asked witnesses why nothing has been done so far.
Shawn Wilson, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said state DOTs have to compete with private industry truck stops. Federal law prohibits government-owned rest stops from competing with private commerce. Consequently, certain amenities, including fuel stations, are not allowed at rest areas.
Wilson also talked about the not-in-my-backyard approach at the local level. Residents in communities up and down the interstates across the nation are resisting attempts to build more truck parking spaces where they live. Wilson, who is also the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development secretary, said issues regarding land use are exacerbating the problem.
Funding mechanisms are also an issue for state DOTs. Wilson said his hands are tied when it comes to allocating money for certain projects. For the most part, Wilson does not have the authority to reallocate funds for truck parking.
Kicking the can down the road
Considering past attempts of dedicated funding for truck parking, stakeholders may be cautiously optimistic about the latest effort by House members.
In the battle for dedicated truck parking funding, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has been a leading voice on the frontlines.
When DeFazio promised to “meaningfully address” the truck parking crisis in February 2021, he credited OOIDA President Todd Spencer for presenting the issue.
“I had a long talk with Todd Spencer with OOIDA,” DeFazio said in February 2021. “We delved into many issues, but one of the most prominent issues was truck parking. I promised him that we would meaningfully address that issue in (the highway bill), and I’ll be happy to work with you on that where we can access the Highway Trust Fund and dedicate some dollars to it.”
That led to a provision allocating $1 billion exclusively for projects adding parking spaces in the House version of the infrastructure bill. However, that provision was omitted from the Senate version that was ultimately signed into law, despite an amendment that attempted to get the provision back in the final draft.
OOIDA is “thrilled” to see the continuance of a bipartisan effort addressing the national truck parking crisis.
“We are thrilled Democrats and Republicans in the House continue to push for necessary federal investment in truck parking capacity,” said Collin Long, OOIDA’s director of government affairs. “If senators had shown the same commitment to fixing the problem, we probably wouldn’t even be discussing the issue at a hearing on roadway safety, because Washington would have already devoted federal funding to building capacity. Still, we applaud representatives like Chairman DeFazio, ranking member Graves, Congressman Bost, and others on the committee for understanding this problem won’t be solved without federal leadership and remaining vigilant.” LL
Land Line Senior Editor Mark Schremmer contributed to this report.