Truck parking is the focus of statehouse action

Truck drivers already know the deal: truck parking is a nationwide mess. Finding a safe place to park is harder than it should be.

A Jason’s Law survey counted about 313,000 truck parking spaces nationwide. Only around 40,000 are at public rest areas. The other 273,000 are at private truck stops.

OOIDA says the parking shortage is one of the biggest headaches truck drivers deal with daily. OOIDA also says adding more safe, legal parking doesn’t just help drivers – it makes the roads safer for everyone else.

Virginia

A Northern Virginia lawmaker wants to fix a big truck problem: nowhere to park.

Delegate Rozia Henson, D-Prince William, is bringing back a plan to add truck parking along two of the state’s busiest roads, Interstates 66 and 95. A similar plan a year ago went nowhere.

House Joint Resolution 6 calls for a study to see how bad the truck parking shortage really is along I-66 and I-95.

Henson says the Federal Highway Administration has already warned that the lack of truck parking is a national safety issue. His plan zooms in on Prince William County, where parking is especially tight.

Henson wrote that Prince William County sits right between the two interstates, but doesn’t have enough safe, secure spots for large trucks. As freight traffic grows, more truck drivers are being forced to park in neighborhoods and mixed-use areas.

He says truck drivers need more real parking options.

Henson also pointed out that trucks keep local, state and regional economies moving. Freight demand has exploded, and current fixes, like limiting where trucks can park, aren’t a solution.

If approved, HJR6 would require the Virginia Department of Transportation to study truck parking needs and capacity along and near I-66 and I-95. VDOT would then send a full report and recommendations to the governor and General Assembly by the end of the year.

Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania bill wants to tackle the truck parking mess with a tax break.

PennDOT says the state has about 11,500 truck parking spots. That count includes private truck stops, state rest areas, welcome centers and Pennsylvania Turnpike service plazas.

Even with all that, the Pennsylvania Transportation Advisory Committee says the shortage is bad. About 1,100 trucks end up parked every night on highway shoulders and ramps.

Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, says that’s not safe – and it’s not working. He’s backing a bill to push businesses to build more truck parking. HB709 would offer a tax credit for adding new parking spaces.

Benninghoff says two big problems are fueling the shortage. He cited more distribution centers and not enough places for trucks to park.

He explained that many distribution centers won’t let drivers stay on-site if they show up early. At the same time, drivers must stop once they hit their hours-of-service limits.

With distribution centers packed close together, drivers end up fighting over a handful of parking spots. Benninghoff says that leaves some truckers with no choice but to park on shoulders and ramps. As a result, everyone is put at risk.

He also noted that many businesses near highways don’t offer truck parking because there’s no payoff for them.

“This tax credit aims to be the economic incentive needed for businesses to create truck parking,” Benninghoff said.

Under HB709, businesses could earn a $5,000 tax credit. The credit would apply each year for every free, public truck parking space they create. To qualify, they would need to build at least five new spaces. The maximum tax credit would be $100,000.

New Jersey

Lawmakers in New Jersey are taking another swing at the truck parking problem.

Assemblyman Michael Torrissi, R-Hammonton, is sponsoring A723. The bill would force the New Jersey DOT to roll out a program that creates more safe truck parking zones. The zones could be along or near federally funded highways.

Torrissi said more truck parking means safer roads for drivers and a smoother supply chain that keeps the state’s economy moving.

The bill would tap up to $50 million in federal money set aside for New Jersey. LL