Words that shouldn’t have to be uttered
“We owe our truckers a safe place to rest.”
– DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg
This should not be a newsworthy statement. This should be obvious. Even more important, it should already be happening.
Here we are, though. For years and years, truck drivers have been complaining about the deficit of places to park their truck after a long day of driving across the country.
In fairness to Buttigieg, he did not create the problem, and he seems genuinely dedicated to making sure this most basic need is met. Even though there was no dedicated funding for truck parking in the 2021 infrastructure bill, the U.S. DOT is looking for ways to use some of the money to address this crisis.
“We owe our truckers a safe place to rest – not just because it’s the right thing to do and not only because it’s going to save drivers’ time and money, but because everyone is better off when truckers can do their jobs to the best of their abilities,” Buttigieg said at the National Coalition of Truck Parking’s annual meeting in September.
The problem certainly isn’t Buttigieg’s words. The problem is that he needed to say it.
Of course, we owe our truckers a safe place to rest. Our economy relies on truck drivers hauling groceries, medical equipment, and everything else we can possibly think of across the nation. For those who were ignorant to that concept, they certainly should have been enlightened during the pandemic. When most of the nation shut down, truck drivers made sure we still had all of the essentials – and even the nonessentials. (You didn’t think those online orders made it to your doorstep by magic, did you?)
Truck drivers were hailed as heroes. Practically every politician out there told us to #ThankATrucker.
Tonight, thousands of truckers are going to worry they won’t be able to find a parking spot before their clock runs outs. Some of them will be forced to park on the shoulder. Others may end up in a vacant lot without proper lighting or resources.
In other words, they will be taking unnecessary risks for no other reason than because the government and the general public has failed them.
I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise, though. Everywhere you turn in trucking, there’s another example of truckers needing to ask for something that is commonplace for most of the working world.
Think about some of the recent efforts by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.
In September, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act. OOIDA also helped Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., introduce a similar bill in the House. The measure would simply amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to end a longstanding overtime exemption for motor carriers.
The bill isn’t likely to make truck drivers rich, but the goal is to force the industry to value a truck driver’s time. Without an overtime requirement and with most drivers paid by the mile, it is common for truckers to sit for hours at loading or unloading facilities. Wanting truck drivers’ time to be valued just as much as the other workers in the supply chain should not be a big ask.
Another effort OOIDA has had to take on is making sure that truckers have a place to use the restroom. OOIDA supported a Washington state bill that requires shippers and receivers to provide restroom access to truck drivers. That bill became law this year. In 2023, OOIDA is expected to push for a federal version of the bill.
The sad part is that it shouldn’t take a law. It’s called common decency, and it’s another example of something we should already know.
We owe our truckers to be compensated for the time they work. We owe our truckers a place to use the restroom. And, yes, we owe our truckers a safe place to rest. The only appropriate response to any of these statements should be “Duh.” LL