Truck parking bill picks up two more co-sponsors

Congress has a chance to make things right with a truck parking bill that is picking up momentum in the House. However, truckers still need to inform their representative of the bill before it is too late.

HR2187, better known as the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, is still alive and well in the House of Representatives. Sitting in limbo since March, two more co-sponsors were added to the bill this week, signaling renewed interest in truck parking.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., jumped on the truck parking bandwagon. Three days later, Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., put her name on HR2187’s cosponsor list. With two more Democrats on board, the parking bill is proving to be a bipartisan effort. As of publication, there are 17 Republicans and 11 Democrats cosponsoring the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.

If signed into law, HR2187 will dedicate $755 million to projects that will increase parking capacity. Eligible projects cannot charge drivers for parking.

Although there has been recent action with HR2187, more House representatives need to endorse the bill for it to get past the hump it has been stuck at since March.

Reintroduced by Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., on March 26, the truck parking bill has been sitting in a subcommittee since March 29. Five representatives cosponsored the bill from the start, including three Democrats and two Republicans.

By June 30, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act had acquired 25 co-sponsors. However, momentum came to a four-month halt. The next cosponsor did not sign on until Nov. 2, followed by this week’s additions one month later.

Bryce Mongeon, director of legislative affairs for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, says years of industry-wide efforts have raised the profile of the issue and played a role in getting new co-sponsors.

“Although we are extremely disappointed that Congress failed to dedicate funding for truck parking capacity in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, we are continuing to fight for HR2187 and build support for the legislation,” Mongeon said. “Now that Congress has shown an interest in supply chain challenges, we believe this is all the more reason they should take action on truck parking.”

With OOIDA setting the stage, truckers are encouraged to contact their House representative about HR2187. Truckers can find contact information for their lawmakers at FightingForTruckers.com.

Supply chain crisis highlights truck parking crisis

A sudden revival of the truck parking bill comes during a supply chain crisis that has publicly exposed decades-long issues affecting the trucking industry.

A consumer demand tidal wave has been drowning the global supply chain in cargo. In the United States, the trucking industry is having a difficult time moving the large volume of cargo once ashore. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association suggests a lack of parking is part of the problem.

In a letter sent to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, OOIDA showed how the driver shortage myth, detention time, truck parking, broker transparency and other trucking issues contribute to the supply chain crisis. LL