Truck parking operators claim paid parking saves money, but drivers are not so sure

While the truck parking crisis is getting little help from the government, the private sector is stepping in with paid parking. Some stakeholders are claiming that despite being an added expense, reserved parking can actually save truck drivers money.

That was a big part of a larger discussion on the truck parking crisis hosted by Women In Trucking during its recent Accelerate! conference. With a panel including parking executives and truck drivers, paid parking took center stage.

Setting that stage, Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, pointed out that the federal government is quick to take money from truckers for illegal parking or hours-of-service violations but is slow to give that money back to solve the truck parking crisis.

“For far too long, our federal government has sat on their hands and done nothing,” Pugh said. “They’ve left it to truck stops and private industry and different things that come up.”

Paid parking has been a point of contention in the world of truck parking recently. Pugh said that although truckers do not like hearing it, it costs money to create new spaces, and a return on investment is expected. With smaller truck stops going out of business and more trucks on the road, truckers may have to pay for parking once in a while.

Meanwhile, Truck Parking Club CEO Evan Shelley said that everyone is working toward the same goal of solving the truck parking issue. Despite significant contributions from the private sector, truckers continue to express disdain over paid parking.

“If you disagree with how Truck Parking Club is operating, I’d love to hear about it, but don’t tell me I’m the Hitler of truck parking,” Shelley said. “I just don’t see how that solves problems.”

How does paid parking help?

Efficiencies of paid truck parking

Truck drivers are rolling the dice and driving the maximum hours in hopes of finding a truck parking spot when time is up. When nothing is there, drivers are faced with the decision to park in an unsafe location or violate the hours-of-service regulation in pursuit of a spot.

For Shelley, this is where paid, reserved parking comes in. Shelley said reserved parking allows truck drivers to maximize driving hours by knowing they have a spot near their final destination. Truckers can save both time and fuel by not having to drive around looking for a spot.

“Ultimately, what we’ve been doing is educating drivers on the fact that they can get hours further down the road,” Shelley said. “Yes, it does cost money, but what is two hours further down the road worth to that driver?”

According to weekly surveys conducted by Truck Parking Club, although drivers are paying between $20 and $40 for truck parking, they are saving $13.50 on average in time, fuel and the efficiencies of getting farther down the road.

Shelley suggested that monthly parking is another part of the truck parking crisis solution. He claimed that carriers may book 10 monthly spaces and direct their drivers there, freeing up parking they would have used at truck stops and rest areas for other drivers.

There are also efficiencies in the private sector compared to the public sector. Trux Parking Chief Operating Officer Joey Goodman said the trucking industry cannot wait for government grants. He claimed his company can build truck parking spaces in half the time for half the cost.

“I understand it costs; I understand it’s not free. But we can just do it so much more effectively, so much quicker,” Goodman said.

Essentially, paid truck parking could expedite the creation of much-needed parking spaces while providing truckers with more efficient operations. Companies cashing in on the parking crisis are arguing that $20 for a spot is more of an investment.

“I understand things happen and you can’t book eight hours in advance because that likely may not be the place you actually park,” Shelley said. “But if you do plan out, there are a lot of efficiencies that can come with paid parking, although there is an initial cost associated with that.”

Drivers express concerns

Not everyone is convinced there is a return on investment with paid truck parking.

Kellylynn McLaughlin, a driver for Clean Harbors and member of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Women of Trucking Advisory Board and Safety Advisory Committee, pointed out that most carriers do not reimburse for parking.

“In this chain of all of the people that are in this trucking industry, I’m the one that can least afford these costs,” McLaughlin said. “Truckers don’t make enough money to pay for parking, and companies are not paying for it.”

According to a recent OOIDA Foundation survey, 86% of company drivers or leased-on owner-operators indicated the carrier does not pay them for money spent on truck parking. Drilling down to company drivers only, just half get reimbursed.

That problem was exacerbated in 2017, when tax cuts took away company drivers’ ability to write off certain business expenses. Currently before Congress, the Tax Fairness for Workers Act would restore those privileges to employee truck drivers.

Pugh said in the meantime, companies should look at truck parking as a potential asset liability. If drivers are not reimbursed for parking, they could be parking the company’s $150,000 piece of equipment in an unsafe location.

“I had to pay to park here today, and when I get back to OOIDA, I’m turning it in and going to get reimbursed for it as I should and as should every employee driver in this room,” Pugh said.

McLaughlin added that truckers want access to a variety of amenities to take care of personal business during a 34-hour restart or a 10-hour break. However, many paid truck parking lots are nothing more than a spot on a gravel lot off the beaten path.

Many truckers have complained about buying food and fuel at truck stops, only to find no parking available due to non-customers using the space. TravelCenters of America is trying to address that problem. TA CEO Debi Boffa said the company is introducing a new “gated parking” program in which truckers need to drive through gates to park. Customers get in free, while those just wanting to park will have to pay.

“You fill with us, you eat with us, you get truck service with us, (parking is) free,” Boffa said.

Solutions

Despite differences in opinions, both sides offered solutions to address the truck parking crisis.

Although OOIDA has accomplished a lot on Capitol Hill by pushing the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, Pugh said that the Association has limited resources and that progress will require industrywide efforts encouraging lawmakers to support the bill. Truckers can do just that by sending messages to their lawmakers via FightingForTruckers.com.

Pugh also mentioned the importance of local and state governments. He said truckers may know about all of the “hiding spaces” in their home state, but their fellow out-of-state drivers do not. Since lawmakers listen mostly to those voting for them, truckers can improve parking in their hometown by reaching out to local officials.

“Get involved,” Pugh said. “That’s how we get this done and that’s how we’re going to get it done. It’s going to take all of us.”

McLaughlin said that city councils, city planners, industrial builders and others are ignoring staging and overnight parking when considering industrial developments. Many local and county governments are banning truck parking. She added that communities that are receiving all of their goods from truckers need to do their part.

“I really think that communities need to ante up,” McLaughlin said. “Like everybody here at the table, we are doing our job, but communities need to ante up.”

Pugh added that shippers and receivers need to start allowing truckers to park at their yards when the space is available. And with their huge parking lots, unused sports stadiums are another untapped resource at the local level. LL