WASHINGTON — The nation’s trucking industry asked Gov. Josh Shapiro and the governors of the other 49 states on Wednesday to use some of their extra federal funds to expand truck parking.
In a letter, the American Trucking Associations, the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, and two other industry groups said state officials could tap unspent pandemic stimulus money or the extra funding they received under President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
“Drivers are unable to find a safe place to rest after a long day on the road due to a severe shortage of truck parking,” the letter read. “We are asking for your assistance with this long-standing and growing safety problem.”
The letter concluded: “We urge you to examine the availability of truck parking within your state and take such actions as are necessary to ensure that truck drivers have a safe place to sleep when they are out on the road delivering more than 70% of America’s freight.”
State Department of Transportation spokesman Zachary Appleby acknowledged that “the lack of available truck parking is a crucial problem” and an ongoing study by the Transportation Advisory Committee study will look at ways to plan and build new truck parking and identify routes with the greatest shortage of spaces. The report is due by the end of the year, he said.
Truck drivers listed the lack of parking as their top issue in the American Transportation Research Institute’s 2022 annual industry survey. More than three-quarters of truck drivers said they’ve had problems in the past year trying to find a safe location when they needed to pull off the road for the night.
It’s an issue that unites industry and safety groups that normally spar over new rules.
“We echo the ATA in calling for more safe and available truck parking in all 50 states,” said Harry Adler, principal at the Institute for Safer Trucking. “At a time when deaths from crashes involving at least one large truck are at some of the highest levels ever record — for both truck occupants and those with whom they share the roads - our government officials should be committed to directing more funding to this commonsense solution.”
And Zach Callahan, executive director of the Truck Safety Coalition, said: “Safe and secure truck parking is a legitimate safety and infrastructure issue among many that states must balance.”
Federal regulations allow truckers to drive up to 11 hours during a 14-hour window, and an additional two hours if it’s due to bad weather or something unforeseen such as a major crash. Then they have to pull off the road and rest.
And the problem is only getting worse as more trucks hit the road. During the 12-month period ending May 31, 35.9 million trucks traveled the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That was almost 1 million more than the 35 million that used the toll road during the same period a year earlier.
“This is a struggle truckers deal with every day,” said Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. “Truckers are stopping earlier. They're stopping sooner. They're afraid there won’t be parking an hour two down the road. It makes our supply chain less efficient. It means we need more trucks to haul the same amount of cargo.”
Meanwhile, fatalities in truck crashes continue to rise. The number of people killed in crashes involving trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds rose 10% during the first six months of 2022 over the previous year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates. That followed a 13% increase in fatalities in large truck crashes from 2020 to 2021.
Driver fatigue was a contributing factor in at least 13 truck crashes investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board since 2011.
The industry has noted that there is just one parking space available for every 11 trucks on the roads. And truck drivers have been pushing for action.
“It’s a huge safety issue for truckers,” Mr. Pugh said. “My first trip to Washington, D.C., as a truck driver in 2005 or 2006, was for truck parking. I’ve been going to D.C. ever since.”
Legislation awaiting a vote on the House floor would provide $755 million over three years in grants for new truck parking spaces. The money would go to build new facilities or expand existing weigh stations and rest areas. Private companies could also apply for grants but couldn’t charge for parking.
Pennsylvania’s shortage is particularly acute. In a U.S. Department of Transportation report, truckers named the Keystone State as one of the five where it’s hardest to find a place to park when they’re done driving for the day. The other states were New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia.
The report was required under Jason’s Law, named for Jason Riverberg, who parked in an abandoned gas station when he couldn’t find a place to stop for the night and was killed for the $7 on his dashboard.
Pennsylvania has about 11,600 parking spaces for trucks in its rest areas, welcome centers, and Turnpike service plazas, according to PennDOT. During peak hours, however, some 12,100 trucks park there and an additional 980 wind up on highway shoulders and ramps.
To help address the shortage, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the last 15 years has added 194 parking spaces for large trucks at four service plazas, with another 63 coming to a fifth area within the next two years.
In addition, variable message signs tell truckers between the hours of 5 p.m. and 2 a.m. whether there are spaces open at upcoming service areas, and the Turnpike sends similar information to trucking apps. The system covers the easternmost 10 of the Turnpike’s 17 service plazas, including those on the Northeast extension.
Jonathan D. Salant: jsalant@post-gazette.com, @JDSalant
First Published: November 1, 2023, 9:54 p.m.
Updated: November 2, 2023, 7:23 p.m.
