Parking for freight trucks – or more specifically the lack of parking - remains a key issue for the trucking industry.
Supply Chain Digest Says...
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The ATA also notes that the lack of adequate, safe parking is a major barrier to getting more women into the truck driving profession, as one answer to the severe truck driver shortage the industry faces.
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In fact, truck parking was the second highest ranked issue in the 2023 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry study from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), based on a large survey across thousands of drivers and carriers.
The lack of available truck parking first appeared as a top 10 overall concern in the 2012 ATRI study and has been a top-five issue since 2015, reaching its highest ranking this year as the number two concern overall.
ATRI research also estimates that drivers on average take 56 minutes of drive time every day to secure parking, amounting to a $5,600 annual pay cut – in addition to driving high levels of frustration.
The issue was also addressed in a blog post last week from the American Trucking Associations, a trade group for freight carriers.
The blog noted that “A chronic, nationwide shortage of truck parking is forcing America’s professional truck drivers into an untenable position - either violate federal hours-of-service regulations that mandate rest breaks at specific times, or park in unsafe and unauthorized locations.
The blog further states that 98% of truck drivers regularly experience this very tough situation, and the environment is getting worse as cities across the country prohibit trucks from parking within city limits.
The ATA blog post was tied to recent activities in Washington DC, where Brenda Neville, president of the Iowa Motor Truck Association, testified on behalf of ATA before the US Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee.
Neville warned Congress that this crisis will continue to worsen if parking laws are not changed. That’s in part because over the next decade, ATA forecasts that trucks will move 2.4 billion more tons of freight than they do today. That means more trucks and more drivers to meet consumer demand, requiring even more parking spaces.
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 The ATA also notes that the lack of adequate, safe parking is a major barrier to getting more women into the truck driving profession, as one answer to the severe truck driver shortage the industry faces.
This is also a top issue for the ATA. The organization recently sent letters to all 50 governors to remind them of federal resources available to help tackle this problem – they just need to ask for them. State officials can also work with existing private truck stops to help address the parking shortage.
The ATA says there is also action in Congress. One bill would authorize $755 million in competitive grant funding specifically for truck parking projects nationwide.
“It’s time for lawmakers to act,” the ATA blog states.
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