Truck Parking Finally Gets Public Notice

Truck stops and gas stations with overflow space, like this one in Fayetteville, are often crowded with truckers complying with hours-of-service rules. (Michael Woods)

The shortage of available truck parking is an age-old problem without an easy or inexpensive solution.

The good news is that there is a growing awareness of the problem and the need for solutions. Rebecca Brewster, president and COO of the nonprofit American Transportation Research Institute, told me last week that the lack of truck parking has been a national problem for going on three decades now.

“This is one of my soapbox issues,” Brewster said. “We all want the things that are brought by truck, but we as a country have not done a good job providing places for the men and women who do that to get their [hours-of-service] mandate addressed.”

This isn’t an industry issue that is being embellished to attract funding. It is a real concern, and, as every expert I spoke with said, it is a foundational issue for the industry, touching on problems ranging from safety to supply chain efficiency to driver retention.

ATRI research suggests that for 11 trucks on the road, there is one available parking spot. Truckers often take the first spot they see (or know of), even if they have a few hours of driving time left; better to take the parking spot in the hand than be left high and dry without one in the middle of a parking desert.

Federal law requires certain hours of rest. That’s why you often see truckers parked on exit ramps or in abandoned lots.

It’s unsafe for them to park in those spots, but it is also unsafe and illegal for them to continue driving.

Research shows that drivers spend nearly an hour on average looking for a place to park, and 75% of drivers said they struggle to find parking at least once a week.

That is terribly inefficient, of course, when that hour could be spent getting a delivery load closer to its destination.

Add up all those hours for all those hundreds of thousands of trucks on the road and you have a massive amount of wasted time and money. For drivers, it amounts to an average of approximately $6,800 in annual pay; the costs trickle down (or up) to consumers and shipping companies alike.

“We all want what is brought on trucks, and we have to provide a place for those individuals to rest,” Brewster said. “So it cannot be approached from a business venture, ‘let’s figure out a way to make money with this.’

“We have to view it as a human necessity.”

Danny Loe, formerly an executive with ArcBest Corp. in Fort Smith, is the CEO of TRUX Parking in Little Rock. His company not only helps develop and manage truck parking facilities, it has software that allows drivers to reserve spots so they can plan their trip — and their federally mandated rest time — in advance.

That works best, of course, if there are enough spots. There aren’t, and it will be a long road until there are.

“I am encouraged with the attention that this is getting at the federal level,” Loe said. “When you think about the legislation that has been introduced to create a dedicated fund for truck parking so that states aren’t put in this rock and a hard place decision of how they’re going to apply those monies. I do believe the attention on this issue is really going to ultimately pay off in provision of more truck parking.

“Will the issue be solved in my lifetime? I’m not so sure, but I am encouraged that we’re finally getting to a juncture where we are seeing the level of attention that it needs to be dealt with.”

Brewster agreed that federal funding dedicated to truck parking expansion would be a huge benefit to help states prioritize creating more spots.

A bipartisan bill that has emergedin Congress would create a $755 million truck parking fund.

“It does take money,” Brewster said.

“I do believe the attention on this issue is really going to ultimately pay off in provision of more truck parking.”