On Wednesday, the American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board asked state officials to use federal funds to address the truck parking shortage.
In a letter to all 50 governors and state departments of transportation, the board asked the states to apply for federal funds to expand parking capacity. Nationwide, the board said that a shortage of commercial truck parking is creating a highway safety issue, leaving truck drivers forced to park illegally or in unsafe locations.
“Law enforcement organizations across the country, from local police departments to statewide patrols, are impacted by this issue and have seen firsthand how the truck parking shortage jeopardizes road safety for all motorists,” said Fred Fakkema, LEAB chairman and vice president of safety & compliance for Zonar Systems, who previously served 25 years in the Washington State Patrol. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is offering federal funds to help expand truck parking capacity, and we encourage states to capitalize on these resources now while they are available.”
On Sept. 29, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter to ATA President and CEO Chris Spear saying the administration’s Trucking Action Plan would focus attention on the issue, as well as outlining various competitive grant programs that are part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that can fund truck parking projects. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued guidance recently on funding eligibility requirements for states planning new truck parking projects.
Florida and Tennessee have already received $37 million in INFRA grants from the DOT to expand their state’s truck parking capacity.
“Truckers need accessible parking options to move the economy’s freight safely and efficiently. This issue is critically important – not just to drivers but to patrolmen, troopers, and officers as well. It is a top priority for our Law Enforcement Advisory Board, and we’ll keep working it until the parking shortage is meaningfully addressed,” said Derek Barrs, LEAB industry outreach advisor and senior manager at the HNTB Corporation. Barrs previously served as chief of the Florida Highway Patrol’s Office of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.