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The American Trucking Associations (ATA), through its federation of 50 state associations, recently sent a letter to governors of every state, urging them to prioritize truck parking with their infrastructure spending priorities.
The letter highlighted the numerous new resources federal government is providing to improve and expand truck parking facilities including Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds.
According to a U.S. Department of Transportation report, 98 percent of truck drivers regularly experience problems finding safe parking and are forced to park in unsafe or unauthorized locations, and 70 percent of drivers have been forced to violate federal hours-of-service rules because of a lack of parking.
“Construction of new truck parking capacity at rest areas or adjacent to private facilities is eligible for funding, as are improvements that allow for increased parking capacity at nontraditional locations, such as weigh stations and commuter lots, when appropriate,” the letter said. “Some states have already utilized these resources to increase parking capacity or improve the operational efficiency of existing facilities.
“We hope you will use the aforementioned resources, as well as other non-Federal resources, to prioritize and address this serious safety problem.”
ATA has more than 37,000 members representing private carriers, industry suppliers and allied companies, for-hire motor carriers, shippers, and individual professionals.