Sens. Kelly, Lummis Introduce Bill to Improve Truck & Road Safety

Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act to authorize a one-time outlay of funds to increase truck parking capacity and to improve existing truck parking infrastructure.

“A lack of accessible and reliable truck parking makes our roads less safe. Our bipartisan legislation will expand freight truck parking to ensure that truck drivers can safely and efficiently move the goods that support our nation’s economy and supply chains,” said Senator Mark Kelly.

“Wyoming is home to three major interstates that carry thousands of tons of cargo a day. Without safe truck parking, truckers spend an unnecessary amount of time searching for a place to park putting truckers and Wyoming drivers at greater risk for accidents. This is easily solvable, and I am thankful to Senator Kelly for joining me in finding a commonsense solution,” said Senator Lummis. “People in Wyoming are still feeling the impacts of the supply chain crisis, and unreliable truck parking is another contributing factor to that. Fixing the parking problem will help ease this burden on consumers.”

“A chronic, nationwide shortage of commercial truck parking continues to strain our supply chain and jeopardize highway safety for all motorists. This carefully crafted legislation provides needed investments to remedy the problem while incentivizing public-private partnerships to further expand truck parking capacity. We thank Senators Lummis and Kelly for their strong leadership. Congress must ensure our nation’s trucker drivers have safe and accessible places to park and rest so they can keep delivering for the American people,” said Chris Spear, President and CEO of the American Trucking Association.

“OOIDA and the 150,000 small business truckers we represent applaud the leadership of Senator Lummis and Senator Kelly in addressing the truck parking crisis that has been building for decades,” said Todd Spencer, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. “70% of American freight is transported by truck, yet there is only 1 parking spot for every 11 trucks on the road. When truck drivers don’t have a designated place to park, they end up parking on the side of the road, near exit ramps, or elsewhere. This isn’t safe for the driver and it’s not safe for others on the road. Senator Lummis and Senator Kelly have heard from small business truckers and are taking meaningful steps to increase truck parking capacity.”

Background

Truckers are legally obligated to comply with Hours of Service Regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It is estimated that truckers spend approximately one hour per day looking for safe parking, which cuts down on time driving to their destination. According to a study commissioned by the Federal Highway Administration, 98% of truck drivers say they regularly experience difficulty finding safe parking, and are forced to park on an exit ramp, on the side of an interstate, or other unsafe areas. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act will allocate funds to create thousands of safe parking spots for trucks and make necessary improvements to existing truck parking areas.