We must make room for rigs

OPINION:

From long stretches away from loved ones, navigating harsh weather, maintaining rigs, and complying with complex, ever-changing regulations, truck drivers across the country face countless challenges. After driving for eleven hours, finding a parking spot should be the least of their worries. Yet, it remains a persistent struggle, with 98% of drivers regularly experiencing difficulties securing safe parking.

In fact, the lack of truck parking is the No. 1 concern among drivers, according to recent survey data from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). This issue ranked above driver compensation and even concerns about the overall state of the economy.

The math backs up their concerns: There is just one authorized parking space for every eleven truck drivers on the road today. Faced with parking scarcity, drivers are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

They could continue driving, but federal regulations mandate that truckers stop after eleven hours behind the wheel and rest for ten consecutive hours. Driving beyond these limits is illegal, yet 70% of drivers have been forced to violate hours-of-service rules simply to find safe parking.

To avoid this, many drivers stop short of their driving limit, sometimes up to three hours early, to search for parking. This practice effectively limits their drive time, docking their pay and slowing deliveries of goods across the country. On average, truckers sacrifice 56 minutes of drive time per day, resulting in an annual loss of $6,813 in earnings or about a 12% pay cut, according to ATA.

Yet stopping early doesn’t necessarily fix the problem. Even if a driver starts searching for parking well before their eleven-hour limit, they may still struggle to find a safe spot, especially if a highway backup forces other drivers to stop prematurely. When weigh stations and truck stops are filled to capacity and a driver’s time limit expires, they are often left with no choice but to park in unauthorized locations such as exit ramps or abandoned lots.

Drivers will tell you that the rest they get in these spots is poor. Parking on exit ramps or in random lots is not safe for our nation’s truckers, and drivers worry, for good reason, about the risk of another vehicle hitting their rig or even being attacked and robbed. As a result, they wake up more exhausted than before.

This also poses a danger to other motorists, who don’t expect to encounter a parked semi-truck when exiting the highway. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are 55 fatal accidents involving trucks near off-ramps every year.

This crisis isn’t just a burden on truckers; it’s a significant economic issue, given our heavy reliance on truck freight to stock our shelves and supply our warehouses. In 2022, trucks transported approximately 72.6% of the nation’s freight by weight. Over the next decade, this volume is projected to increase by more than 21%. Challenges like truck parking scarcity have widespread ripple effects, and without decisive action from Congress, the situation will only worsen.

The impact of the parking shortage is particularly severe in my district and across the state of Arkansas, where trucking accounts for one in every eleven jobs. Additionally, 86.8% of communities in the state rely exclusively on trucks to move their goods. To support our truckers, protect motorists, and ensure the smooth transport of goods that keep our communities running, this issue must be addressed.

As chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD), I am committed to solving this challenge. In last year’s FY2025 THUD appropriations bill, I included $200 million to expand truck parking availability. Unfortunately, this funding was not appropriated because Congress passed a temporary funding extension rather than approving a full-year budget.

We now have until Sept. 30 to pass FY2026 appropriations bills to fund the government, and I am doing everything in my power to produce a full-year bill that includes resources to address the nation’s truck parking crisis.

Truck drivers and the broader trucking industry play a vital role in strengthening our economy by delivering goods and contributing millions in federal and state roadway taxes. At the very least, we must take meaningful steps to ensure they have a safe place to park as they drive across the nation.

• Rep. Steve Womack has represented the 3rd District of Arkansas since 2011. He serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Subcommittee.