John Koglman, a truck driver from Oberlin, Ohio, said in some cases, he finds himself competing for spaces with recreational vehicle drivers: “Especially if you’re heading south, you can have 14 trucks and 10 RVs in the truck parking places.” He said the need has become more acute as tractor-trailers have become larger, requiring more space.
Historic grievance
The issue is not entirely new: In 2012, Congress passed a law requiring a survey of truck parking capacity in order to assess truck parking needs. The law was named in honor of Jason Rivenburg, a trucker who was killed in a robbery in 2009 after parking at an abandoned gas station because he could not find a safer place to park.
The latest survey, in 2019, found there are about 313,000 truck parking spaces across the nation, including 40,000 at public rest areas and 273,000 at private truck stops, an increase of 6 percent and 11 percent respectively between 2014 and 2019. But of the nearly 11,700 truck drivers who took the survey, 98 percent reported problems finding safe parking.
The problem is acute enough that Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., who comes from a family of truckers, introduced a measure to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee reconciliation instructions that would allocate $125 million during fiscal 2021 for truck parking programs, with increases through fiscal 2025 for a total of $755 million. The money would be used for a grant program aimed at increasing parking for truck drivers, and language in the amendment would bar rest stops or other rest areas from charging drivers to park.
Bost withdrew his amendment after committee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore., vowed to work on the issue during debate over a yet-to-be-announced highway bill. The current highway bill, an extension of the 2015 law (PL 114-94), expires in October.
"need" - Google News
February 22, 2021 at 06:00PM
https://ift.tt/3aFjm9i
For truckers, pandemic has highlighted a big need: Parking - Roll Call
"need" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3c23wne
https://ift.tt/2YsHiXz
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "For truckers, pandemic has highlighted a big need: Parking - Roll Call"
Post a Comment