(Peggy Smith/Transport Topics)
The nation’s top transportation officer reaffirmed a commitment to continue expanding access to parking for commercial drivers.
Secretary Pete Buttigieg acknowledged benefits associated with facilitating more access to parking for the women and men who drive trucks nationwide. Ensuring greater parking availability would respond to safety and supply chain concerns, he said during a wide-ranging interview on Transport Topics’ “Newsmakers.”
“This is a major issue. And one that we view, not only as a matter of convenience, or fluidity, but really as a fundamental safety issue. When I’m talking to drivers, this is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issues that I hear about,” Buttigieg said during the webcast, unveiled May 9.
“We’re going to continue supporting the creation of more truck parking.”
Regions that are home to major freight corridors are ideal candidates for federal resources, similar to recent grants awarded for parking programs. The U.S. Department of Transportation dedicated grants specific to truck parking in Florida and Tennessee.
Buttigieg
“Clearly, it’s a supply chain problem if the people we count on — the truckers who are such an indispensable part of keeping our supply chains going — if they’re not safe or not able to park in an area that makes sense,” Buttigieg explained. “You know, even if you’re not involved in trucking directly, I think most drivers who spend time on the interstate see where trucks are backed up on a ramp or other places that just show you how this is a problem.”
Reacting specifically to recent attempts on Capitol Hill to advance parking-centric legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk, the secretary said: “I don’t know whether there will be specific legislation. We would certainly welcome more direct attention on this.” He went on, “Certainly, we welcome Congress deciding to do things that are more specific.”
Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.)
House and Senate policymakers recently introduced legislation to tackle long-standing parking concerns. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, sponsored by Reps. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), would assist agencies with parking capacity. The bill also would help to pave the way for requisite improvements to existing parking areas for commercial vehicles by authorizing $755 million in competitive grants over the next few years.
Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), members of transportation policy panels, are leading the companion bill’s consideration. “People in Wyoming are still feeling the impacts of the supply chain crisis, and unreliable truck parking is another contributing factor to that,” Lummis said in March. “Fixing the parking problem will help ease this burden on consumers.”
At the start of the year, House lawmakers introduced a bill targeting truck parking concerns. The Safer Highways and Increased Performance for Interstate Trucking (SHIP IT) Act would approve nearly $800 million through fiscal 2026 for parking projects connected to commercial vehicle operations.
Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.)
According to the bill, “It is the sense of Congress that it should be a national priority to address the shortage of parking for commercial motor vehicles on the federal-aid highway system to improve highway safety.” SHIP IT Act sponsors Reps. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and Jim Costa (D-Calif.) have explained that ameliorating the parking issue would improve supply chain connectivity. As Johnson put it, “Americans experienced a slew of freight disruptions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The consideration of both truck parking bills has yet to be scheduled in committees of jurisdiction. The American Transportation Research Institute ranked inadequate access to parking third on its “Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry” in 2022.
