Lawmakers have reintroduced “common sense” legislation to provide truckers with access to restrooms at shipper and receiver facilities.

On April 1, 2025, Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Chrissy Houlahan introduced the Trucker Bathroom Access Act (H.R. 3869) to require that truck drivers have access to restroom facilities when delivering or picking up a load.

While the bill would not require companies to construct new restroom facilities especially for truck drivers, it would require that truckers have the same access to bathrooms as customers or employees.

The bill also contains a provision requiring terminal operators to provide more access to restroom facilities for drayage truck drivers.

Similar legislation was introduced in 2022 and 2023.

Lack of access to restroom facilities has been a long standing problem for truck drivers, but it became particularly tough during the COVID-19 crisis, when many facilities restricted truckers from using restrooms in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

“Truckers are this nation’s backbone,” said Nehls. “Our nation’s hardworking truckers keep our country moving and should have access to bathroom facilities while they are on the road—it’s common sense. I’m proud to join my colleague, Congresswoman Houlahan, in reintroducing legislation to ensure that truck drivers have access to the restroom at work.” 

“Truck drivers are the backbone of our economy, but inhospitable working conditions have caused challenges with recruitment and retention,” said Houlahan. “As female drivers are increasingly filling essential trucking positions, they face a lack of restroom access while making deliveries and pickups. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure every truck driver is guaranteed access to a restroom while they do their critical jobs, breaking down a systemic barrier that has kept women out of the industry. Truck drivers are essential for our economy and should not have less access to restroom facilities than other employees in their own workplaces.”

The bill has been endorsed by groups including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the American Trucking Association, the Women In Trucking Association, She Trucking, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).

“Over 70% of America’s freight is exclusively carried by trucks, yet every single day men and women truck drivers are forced to ‘hold it’ because they aren’t allowed access to the restroom when picking up or delivering freight,” said Todd Spencer, President of OOIDA. “OOIDA and our 150,000 members thank Representatives Nehls and Houlahan for showing tremendous leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with them and our coalition partners to get this commonsense, bipartisan legislation signed into law.”

“Truck drivers are the heartbeat of our economy and critical to supply chain continuity,” said American Trucking Association President & CEO Chris Spear. “When they stop to make pickups or deliveries — which can take hours on end while the truck waits to be loaded or unloaded — drivers should have access to restroom facilities. Such basic accommodations are more than just common courtesy. This is about ensuring the dignity of drivers and supporting the men and women who do the heavy lifting to provide for everyone in this country. It can also help reduce a major barrier to retaining and recruiting more truck drivers, particularly women. ATA appreciates the leadership of Representatives Nehls and Houlahan in addressing this challenge faced by professional truck drivers, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that drivers’ most basic needs are met while they do the important work of delivering the nation’s goods.