午夜视频

A chronic, nationwide shortage of truck parking is forcing America鈥檚 professional truck drivers into an untenable position鈥� either violate federal hours-of-service regulations that mandate rest breaks at specific times, or park in unsafe and unauthorized locations. Approximately 98% of truck drivers regularly experience this fraught scenario鈥攁 problem that grows more pervasive as cities across the country prohibit trucks from parking within city limits. This problem poses even more significant safety issues for women drivers on the road.

鈥淭he parking shortage isn鈥檛 just an inconvenience for truckers and a strain on supply chains. It is a serious safety hazard for the entire motoring public,鈥� says Jennifer Hedrick, President & CEO of WIT. And it鈥檚 a point that leading law enforcement organizations across the nation are now sounding the alarm over.

According to the 19th annual Top Industry Issues list by , the lack of truck parking is the second top concern. Across all respondents, the economy was selected as the top industry concern in 2023, Daniel Murray, Senior Vice President for ATRI tells Redefining the Road magazine.鈥� The lack of available truck parking rose one spot this year to the second-ranked issue, followed by fuel prices. The driver shortage dropped two spots this year to rank fourth overall and driver compensation continued as a top-five industry concern.鈥�

The lack of safe parking options consistently already ranks among the top challenges facing drivers today. That鈥檚 particularly true for women, an underrepresented demographic in this industry, who cite the lack of safe parking as a major barrier to more joining the trucking workforce. A recent ATRI study found drivers on average sacrifice 56 minutes of drive time every day to secure parking, amounting to a $5,600 annual pay cut.

鈥淚 know that truck parking is an issue that most Americans probably don鈥檛 think about every day but it鈥檚 a vitally important one, and that鈥檚 because it鈥檚 a life and death issue,鈥� says U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. He has made funding truck parking projects a priority of his department, pledging discretionary grant funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to states that need and apply for it.

WIT has published a whitepaper on this topic. Download it for free here.

A version of this article will be featured in Edition 1 of 2024 in our official magazine, Redefining The Road. Download the latest edition here.

Like this kind of content?

As a member of the 午夜视频, stay on top of emerging trends and business issues impacting transportation and logistics; learn the importance of gender diversity in the workplace and the need for more women drivers; and see best practices in encouraging the employment of women in the trucking industry. Join today! Learn More