Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation received nearly 2,800 public comments ahead of the next highway bill, with professional drivers and industry groups identifying the nationwide truck parking shortage as an immediate safety crisis. Major organizations united to pressure lawmakers and federal regulators for dedicated funding to expand commercial vehicle capacity across the country. This massive response underscores a daily struggle faced by OTR truck driver professionals who spend hours hunting for safe places to rest.
For years, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has led the charge for the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which earmarks $755 million specifically for building and expanding truck parking facilities. OOIDA President Todd Spencer made the association's position clear in formal comments submitted to the DOT. The organization stated it will withhold support from any surface transportation reauthorization that fails to allocate federal money exclusively toward solving this capacity crisis. House Resolution 1659, sponsored by Reps. Mike Bost and Angie Craig, advanced out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure with a commanding 60-4 vote.
Financial fallout from the parking drought extends straight to the bottom line of every independent owner-operator and company driver on the highway. The Transportation Intermediaries Association, an organization that frequently clashes with OOIDA on other regulatory matters, threw full support behind the parking bill. Daniel Hoff, TIA vice president of government affairs, pointed out that the chronic lack of spaces forces drivers to burn hours searching for legal stops. This inefficiency costs the typical driver roughly $5,500 in lost revenue, translating into a punishing 12% pay cut.
What This Means for Drivers
CDL-A driver pay takes a direct hit every single day drivers are forced to shut down early just to secure a spot before lots fill up. Federal hours-of-service mandates leave drivers with little flexibility, turning the scramble for parking into a high-stakes gamble with both safety and earnings. Fleets and owner-operators lose valuable transit time that could otherwise generate profitable miles.
Industry Reaction
A broad coalition of freight stakeholders joined forces to demand legislative action from Congress, including the American Trucking Associations, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety, PrePass Safety Alliance, and the Shippers Coalition. This rare alignment across diverse factions of the transportation sector highlights the severity of the infrastructure bottleneck. Industry leaders insist that federal highway funds must prioritize parking construction to keep supply chains moving safely.
Key Points
- The U.S. DOT received nearly 2,800 public comments emphasizing the severity of the truck parking shortage.
- OOIDA vowed to reject any highway bill that omits dedicated federal funding for parking expansion.
- HR1659, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, would dedicate $755 million to build new facilities.
- Inadequate parking costs the average driver about $5,500 annually in lost compensation.
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