Despite a major awareness campaign, the shortage of safe truck parking spaces in the country continues to grow.
That was the primary takeaway from the Jason’s Law The assessment,
Truck parking shortages remain a major problem in every U.S. state and region, according to Truck Parking Survey and Assessment released Tuesday by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The report, based on a survey that concluded in 2019, was a long-awaited update to the first Jason’s Law survey in 2015. Jason’s Law – named in honour of Jason Rivenburg, who was murdered while he slept in his cab at an abandoned gas station after being unable to find safe parking – aims to advance more comprehensive programs, efforts, and research to improve truck parking and provide states with resources to identify parking needs and to encourage improvements and investments.
“Major freight corridors and large metro areas have the most acute shortages,” said Jeff Purdy, a transportation planner with the FHWA’s Office of Freight Management & Operations. He said shortages persist at all times of the day but mostly overnight and weekdays.
As reported by Freightwaves, there was a significant increase in respondents in the 2019 survey, thereby likely increasing in data accuracy. The 2019 survey was also expanded to include the growing issue of truck drayage at ports and included responses from 18 port authorities. A flood of inbound containers at US ports seems to have exacerbated the problem as drivers scramble to schedule pickup and delivery times.
The latest survey found a 6% increase in public parking spaces and an 11% increase in private parking from 2014 to 2019. However, responses from state transportation departments revealed that few new public facilities or spaces are being developed, and that challenges continue in planning, funding and accommodating truck parking.
Responses from truck stop operators found:
- 79% do not plan to add more truck parking.
- 73% do not monitor parking.
- 78% do not offer reservations.
- 75% do not charge for parking.
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