FHWA to Update Federally Mandated Truck Parking Survey

As the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepares to update its federally mandated survey on truck parking, NATSO urged the agency to incorporate additional questions targeting fleets, drivers and regulators in an effort to capture more comprehensive truck parking information.
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As the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepares to update its federally mandated survey on truck parking, NATSO urged the agency to incorporate additional questions targeting fleets, drivers and regulators in an effort to capture more comprehensive truck parking information.

Responding a notice for public comment, NATSO submitted a variety of questions for the agency to include when it conducts its survey to update the 2015 “Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey Results and Comparative Analysis” later this year.

Specifically, NATSO requested that the agency ask whether trucking companies reimburse their drivers for truck parking as well as ask drivers whether their companies reimburse them for truck parking.

NATSO urged the agency to survey truckstop owners and operators as to how frequently trucking companies include truck parking in their negotiations on fuel purchase agreements.

NATSO also requested that Department of Transportation (DOT) officials be surveyed regarding the degree to which truck parking is a considered when new regulations are being proposed for the trucking industry.

The public comment period closes on May 23.

[NATSO comments to FHWA regarding 2018 truck parking survey]

The highway authorization law signed in 2012, MAP-21, allocated more funding for truck parking under a section titled “Jason’s Law.” The law also required DOT to assess the volume of truck parking in each state and develop a system of metrics to measure the adequacy of truck parking on a periodic basis.

FHWA released its first survey and analysis titled “Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey Results and Comparative Analysis” in 2015.

NATSO worked with FHWA to help the agency understand the issues involved in the supply and demand of truck parking facilities, however, FHWA’s survey did not adequately explore the critical factors that influence truck parking.

In “Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey Results and Comparative Analysis,” FHWA reported that more than 75 percent of truck drivers and almost 66 percent of logistics personnel reported regularly experiencing problems with finding safe parking locations when rest was needed. The survey said that 90 percent reported struggling to find safe and available parking during night hours.

The 180-page survey and analysis, mandated by Congress, collected responses from state departments of transportation, more than 7,000 independent truck drivers and nearly 400 truckstops.

Since issuing the survey in 2015, FHWA has been promoting a national dialogue between the government and industry stakeholders on truck parking availability nationwide. NATSO is a member of the National Coalition on Truck Parking, which was formed in the wake of that survey.

 

 

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