NATSO called on the Department of Transportation (DOT) to work with private, exit-based businesses within the confines of the existing law that prohibits the sale of fuel and other commercial services at rest areas as it seeks to identify and establish stretches of the National Highway System as alternative fuel corridors.
08-24-2016 The California Senate on June 2 voted 19-17 against SB 1397, which would have permitted the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to seek federal approval to use commercial advertising on changeable message signs when they are not being used for safety or transportation-related messages.
06-06-2016 Truckstops and travel plazas are a critical part of America’s transportation network, providing hundreds of thousands of parking spaces for long-haul truckers to rest, NATSO president Lisa Mullings told a meeting of the Midwestern Governors Association. She told attendees about the NATSO Foundation’s plans to release Park My Truck, a mobile app to assist professional drivers looking for a place to park.
06-06-2016 NATSO will continue to fight against tolling and commercialization throughout 2016 and also will devote more resources to labor issues that affect its members, NATSO staff and members said during an Advocacy Town Hall meeting at The NATSO Show 2016. Panelists also called on members to join in the grassroots efforts to protect their businesse
02-23-2016 NATSO anticipates monitoring and advocating on more than a dozen public policy topics in 2016. Here’s a glimpse of some of the biggest issues facing NATSO members and what truckstop and travel plaza owners should prepare for as the 2016 Presidential race continues to heat up.
12-18-2015 The five-year, $305 billion highway bill signed into law Dec. 4 by President Obama contained several provisions that stand to affect the right-of-way on federal aid highways. Although the changes are not dramatic, because they could potentially affect the current ban on rest area commercialization, NATSO will play an active role in how they are implemented.
12-08-2015 Michigan marks the latest state to consider taking advantage of a provision under the last highway bill that allows states to sell advertising and sponsorships at rest areas.
06-26-2014 A recent blog on Tucscon Citizen.com asked why the Arizona Department of Transportation can’t hire private companies to run businesses out of the state’s rest areas.
10-17-2013 The Arizona Department of Transportation is set to implement a sponsorship and advertising program at its 14 rest areas after signing a five-year agreement with Infrastructure Corporation of America.
10-07-2013 The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced that it is seeking to partner with public entities to privatize two of its non-interstate rest areas.
07-30-2013 The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) should work with existing interstate exit-based businesses to install electric car-charging stations rather than compete with the private sector by utilizing taxpayer dollars to establish them at rest areas, NATSO told the agency this week.
07-24-2013