Trucking infrastructure may be finally getting the federal financial backing it needed for twenty years
The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act is a proposed bill in Congress that aims to address the shortage of safe and secure truck parking areas on the nation's highways. The bill would authorize the use of federal funds to construct, improve, and maintain truck parking facilities and to establish a grant program to help states and private entities build new truck parking areas. The bill would also require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct a study on the need for truck parking facilities and to develop a national strategy for addressing the shortage of truck parking. The bill also would require the Federal Highway Administration to establish a national data system to track truck parking availability and would require states to submit a plan outlining how they will address the issue.
This bill is hopefully not too little too late. Twenty years ago, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) published a studying that highlighted the major truck parking issue that endangered drivers and the general public alike. Could this be a solution to a generation-old problem?
House lawmakers have passed the Mail Traffic Deaths Reporting Act of 2024, directing the U.S. Postal Service to create new rules for tracking crashes involving its trucking contractors.