Bill to mandate trucker access to bathrooms reintroduced in House

This week, lawmakers reintroduced legislation that would require shippers and receivers to allow truck drivers to use their restroom facilities.

On June 6, Reps. Troy E. Nehls and Chrissy Houlahan introduced the Trucker Bathroom Access Act. The bill does not require businesses to construct new restroom facilities but does require that businesses provide truckers with access to existing facilities that are available to customers or employees.

The bill was initially introduced in December 2022 but did not advance.

The bill has been endorsed by the Owner Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA), Women in Trucking (WIT), and the American Trucking Association (ATA).

“I am proud to reintroduce legislation that supports our nation’s truckers,” said Congressman Nehls. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities across the country have shut down their bathrooms which have caused essential employees, like our truckers, not to have access to use the restroom at work. Truckers are this nation’s backbone, and we owe them for the tireless contributions they continue to make to keep our country moving. I am glad to once again partner with Congresswoman Houlahan on this commonsense legislation to allow our nation’s truckers access to bathrooms while they are transporting goods on the road.” 

“Our economy depends on truck drivers, but we face perpetual challenges with recruitment and retention,” said Congresswoman Houlahan. “One unique and unnecessary challenge these drivers face is lack of restroom access at delivery points while on the road. This is especially difficult for female drivers, which are a growing demographic of truckers who helped power our economic recovery from the pandemic. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure every truck driver has the certainty that a restroom is accessible as they do their jobs. There’s no reason truckers shouldn’t have the same rights that other employees experience in their own workplaces.” 

“Over 70% of America’s freight is exclusively carried by trucks, yet every single day men and women truck drivers are forced to ‘hold it’ because they aren’t allowed access to the restroom when picking up or delivering freight,” said Todd Spencer, President and CEO of OOIDA. “OOIDA and our 150,000 members thank Representatives Nehls and Houlahan for showing tremendous leadership on this issue, and we look forward to working with them and our coalition partners to get this commonsense, bipartisan legislation signed into law.”

“As more women enter the trucking industry, the need for restroom access increases while access to facilities has decreased.  We applaud Reps. Nehls and Houlahan’s support to require shippers and receivers to offer our drivers this very basic need,” said Ellen Voie, Founder of the Women In Trucking Association.  

“Truck drivers are the heartbeat of our economy and critical to supply chain continuity,” said Chris Spear, President and CEO of ATA. “When they stop to make pickups or deliveries — which can take hours on end while the truck waits to be loaded or unloaded — drivers should have access to restroom facilities. Such basic accommodations are more than just common courtesy; This is about ensuring the dignity of drivers and supporting the men and women who do the heavy lifting to provide for everyone in this country. It can also help reduce a major barrier to retaining and recruiting more truck drivers, particularly women, at a time when they are desperately needed. ATA appreciates the leadership of Representatives Nehls and Houlahan in addressing this challenge faced by professional truck drivers, and we look forward to working with them to ensure that drivers’ most basic needs are met while they do the important work of delivering the nation’s goods.”

Washington State recently passed a similar law that goes into effect in July.