Report looks at why a lack of truck parking is a deadly problem

CBS Evening News recently shared a report that spells out the ways that America’s truck parking crisis is leading to highway deaths.

The CBS Evening News report “Lack of parking for semi-trucks can have fatal consequences” was shared September 25, 2023.

The report examines fatal crashes that occurred after truckers parked along the shoulder or on exit ramps due to a lack of available truck parking. It particularly focuses on a triple fatality crash that happened after a Greyhound bus crashed into a line of semi trucks parked outside of a rest area in Illinois in July 2023. The report also asks members of the trucking industry to weigh in on the problem.

Take a look at the CBS report below.

While almost everyone involved in the trucking industry knows that truck parking is a very real and dangerous problem, the report seeks to educate the public at large on why investing in safe truck parking could save lives.

Earlier this month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced tens of millions of dollars worth of grant awards to be used to increase access to truck parking and to improve safety conditions for truck drivers.

Federal grants are currently being used to fund the following truck parking projects:

• Caldwell County, Texas: $22.9 million RAISE grant to design and construct a truck parking plaza that improves safety and convenience for truck drivers. Plaza will include short- and long-term spaces with lighting, fencing, restroom and shower facilities, with 24-hour monitored security.
• Caldwell Parish, Louisiana: $10.5 million RAISE grant to buy land and build a Truck Parking facility near the port and a highway for 50 commercial trucks, 100 cars, and EV charging stations that are designed to provide auxiliary power units to power a truck cab’s heating and cooling, without having to run the engine while also recharging trucks. There will also be a system to find parking spaces in real-time.
• On I-4 Between Tampa and Orlando: $15 million INFRA grant for a new truck parking facility with approximately 120 spaces, electric charging stations, and pedestrian infrastructure to access nearby commercial amenities.
• Near Memphis, Tennessee: $22 million INFRA grant adds 125 truck parking spaces at a spot along I-40—a critical freight corridor. Project will also upgrade adjacent bridge structures.