An eye-opening new survey reveals that Americans who are outside of the trucking industry lack understanding about the parking challenges that truck drivers face every day.
The results of the 2023 Truck Parking Shortage Survey were released on March 14 by CloudTrucks, a trucking technology provider. Survey respondents include 1000 U.S. adults.
The survey found that respondents have a generally positive overview of the trucking industry, saying that “truck drivers are “overworked” (82%), “underpaid” (58%) and “safer drivers than the general public” (50%).”
However, when asked about trucking parking, “56% of respondents said they had never heard of the truck parking shortage and 21% did not know that drivers typically sleep in their vehicles.”
When survey respondents were shown data on the truck parking crisis, they agreed that something should be done to help truckers — but they hope that the solution isn’t near their own homes.
From CloudTrucks:
“When presented with descriptions and data on the issue, 86% of all respondents called the parking shortage a “significant” or “critical” problem and 90% said increased public awareness of the issue is necessary. 95% of respondents support the construction of new overnight parking facilities for truck drivers, but the majority (80%) would only support facilities that are at least 3 miles from their homes … 67% called for increased government funding for truck parking infrastructure, such as truck stops and rest areas; 43% called for relaxed zoning and land use regulations in order to make way for more parking; and 40% advocated providing tax incentives to truck stop chains and other private companies to create more parking.”
“It is well known across the trucking industry that providing drivers with more parking will boost safety and productivity, and it is promising to see widespread support for more truck parking from the general public,” said Tobenna Arodiogbu, co-founder and CEO, CloudTrucks. “We support solutions like the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act and seek to establish parking partnerships for our own drivers. We all can play a part in ensuring that the resources provided to truck drivers are proportional to how much we value their service in our economy.”
Click here for more on the truck parking survey.