FHWA Truck Parking Survey Will Include Drayage, Short-Haul Drivers
A nationwide truck parking survey is going to be "expanded to ports" to see what port-generated truck parking needs will be, in addition to those along the nation's interstate highway system.
Much of the attention on truck parking has focused on long-haul interstate drivers. But what about drayage? The government wants to know.
Photo by Deborah Lockridge
A nationwide truck parking survey now expected to start this August is going to be "expanded to ports" to see what port-generated truck parking needs will be, in addition to those along the nation's interstate highway system.
That’s according to Caitlin Hughes, director of the Federal Highway Administration's office of freight management and logistics, in a presentation at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2018 Joint Policy Committee meeting in Spokane, Washington, on July 18.
“We're going to look at the [parking] needs of drayage and short-haul local [trucks] drivers as well as long-haul operators,” she said, according to a report in the AASHTO Journal. “Truck parking is a safety issue. We need to solve this issue, but we cannot do it alone. We need to do it in partnership with the states and the private sector. We need to work together to meet these [parking] needs. All states have this problem.”
Speaking before AASHTO's Special Committee on Freight, Hughes said it should also help FHWA better identify freight congestion points on the national highway system. “We get used to bottlenecks – we create workarounds for them,” Hughes explained. “So there has to be a dialog between all of us. There are so many different best practices out there. Creative thinking needs to go into how to make this better for everyone.”
Dan Murray, vice president of the American Transportation Research Institute, noted during a presentation following Hughes’ that “we are in a crisis stage now” regarding the truck parking shortage, with ATRI data indicating truck drivers search for parking on average for 56 minutes per day, which represents an “opportunity cost” of $4,600 annually in terms of lost wages per truck driver – a number Murray said can represent up to 10% of a truck driver's annual salary.
“Congestion is an underlying factor to the truck parking problem, but different states have different truck parking problems,” he added. “It's a complex issue.”
Related: Transportation Department to Conduct New Truck Parking Survey
More Safety & Compliance
FDA Eases Path for Oral-Fluid Testing
Federal actions could advance oral-fluid drug testing for truck drivers, but lab certification delays and marijuana rescheduling questions remain.
Read More →
Kodiak Lines Up Fleets for Driverless Trucking
An agreement for 75 trucks, a new Texas freight lane, and progress on safety validation move Kodiak closer to its planned driverless highway launch.
Read More →
More Trailer Data Through the Same Seven-Way [Video]
Can trucking’s standard seven-way connector handle more cameras and trailer data? Grote’s Adam Slade shows HDT how the company is using new technology with its 4See trailer system, not only to add a new backup camera but also to expand other capabilities — without adding another connection.
Read More →
PrePass Intelligence Mines Fleet Bypass, Toll and Safety Data
PrePass Intelligence helps fleets measure bypass savings, flag potential toll overcharges, and spot suspicious transactions by combining data from separate systems.
Read More →
Fatal Crash Exposes Toll Plaza Risks
An NTSB investigation found that last-minute lane changes and large speed differences at an Ohio toll plaza created a hazard the truck driver couldn't avoid in time.
Read More →
When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders
English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.
Read More →
A Camera Isn't a Safety Program. Here's What Brokers Are Screening for Now
Footage alone may not be enough to pass broker vetting processes. Here's what counts as a defensible safety program now.
Read More →
Marijuana and Trucking’s Drug-Testing Dilemma
Marijuana is getting stronger, laws are changing, and drug tests still can’t reliably establish impairment. What does that mean for truck drivers and the fleets that employ them?
Read More →
PrePass, Kodiak Connect Driverless Trucks to Roadside Enforcement
The system will allow enforcement agencies to verify Enhanced Inspection information and decide whether Kodiak’s autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →