The topic of rest stops continues to get a lot of attention in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rest stops have taken on a newfound important in the supply chain. It was just last year, in fact, that the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and other trucking advocacy groups called on state and local governments to define social distancing guidelines at rest stops.
At first, there was confusion. Should there be occupancy limits of as few as 5-10 people, or should the number be higher? Furthermore, should that number include employees? The result of all this confusion was long lines at nearly empty truck stops throughout 2020. Whether it be to purchase food or fuel, the confusion did nothing to ease up the trucking logjam.
For many truck drivers, 20-minute stops routinely turned into hour-long layovers. Fortunately, CDC officials and state authorities came together to provide consistent guidelines for truck drivers and rest stops and the bottleneck eased.
Public Highways Lack Options
Most within the trucking and transportation sectors already know that the 21st Century interstate system is extremely behind the curve and lacking in critical modernization. There is no reason why truck drivers should not be treated to state-of-the-art service plazas and customized technologies to help them get rest, eat healthy, stay active, and then get back onto the road.
Some trucking advocacy groups are turning their attention back to commercialized options. When the Trump Administration was flirting with infrastructure moves, they were banking on a plan to bring in private interest and – for all intents and purposes – commercialize the truck stop sector. There was plenty of debate on whether this was a good idea, but during COVID times, truck stop commercialization as a modernization tactic is becoming more popular.
Look at the heavily tolled corridors in the Eastern part of the country, whether it be the New York Thruway or the Ohio Turnpike. These are rest areas that have large commercial service plazas spaces at logical intervals along the roadway. Truckers operating on these roadways have access to a wide array of vehicle refueling, food, and beverage service options. In many cases, they even have shopping options, whether they need shoes, clothes or otherwise.
Of course, these corridors are manned by commercial interests. If you look at the fuel-tax funded corridors, the options are far less plentiful. If truckers want commercial services on federally funded highways, they must get off the highway and look on urban roads for gas stations, restaurants, or other services. Whether these options are anywhere near the offramp or in safe locations is another question entirely.
Why Aren’t There Commercial Options
It may seem like common sense to allow companies to sell their wares at truck stops, but the commercial ban at interstate rest areas actually dates quite a ways back, all the way to the 50s and 60s. Trucking has gone through many iterations from a historical perspective. Back then, the first interstate highways were under construction. In rural areas, new interstates would often bypass small towns and cities, depriving their gas stations and stores of much-needed revenue.
As a result, intense lobbying in Congress led to the federal government banning toll-road style commercial plazas. The logic was that this would give local merchants and service stations the opportunity to set up shop near off-ramps and new Interstate routes. The idea was that this would help them recoup business lost when the highway system passed their towns.
Although the law was amended several times, it remains in effect to this day and is strongly supported by truck stop operators and advocacy groups that represent them in Washington D.C. Yet, there is a train of thought among lawmakers of both parties that may result in this rule being repealed, and a lot of it can be attributed to changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first factor that could lead to reconsideration of this law is the huge problem with unsafe overnight parking. As truck stops closed, whether permanently or temporarily, during the outset of the pandemic, truck drivers had major problems finding safe places to stay for the night.
The Factors Pushing Truck Stop Commercialization
First on the list is a lack of overnight parking. With truck drivers required to comply to the letter of the hours-of-service requirements, the problem of long-haul truck drivers being unable to find adequate parking has become an acute one.
In response, the Federal Highway Administration and state governments are focusing on compiling the data they need to assess where new rest stops need to be and whether they should have any kind of commercialization. There are several efforts currently underway across the country, yet these solutions aim to only address existing parking problems.
Another problem is funding. With COVID-19 desecrating state budgets, state Departments of Transportation have faced huge budget constraints. As a result, many are pushing hard for commercialization, hoping that doing it would help shore up state budgets. Still, there is little states can do without action at the federal level to repeal the commercialization ban.
While many state DOTs would love to revamp and upgrade their facilities, they simply do not have the revenue to do so. There is some relief coming in the form of government stimulus, but there are a lot of gaps in state budgets. Will truck parking be a priority for them? Only time will tell. The future trend that will impact truck stop commercialization is the electrification revolution.
Electric Charging Infrastructure Changes the Game
With private companies and the federal government pushing hard for vehicle electrification, there is going to be a big need for charging and fueling requirements for electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The situation we see today with electric charging requirements is similar to what the nation went through in the early 1920s, when gas stations were difficult to come by.
Consider that interstate highways account for 25% of all vehicle-miles traveled in the Unite States. Keeping this in mind, it would be highly logical to make charging stations readily available at truck stops. With “range anxiety” being a real concern for electric cars, having charging stations at rest stops would go a long way to spurring adoption. Yet, because of the current law, charging stations at rest stops would be banned.
As a result of this, and other factors, rest stop commercialization has become one of the latest hot topics in the trucking sector. States and lawmakers are looking at commercialized rest areas as well as expanded parking options at current rest-ups. Many are looking at electrical hookups to operate sleeper-cab heating and air conditioning as a low hanging fruit.
Should Rest Stops be Commercialized?
Many believe that the half-a-century old ban on commercialization at rest stops is antiquated in the 21st Century. Some say the law was dubious and ill-conceived from the outset, but with the world moving beyond petroleum, now is as good a time as any to do the hard work to change the law and make it easier for truck drivers to get the job done and utilize comprehensive rest areas.
Some lobbyists are pushing for the 2021 reauthorization of the FAST Act to include a measure addressing rest stop commercialization. Others are pointing to the Biden administration’s latest infrastructure push as a convenient way to do away with an archaic and ineffective truck stop enforcement scheme.
Many argue that commercialized rest areas will expand much-needed truck parking capacity and provide the perfect location for EV charging stations. These upgrades should be part of any big nationwide infrastructure bill. Expanded rest stops will also provide passenger motorists with additional refueling and meal options.
Trucking advocates argue that this is all part of a free market economy. They believe there is no reason why the federal government should mandate or allow or disallow commercial activity at rest stops used by truck drivers during their job. Whether anything gets done about it or not will be an open question for the future.