{"id":2314,"date":"2020-05-07T17:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T17:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/?p=2314"},"modified":"2020-05-07T17:15:02","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T17:15:02","slug":"the-latest-news-in-tractor-parking-and-calculating-toll-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quicktransportsolutions.com\/blog\/the-latest-news-in-tractor-parking-and-calculating-toll-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"The Latest News in Tractor Parking and Calculating Toll Cost"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you haven\u2019t heard, the nationwide tractor parking issue is back in the news. It seems like Congress is always just ready to move some legislation on this issue, then nothing ever happens. While it is true that it would require some bipartisan wrangling, there is no reason why this can\u2019t be an across-the-aisle issue, and it appears that is exactly what is happening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reps. Mike Bost (R-IL) and Angie Craig (D-MN) have teamed up\nto address the issue. Both are members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure\nCommittee and on March 9 they jointly introduced H.R. 6104, otherwise blandly\nknown as the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. The law aims to appropriate\nhundreds of millions of dollars to projects specifically earmarked to address\nthe truck driver parking issue. Without safe, convenient places to park, truck\ndrivers risk running afoul of hours-of-service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry Groups Approve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big industry advocacy groups have also weighed in on the\nissue. Todd Spencer, the president and CEO of the Owner-Operator Independent\nDrivers Association (OOIDA) praised reps Bost and Craig for their efforts.\n\u201cCongressman Bost and Congresswoman Craig have shown they not only understand\ntruckers are experiencing a crisis, but have the mettle to address it through\ngroundbreaking, bipartisan legislation,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OOIDA has long accused the federal government of\nignoring the truck parking issue, even as it has gotten worse over time. While\nfinding a safe place to park is something most people take for granted, it is a\ncritical problem for truck drivers. The fact is truckers don\u2019t want to park on\nthe side of the road. The problem is that sometimes they have no other choice.\nThis creates a hazardous situation for both the truck driver and other road\nusers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in a rare moment of solidarity between trucking interest\ngroups, the OOIDA is joined by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the\nTruckload Carriers Association, National Association of Small Trucking\nCompanies, and the National Motorists Association. Obviously, all interested\nparties have a stake in seeing this bill through. Truck parking routinely ranks\nas one of the top concerns for many industry groups and truck drivers. Might\nhave Congress finally found a way to properly add parking capacity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current legislation under review would award funding on\na competitive basis. Applicants who want to get in on helping to construct a\nparking solution would be required to submit a detailed proposal to the DOT by\na specified date. The proposals would need to focus on constructing new truck\nparking facilities, as well as methods for converting existing weigh stations\nand rest areas into functional parking sites for commercial truck drivers who\nneed a place to rest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exact verbiage and summary of the bill, as well as the\nfunding mechanism, have yet to be released. Currently, the text summary of what\nwill be forwarded to congress is available. It states the intent is \u201cto amend\ntitle 23, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transportation to set\naside certain funds to provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on the\nFederal-aid highway system, and for other purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology and Parking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve got an interesting statistic for you. Between 2008 and\n2016 the number of large truck registrations in the United States rose by\n27.6%. The moral of the story? There are more big rigs out there than ever. The\nproblem is that truck parking capacity at its current levels cannot handle the\nincrease. In nearly every ATRI Critical\nIssues in the Trucking Industry report<\/a>, parking ranks at the top of the\nlist of truck driver concerns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is worse is that many states grappling with budget issues have closed rest areas or otherwise paired back open times. States from Iowa to Connecticut are considering measures to cut back on or eliminate rest areas at a critical time for the trucking industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Some surveys show that over half of all truck drivers report\nregularly needing to use a commercial truck stop for rest, with another fifth\nusing rest stops. Now here is where it gets interesting, the number of people\nthat reported resting at a shopping center was 11%, abandoned lot or isolated\narea 10%, and on\/off ramp 8%. That represents a large number of truck drivers\nwho are resting in unsafe or inappropriate areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more, the ELD mandate has created an even greater\nimperative for truck drivers to have a reasonable place to park. Yet, there is\nalso law enforcement to deal with. Illegally parked commercial motor vehicles\nalso pose a problem for law enforcement officials who don\u2019t want to wake a\nsleeping truck driver and force them to drive when they are groggy and may be\nrequired by law to get that rest. Which is worse, an illegally parked truck or\na fatigued truck driver?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Closer Look at Toll Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever look at your fleet\u2019s bottom line and wonder\nwhere the money goes? This might be especially true if you are paying too much\nfor toll charges. Make sure you carefully review fines or incorrect truck\nclassifications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An effective toll management program should cover four basic\nareas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n