Imagine you’re driving to a job interview. You want to make a good impression, so you leave your home in plenty of time. But once you arrive, the parking lot is packed. You keep looking and looking but no one’s leaving. The nearest lot is too far away to be able to get to the interview on time. You’re feeling incredibly stressed because this is your dream job.
Now imagine going through that kind of stress every day. That’s exactly what the truck parking crisis is like for drivers across the country. Not only is this damaging a trucker’s mental well-being, but it’s also a major safety issue.
The following is a closer look at this problem, as well as some possible solutions. If you’re ever in an accident involving a commercial truck, the attorneys with Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath will be ready to help. Please don’t hesitate to schedule a free review of your case by contacting us online or calling (561) 655-1990.
An overview of the problem
Experts estimate that truckers across the country need at least 40,000 more parking spots – the shortage is that bad. It’s also estimated that there’s only one parking space for every 11 trucks.
It’s not hard to picture how big a safety issue this can be. Truck drivers frequently have to park on the shoulder of a highway, oftentimes even near exit ramps. Approaching motorists typically won’t expect to see an 80,000-pound machine stopped on the side of the road. They could easily hit that truck as a result.
There are also horror stories of drivers being severely hurt – or even killed – after being attacked because they had to park in a high-crime area with no security.
Most people have no idea this problem even exists. CloudTrucks, a software company that makes a platform designed to increase trucking company efficiency, conducted a survey of 1,000 adults to find out whether they were aware of the truck parking crisis – 56% of them said they weren’t.
A quick look at the trucking industry
It’s hard to overestimate just how important the trucking industry is to the United States. Just about everything produced in this country finds its way on a truck sooner or later. Commercial trucks carried more than 70% of all freight in the U.S. in 2021 – that’s nearly 11 billion tons. Trucking was a nearly $900 billion industry that year.
(H2) How did the truck parking crisis get so bad?
Many times, trucking companies place unreasonable deadlines upon their drivers. This means drivers are exhausted and under incredible time pressures, and the truck parking crisis is making things much worse.
There are several factors that appear to contribute to the problem. More goods are being shipped, so more trucks are needed to ship them. The number of parking spots simply isn’t keeping up with the demand. Also, many areas have strict regulations on overnight truck parking.
This issue is having a major impact on the industry. Truckers’ mental health is affected because of the stress associated with trying to do something as basic as parking their vehicle. They’re also at a higher risk of crime.
Trying to find a parking spot also wastes a lot of time, which has a trickle-down effect on the supply chain. Goods aren’t getting where they need to be when they need to get there. This leads to wasted money as well, impacting the entire economy in the process.
What’s being done to address the problem?
Thankfully, private businesses, as well as the U.S. government, are taking action to help increase the number of parking spaces throughout the country. Love’s, one of the largest truck stop companies in the country, added more than 400 spaces in locations in Florida, Texas, and Indiana. The company planned to add 1,600 more by the end of 2023.
Several states have implemented the TPIMS (Truck Parking Information Management System), which gives truckers updated parking information along major highways. The state of Arkansas allocated funds to increase parking near welcome centers and inspection stations.
As of May 2023, momentum was building for the passage of the federal Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. If the Act becomes law, the U.S. government will allocate more than $750 million over a three-year period toward increasing the number of parking spots across the nation.
Is an end in sight?
It’s encouraging that people throughout the U.S. understand the severity of the truck parking crisis and are working to do something about it. There’s a long way to go, but the possibility exists that this problem will be solved sooner than later.
Hopefully, you’ll never suffer an injury in any kind of accident, whether it’s due to the truck parking crisis or any other reason. But if this unfortunate situation does happen, the Florida truck accident lawyers with Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath will be standing by. Use our online form or call (561) 655-1990 for a free consultation.
