As the trucking industry continues to grow, an increasingly urgent issue is arising—the shortage of parking spots for truck drivers. According to the American Trucking Associations, there are only 313,000 parking spots for 3.5 million truckers in the United States—meaning that on average, 11 truckers are vying for any given space. This has caused a full-blown crisis in truck parking. In fact, the American Transportation Research Institute found that because of shortages, the average truck driver spends nearly a full hour every day looking for a parking spot and more than half of them are forced to park illegally three times a week.
Why Is There A Shortage?
There are several factors contributing to the growing crisis in truck parking. One reason is that over the past decade, there has been significant growth in both demand and capacity in the trucking industry—yet there hasn’t been enough public investment or private sector investments to build more infrastructure to support this growth. Furthermore, as commercial development becomes more popular around interstates and highways, many communities have adopted “not-in-my-backyard” policies that limit where companies can build new parking spaces. This makes it difficult for businesses to find land suitable for building new lots or rest areas where truckers can safely park their rigs overnight or take breaks during long hauls.
Effects of driver work-rest & Business operations
This crisis also affects businesses in many ways. Because drivers are spending so much time searching for a place to park their trucks, it cuts into their ability to do other tasks such as completing deliveries or picking up shipments from suppliers in a timely manner—which can severely impact business operations and customer satisfaction levels. Additionally, having trucks parked illegally can create negative publicity when these violations become public knowledge—something no CEO wants associated with their business!
What Can Be Done?
In order to address this crisis, CEO’s must invest in infrastructure upgrades and call attention to this issue at all levels of government—local, state and federal. CEOs should also strive to improve communication with local governments and communities about why it’s important for them to open up more land for parking lots and rest areas so that everyone can benefit from safer roads and improved efficiency within the industry. Additionally, companies should look into innovative solutions such as using technology like mobile apps or GPS systems that can help track available spots so drivers know exactly where they can park legally instead of wasting time driving around looking for an empty spot.
The lack of available truck parking
The lack of available truck parking is incredibly concerning not just because it creates an unsafe environment but also due its impact on productivity—with drivers spending nearly one hour each day searching for a place to park their rigs; this could mean millions of dollars in lost revenue each year if nothing is done soon. It’s thus imperative that CEOs recognize this growing problem and take action towards finding solutions quickly before things get even worse — investing in infrastructure upgrades, improving communication with local governments and exploring innovative technologies are all ways we can start working towards fixing this pressing issue together.
