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Legislation meant to improve parking access for truck drivers nationwide was introduced in the U.S. Senate on Dec. 1.
The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, sponsored by Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), would approve funding for increasing parking capacity as well as improving parking areas.
“Without safe truck parking, truckers spend an unnecessary amount of time searching for a place to park,” Lummis said, “putting truckers and Wyoming drivers at greater risk for accidents. This is easily solvable, and I am thankful to Senator Kelly for joining me in finding a common-sense solution,”
A big THANK YOU to @SenLummis & @SenMarkKelly for their strong leadership on the issue of #truckparking. As Congress looks for ways to strengthen the supply chain, this bill is low-hanging fruit and would boost highway safety for all motorists.
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— American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) December 1, 2022
Added Kelly, “A lack of accessible and reliable truck parking makes our roads less safe. Our bipartisan legislation will expand freight truck parking to ensure that truck drivers can safely and efficiently move the goods that support our nation’s economy and supply chains.”
The senators are on the highway policy panel. The bill’s consideration has yet to be scheduled in committee.
Over the summer, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a similar bill. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), the legislation would provide transportation agencies funding for building or expanding parking areas for commercial motor vehicles.
Freight stakeholders endorsed the Senate bill. “This carefully crafted legislation provides needed investments to remedy the problem while incentivizing public-private partnerships to further expand truck parking capacity. We thank Senators Lummis and Kelly for their strong leadership. Congress must ensure our nation’s truck drivers have safe and accessible places to park and rest so they can keep delivering for the American people,” said Chris Spear, president of American Trucking Associations.
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