The House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit held a hearing on June 8 where they discussed road safety, that includes trucking protocols.

According to a report by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the hearing named “Addressing the Roadway Safety Crisis: Building Safer Roads for All” was held by the U.S. House of Representatives that covered the national truck parking crisis and other topics.

“We had expected that the increase in the traffic fatality rate in 2020 was a one-year anomaly, resulting from an increase in dangerous driving and lack of enforcement during the Coronavirus Pandemic,” said Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL). “However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that the number of traffic fatalities in 2021 increased by 10.5 percent to 42,915 – a 16-year high. The safety of our transportation system is paramount, and it is important that we gather feedback on how our safety programs are working and best practices we should consider. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution to get to zero roadway deaths.  Each state, locality, and functional roadway class has unique safety risks.”

According to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the witnesses for the hearing are as follows: City Council President of Boise Elaine Clegg on behalf of the National League of Cities, Secretary of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association Ludwig P. Gaines, Principal of Fehr & Peers Billy Hattaway, and finally the President of Time Striping, Inc. and Board of Directors Member for the American Traffic Safety Services Association Cindy Williams on behalf of the American Traffic Safety Services Association. 

The Landline reported that Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Rep. Peter DeFazio and Ranking Member Rep. Sam Graves sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigeg on June 7th urging expanded tractor trailer parking capacity. 

They said that “With the enactment of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Department of Transportation has an opportunity to address longstanding safety deficiencies on our nation’s infrastructure,” urging the Secretary to “consider applications for and award funding to projects that will expand truck parking capacity.”

According to the Allen Law Group the national truck parking crisis is an ongoing transportation wide plaguing the nation. There is a widespread lack of commercial parking spaces for semis, tractor-trailers, 18 wheelers and big rigs. Many truckers can’t safely park at rest stops for sleeping breaks due to the fact there are less spaces, and they end up parking on ramps and shoulders of highways. 

In August 2015 former U.S. Department of Transportation Victor Mendez address the issue saying “We know truck parking has been a longstanding problem in our nation and we need new approaches to fix it. Now more than ever, this country needs better planning, investment, and innovation from those who have a stake in safe truck parking and transportation.”