Still No Place to Park a Rig? Congress Might Finally Do Something About It

by TRUCKERS VA
(UNITED STATES)

🅿 Truckers are tired of parking on exit ramps—and it looks like Washington might be listening.

Intro: You Can Haul America’s Freight, But You Can’t Park the Damn Truck
Imagine driving 11 hours straight, white-knuckling through traffic, dodging four-wheelers texting at 80 mph, and finally… it’s time to shut down. But guess what?

No parking.
Truck stops? Full.
Rest areas? Jammed.
Walmart lot? Patrolled.
Off-ramp? Illegal (but you’ll risk it anyway, because sleep is non-negotiable).

This isn’t rare—it’s every night for thousands of truckers. But now, finally, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is paying attention. They’re kicking around legislation that could actually fix one of the most ridiculous, dangerous problems in the industry: not enough parking for the people hauling everything America needs.

Key Points: What’s on the Table
🚛 Federal Funding for Parking Projects
Lawmakers are considering serious investments to build out truck parking across the country. Think: more spaces at rest areas, expanded capacity at existing truck stops, and entirely new dedicated truck-only lots. Long overdue? You bet.

🛠 Tech-Based Parking Tools
Another piece of the puzzle is tech. The proposed measures include funds for apps, sensors, and highway signage that can give drivers real-time updates about parking availability. That means less wasted time circling lots and more time resting—or getting miles in.

🚧 Better Use of Existing Space
Creative solutions are also on the table. Unused weigh stations, oversized park-and-rides, even converted off-highway land are being discussed as temporary or permanent parking zones. It’s not glamorous, but it's something.

Bottom line: This ain’t just about convenience. This is a public safety issue, a health issue, and a supply chain stability issue.

Multiple Perspectives: Who’s Backing This (and Who’s Stalling)
Drivers:
They’ve been screaming about this for years. “I can find freight in five minutes, but a safe place to park? Might take two hours,” one OTR driver posted on TikTok. And they’re not exaggerating—some drivers park early just to lock down a spot, sacrificing hours of income.

Safety Advocates:
Crashes involving fatigued drivers are real—and rising. When truckers park on shoulders or exit ramps out of desperation, it puts everyone at risk. Lack of parking = more fatalities. It’s math no one wants to do.

Industry Groups:
From OOIDA to ATA, the support is clear: build more parking or risk losing more drivers. Even big-name fleets are behind this because they’re losing retention battles due to quality-of-life issues—like a safe place to sleep.

Local Governments:
Here’s where it gets sticky. Some towns don’t want more trucks. They complain about noise, emissions, and property values. But as more people shop online and demand faster delivery, they forget: those boxes don’t move themselves.

Congress:
Some are all in. Others? Well, they’re busy debating how many parking spots counts as “enough.” Truckers are hoping this doesn’t turn into another “we’ll get to it next year” scenario. Time will tell if words turn into action.

Driver Reality: This Ain’t Just About Sleep—It’s About Respect
Let’s be real. This issue runs deeper than asphalt and white lines. This is about basic human dignity.
Truckers move the country—but when it’s time to rest, they’re treated like they don’t belong anywhere.

You’ve got enforcement writing tickets for parking where they shouldn’t… but no one’s building places where they should park. That’s a system failure.

This isn't just “inconvenient.” This is drivers skipping showers, skipping meals, and racking up HOS violations because no one planned for where they’re supposed to stop. And the longer this goes on, the more drivers we lose to burnout—or worse.

Bottom Line: Will This Time Be Different?
We’ve heard this song before. Promises. Proposals. Pilot programs. And then—nothing. But with fuel prices high, the driver shortage still lingering, and safety headlines getting louder, maybe—just maybe—the government will finally act.

And if they don’t? Well, drivers will keep doing what they’ve always done—adapt, grind, and sleep where they can.

Call to Action
🚨 Truckers shouldn’t have to choose between sleep and a citation.
If you’re tired of waiting on Washington, maybe it’s time to start building your own exit plan.

👉 Visit retirefromtrucking.com to learn how truckers are using AI to earn income off the road. Because one day, you’ll want to park the rig—for good—and that should be your choice, not the industry’s.