In a recent survey conducted by Trucker Path involving 500 truck drivers, a staggering 86.3% of respondents, totaling 441, emphasized the importance of parking availability at truck stops. This was closely followed by the preference for clean showers (67.5%), an on-site restaurant (46.6%), and access to healthy and fresh food (40.7%).
The scarcity of truck parking has been a persistent issue within the industry, significantly impacting drivers.
“This is the No. 1 issue that the professional truck driver has out there,” said Dave Heller, senior vice president of government affairs and safety at the Truckload Carriers Association.
According to Heller, the average driver loses approximately $5,000 annually due to the time and fuel expended in search of parking spaces.
“We’ve made some headway recently,” Heller said. “There is a bill on Capitol Hill, two bills actually — House Bill 2367 and Senate Bill 1035 — that call for $755 million over three years to address the issue. Working with our lobbyists on Capitol Hill, we’re probably about five to six co-sponsors away from actually getting something moving on truck parking that would really make a difference.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced an allocation of over $300 million to alleviate the national truck parking shortage, signaling progress in addressing this critical concern.
Looking at the survey further, 29.2% of participants expressed a desire for 24/7 truck maintenance services, while 27% prioritized high-speed diesel pumps. Additionally, 21.9% of respondents indicated an interest in Wi-Fi services, followed by laundry facilities (20%), a dedicated driver lounge area (14.9%), a pet-friendly environment (13.5%), gym or fitness facilities (10.6%), on-site security personnel (10%), and self-service checkout options (8.6%).
Source: The Trucker
