For truck drivers, the lack of adequate parking has been an ongoing issue. Truckers have been fighting for parking rights all over the Nation.
However, one city is stepping in to help in the fight. According to Land Line Magazine, Weed, California is one of the most trucker-friendly cities in the country.
This California city is located about 50 miles south of the Oregon border and consists of a community under 3,000 people. Although small, their response to the truck parking crisis is mighty.
City Administrator Ronald Stock noted that when truckers are traveling in Northern California/Southern Oregon, they have only three choices for rest stops: Redding, California; Melford, Oregon; and Weed California.
The climate in this part of the country can be brutal. While in Redding and Medford, the temperature can reach triple digits; Weed will stay in the 80’s. If a trucker needs to sleep in his cab, Weed is really his only choice.
Although Weed already allowed for truckers to park on public roadways, it wasn’t enough. The city was still experiencing too much truck traffic.
Stock commented:
“We had so much truck parking that it was becoming congested. The truck operators were complaining, and we decided to meet their needs.”
In similar situations, some cities might respond by restricting truckers from coming in. But the city of Weed offered a solution, instead.
Three years ago, the city leased property and built a parking lot, and a year later it was asphalted.
They plastered it with signs to designate the lot for commercial trucks only.
The lot contains 30 truck spots and is located about 300 feet off of Vista Drive. Trucks can also park along Shastina Dr. and Black Butte Dr.
But the city of Weed didn’t stop there.
Stock commented that they are now scouting for a second location for an additional parking lot in order to meet the community’s needs.
He furthered:
“The community is very pro-business and the transportation industry is a significant portion of our economy. (Trucking) provides a great deal of both taxes and employment, and so it is used positively by our community.”
Even better, the city is encouraging another company to build an additional truck plaza.
This city hopes that its actions will serve as an example for others to help eliminate the parking problem.