Recently, we reported on an incident wherein a truck driver, who couldn’t find adequate parking, fell asleep, crashed, and spilled a load of thousands of potatoes.
Luckily he was uninjured, but he may have ruined his trucking career.
This incident has humanized the ongoing problem that exists among truckers: the lack of adequate and safe parking for trucks.
Truckers have had enough. There is now an online petition at change.org that asks the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for accommodations for truckers.
The petition’s goal is the requirement of states to create parking for trucks. The parking is to be proportionate to truck traffic volume statistics for each state. It also suggests that truckers will pay reasonable fees for the use.
The petition states:
We, the undersigned petitioners, formally request that the FMCSA mandate that each state provide enough state-sanctioned truck parking along interstates to match annual truck traffic volume statistics.
This can be done by making a plain dirt lot available for truckers to park in, at various rural exit ramps.
– No-frills parking lots for large trucks: either dirt, gravel, or pavement
– Reasonable freeway-type light poles
– Dumpster near exit of parking lot
– Winter conditions in some states may require snow management
– Law enforcement should not be allowed to “troll” these lots, instead restricted to Weigh StationsWe, the undersigned petitioners, are willing to contribute on a per-entry basis via coin- or token-operated machines on the following schedule: $1.00 for dirt lot; $2.00 for gravel lot; $3.00 for paved lot.
Each state should contribute rural land and easements, and facilitate management of the lots.
Think it’s a good idea? Click here to sign the petition.
