The U.S. House of Representatives’ Transportation & Infrastructure Committee unanimously voted to advance U.S. Representative Mike Bost’s (IL-12, East St. Louis, Carbondale, Cairo) Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act (TPSIA) to the full House for approval earlier today.
The bill would set aside over $755 million of existing U.S. Department of Transportation funding to address a critical shortage in available parking for semis and large commercial trucks.
“Growing up in a family trucking business, I am all too familiar with the struggle our nation’s truckers face as they push the extra mile to find somewhere safe to park. Expanding access to parking options for truckers will not only help ensure their safety and the safety of all on the road but will also help address our supply chain crisis by ensuring they aren’t spending precious time searching for somewhere to park. I’m grateful to my colleagues for supporting my bill today and hope that it will quickly be brought up for a vote on the House floor soon.”
U.S. Rep. Mike Bost
In 2012, Congress passed Jason’s Law in honor of Jason Rivenburg, a truck driver who lost his life in a violent crime because he couldn’t find safe parking. Jason’s Law established federal studies, stakeholder meetings, and roundtables to examine truck parking issues. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act (TPSIA) is a result of these studies.
The TPSIA was co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 37 members of Congress. Also, it is supported by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the Truckload Carriers Association, ATA Law Enforcement Advisory Board, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, ATA Women in Motion Advisory Board, SHIPPERS Coalition, National Association of Small Trucking Companies, and Consumer Brands Association.
New grant programs create or add more parking infrastructure
TPSIA creates a grant program with a yearly allotment of funding.
Starting with $125 million in 2023, it increases yearly until 2026. The funding can be used to build out new parking areas in public spaces. These are rest areas, weigh stations, “public” freight terminals (ports, rail, air), and park-and-ride areas. New infrastructure can also be built “adjacent” to existing truck stops and travel centers, i.e. the local Love’s Travel Store or a parking area on an interstate.
The bill is expected on the House floor when Congress returns from the August recess. The Senate is expected to take up the bill with its own version, most likely in the year-end Omnibus Authorization Bill.
John Gallagher, FreightWaves’ Washington, D.C. Correspondent, has written an article with further details. BTU will be monitoring this legislation closely as it progresses throughout Congress.
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