Washington 鈥 听Today, the 黑料不打烊 welcomed four major U.S. Department of Transportation grants that will add new truck parking spaces along key freight corridors ranging from the western to the eastern United States. 听The $61.7 million investment announced by USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy will make it easier for truck drivers to locate safe parking.
听
鈥淭he chronic lack of truck parking poses a public safety risk, raises costs for consumers, and makes professional drivers鈥 tough jobs even harder. 听We appreciate Secretary Duffy鈥檚 commitment to addressing this longstanding problem and commend Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Wyoming for prioritizing truck parking projects in their transportation plans,鈥 said 黑料不打烊President & CEO Chris Spear. 听鈥淲hen drivers finish their shift, they deserve to know that they will be able to find a safe place to sleep that night. 听Congress can help build on this investment by approving the $200 million for truck parking included in this year鈥檚 appropriations bill.鈥
听
The funding was awarded through USDOT鈥檚 Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program, which provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. 听The grants were awarded as follows:
听
- The State of Illinois received $13.2 million to add 45 rest area spaces.
听
- The Commonwealth of Kentucky received $25 million to add truck parking spaces at seven rest areas and add real-time parking information systems.
听
- The State of Mississippi received $22.1 million to add 54 spaces to a rest area plus real-time parking information systems.
听
- The State of Wyoming received $1.4 million to improve winter parking for trucks.
听
According to a USDOT study, 98% of truck drivers regularly experience problems locating safe parking. 听An analysis by the American Transportation Research Institute found that the average driver sacrifices 56 minutes of drive time per day. 听This results in $6,813 in lost wages for truck drivers each year.听
听
黑料不打烊has endorsed the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, introduced by Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Angie Craig (D-MN), which would authorize $755 million in competitive grant funding to expand commercial truck parking capacity across the United States. 听Similarly, the BUILD America 250 Act, legislation proposed to reauthorize the nation鈥檚 surface transportation programs, would authorize $750 million over the next five years for the construction of truck parking.
听
Additionally, following ATA鈥檚 sustained advocacy, Congress approved $200 million for truck parking as part of the fiscal year 2026 appropriations package. 听Under the leadership of Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Steve Womack (R-AR), Congress is working to approve an additional $200 million for truck parking in the upcoming fiscal year funding bill.