December 7, 2022

Sen. Cynthia Lummis                                     Sen, Mark Kelly

124 Russell Senate Office Building                516 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20510                                Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senators Lummis and Kelly:

The National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) is pleased to support the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.  This legislation would help relieve the untenable constraints on truck parking availability that adversely affect NASTC members.

NASTC is a member-based organization whose 15,000-plus member companies range from the single power unit owner-operator to small carriers having more than 100 power units; NASTC members average 12 power units.  These companies largely operate in the long-haul, over-the-road, full-truckload, for-hire sector of interstate trucking.  NASTC’s members come from the largest segment of America’s long-haul trucking:  small motor carrier businesses.

Scarcity of available truck parking stands at crisis levels throughout the nation.  Truck parking remains at the top of truckers’ most pressing concerns and among the top issues for fleet owners.  Were it not for reasonable personal conveyance flexibility the past few years, large-truck drivers would be boxed in between inflexible electronic logging devices and still-too-rigid hours of service (HOS) regulations, having no where to park when their HOS hours are exhausted.

A fact that has evolved over recent years is long-haul, irregular-route truck drivers must spend their rest periods in their trucks for their own and their loads’ security.  In order to deliver goods daily over the road, they must have access to safe, abundant parking, food, and fuel.  With the risk of freight load theft and hijacking of truckloads rising, safe parking is an essential part of the equation.

The unavailability of enough truck parking has become such that this crisis is unsustainable and dangerous.  The scope of the problem is so significant that the solution must be multifaceted.  Your bill represents an important part of the solution, offering grants dedicated to putting truck parking along federal roads.  Without a doubt, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act would help address one of the trucking industry’s chief problems.

NASTC proudly supports the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act and looks forward to working with you toward its enactment.

Sincerely,

David Owen
President