U.S. announces $80M funding to improve truck parking, safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced more than US$80 million in grant awards to help professional drivers access truck parking.

The grants include a 65% increase in funding for truck parking projects over last year and enhance efforts to support truck drivers and improve safety.

The funding will expand access to truck parking by helping truck drivers locate available rest area truck parking spaces in real time via dynamic message signs along highways in Kentucky, Delaware, and Indiana.

Research will support automated, location-based driver alerts via electronic logging devices that inform drivers of upcoming work zones.

The grants will enhance electronic screening technologies to detect vehicle violations (such as automated license plate readers, USDOT number readers, tire monitoring system, and hazardous materials placard readers). Money will also be used for outreach and education to combat human trafficking.

“We depend on truck drivers every day, and we have a national responsibility to support their safety and job quality,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

“President Biden’s historic investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps improve commercial motor vehicle safety on our roadways both at the national and local levels,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson.

Investments in parking spaces across the country will include:

• Caldwell County, Texas: $22.9 million to design and construct a truck parking plaza that improves safety and convenience for truck drivers. Plaza will include short- and long-term spaces with lighting, fencing, restroom and shower facilities, with 24-hour monitored security.
• Caldwell Parish, Louisiana: $10.5 million to buy land and build a truck parking facility near the port and a highway for 50 commercial trucks, 100 cars, and EV charging stations that are designed to provide auxiliary power units to power a truck cab’s heating and cooling, without having to run the engine while also recharging trucks. There will also be a system to find parking spaces in real-time.
• On I-4 Between Tampa and Orlando: $15 million for a new truck parking facility with approximately 120 spaces, electric charging stations, and pedestrian infrastructure to access nearby commercial amenities.
• Near Memphis, Tennessee: $22 million adds 125 truck parking spaces at a spot along I-40 — a critical freight corridor. Project will also upgrade adjacent bridge structures.