Struggling for Space: The Hidden Cost of Truck Parking in America’s Cities
There have been many times I have ended my day working up to 14 hours and had a hard time finding a parking spot for my truck and trailer. The truck parking spots start to fill up quickly in most areas before 6PM. If you are looking for parking after 7PM good luck because more than likely you are going to wind up having to park on an off-ramp which is usually not safe or at a rest area that allows truck parking if there is even one of those around.
The Major Metro Truck Parking Crisis
Having driven in and through most Major cities in the country I can tell you that there is a serious lack of truck parking in these metro areas. The simple reason being is these cities do not want a large number of trucks parked creating additional pollution or the extra problems that come with them being there. So, they create zoning restrictions against truck stops or truck parking in general. In these larger cities however, you will sometimes find a truck stop that will charge you no less than $20 in most instances to park there. It’s almost like highway robbery.
Paying for Parking Out of Your Own Pocket
When I first started trucking, I was a little naïve as most new trucker are. I assumed the trucking company would pay for my parking because this is a job of professionals, right? Well, I quickly learned that I would request the company to reimburse my parking but the money never showed up on my checks. Requests to trucking companies for extra-expenses like parking often go ignored. So, on the days you have to fork out a $20 bill to pay for your parking you have worked an hour for free if your average wage even came out to $20 an hour. When I ran Southeast regional for Amazon my hourly wage was closer to $18 an hour over a 70-hour week.
We Simply Need an Easy Place to Find Parking After Driving All Day
It is a hard job and at the end of your 11-hour driving period you are tired period. As a matter of fact, I usually started to wear down after 8 hours of driving. Truckers are forced to drive up to an entire 11-hour period with only a single 30-minute break usually over a 14-hour shift. Not being able to pull over for a nap when you need one because of that 14-hour clock makes truckers drive tired and sometimes more dangerously.
Parking in Sketchy Areas
Another issue with a trucker being unable to find a parking spot in a well-lit area such as a truck stop is they may be forced to park somewhere that is less safe. I have done it, and I am sure most other truckers have also as there simply is no other choice sometimes. What is an unsafe area? One that is usually not designated as truck parking such as abandoned lots, on and off ramps, or parking in shopping center parking lots. These are not secure areas and any trucker parking in a dimly lit shopping center in the middle of the night by himself is increasing the odds that they can get robbed or even worse.
Parking in Tight Spaces
After driving up to your 11-hour daily limit and pulling into a truck stop to park you may run into a huge cluster of trucks in an overcrowded parking lot that simply was not designed for so many trucks to be parked there to begin with. To make matters worse you will have truckers parking in non-designated areas that will make your parking that much more difficult. You may find a spot, but it will not be an easy one to back into because all of those were already taken 2 hours earlier. In all likelihood you will have just inches to maneuver your truck and trailer into the last parking spot at night with limited visibility and it is not going to be easy. If ample parking existed to begin with this would be less of an issue.
The Problem with Los Angeles and Miami Truck Parking
I had many deliveries and pickups in both of these major cities and simply put any type of truck parking was usually a 2-hour drive outside of the city. What this does it put a lot of stress to leave the city in time which may be during rush hour to get out far enough to start finding truck stops. You will need at least 2 hours in most cases and if there is an accident add even more time.
Parking at Places Without Amenities
I cannot tell you how many times I have had to park my truck without any amenities including a bathroom overnight. You have to be prepared for this because there is simply no getting around it sometimes. This means you need to have everything on hand at all times including a portable urinal and food to see you through the next day at least.
Parking at the Shipper or Receiver
Most shippers and receivers do not want you to park on their property for your 10-hour break. Sure, there are some that do not mind or look the other way but, in my experience, most have signs or will chase you off if they find you camping out to reset your DOT clock. It will not even matter if you have a load to pick up there in the morning or just burned the last of your 14-hour clock waiting for their workers to load your trailer. They simply will not care and in most cases will kick you off their property because they will not want you there. What ends up happening in the end is this can cause a driver to drive beyond their legal allowed limit for the day and also cause them to drive fatigued and dangerously. If a shipper has extra room for trucks to park for their 10 hours, they should allow it. You are doing them a service for picking up or delivering their goods. This would also help alleviate the truck parking problem nationwide a little if there was some type of law encouraging this.
Summary
Trucking is a hard enough job without having to worry about where to park your truck and trailer at the end of your long-worked day. The government is aware of the problem, which is good, but action needs to be taken and words will do nothing to fix it. It has commonly come up as a top ten issue in trucking for companies and drivers alike because in the end the driver loses a good portion of their drive time on trying to find a safe and affordable spot to park.
