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10/27/2006 Truck Parking – Oasis on the Interstate
As virtually any driver will tell you, one of the toughest parts of the job isn’t the driving, it’s the parking. Almost universally, truckers cite the need for more truck parking spaces, particularly along the highly congested freight corridors east of the Mississippi. Lack of parking for over-the-road truck drivers is not just a problem for the industry or the driver. An 80,000-pound tractor-trailer with a tired driver at the wheel is a safety concern for anyone using the nation’s highways.
The booming economy of the past few years has caused an increase in truck traffic. However there has not been a corresponding growth in parking spaces to accommodate that traffic. Indeed, parking has become more difficult to find for large commercial trucks, in part because States have been closing rest areas for financial reasons, while at the same time changes in hours-of-service regulations have mandated longer rest periods for drivers. The construction of new truck stops, or expansion of existing truck stops is often complicated by cost and the imposition of regulatory hurdles by local governments. Community opposition and the NIMBY (not in my back yard) syndrome also play a part in limiting new parking spaces at commercial truck stops.
Last year’s passage of the omnibus SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), which covers transportation funding through 2009, included two programs specifically designed to address the problem of parking for interstate commercial motor vehicles.
The first of these, the “Interstate Oasis Program” falls under Section 1310 of the SAFETEA-LU. That section provides for States that close rest areas to designate nearby privately owned facilities as Interstate Oasis’ if those facilities meet minimum requirements as defined by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). On October 18, 2006, the FHWA adopted, and published in the Federal Register, the following requirements for participants in the Interstate Oasis Program;
- They are to be located no more than 3 miles from an interchange with an Interstate
- They are open to the general public
- They have 24 hour access to drinking water and restrooms and are staffed at all times
- They have adequate and well lit parking facilities for automobiles and heavy trucks
- Parking must be free for both cars and trucks
- Truck parking duration’s must be a minimum of 10 hours, and that,
- They provide public telephones, food, fuel, oil and water
States will be allowed to use approved signage on the Interstate to inform drivers of the existence of, and directions to, a designated Interstate Oasis.
Basically the Interstate Oasis Program allows States to utilize existing privately owned businesses that wish to participate, to replace rest areas that States have deemed too expensive to maintain and operate. The idea is to maintain, or even increase the level of services and facilities that were formerly available at the State-operated rest areas. The Interstate Oasis Program has the support of the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO) as well as other concerned organizations. Said the President and CEO of NATSO, Lisa Mullings, “The Interstate Oasis Program creates a winning situation for all. When State officials choose to close a rest area, this program offers them a virtually no-cost approach for continuing to meet the needs of the highway travelers.”
The second program authorized by SAFETEA-LU (section 1305) is the “Truck Parking Facilities Program.” This program seeks to construct new parking facilities where possible, and to increase available parking at existing sites such as rest stops, park and rides, weigh stations, and similar facilities.
The Truck Parking Facilities Program provides funding to States, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and local governments for the following types of projects;
- Construction of rest areas that include commercial vehicle parking
- Construction of commercial vehicle parking facilities adjacent to commercial truck stops and travel plazas
- Making capital improvements to existing public commercial vehicle parking facilities to allow for year-round use
- Opening existing facilities to commercial vehicles
- Improving roadway access for commercial vehicles to existing parking facilities
- Providing real-time information regarding the availability and location of available parking to commercial vehicle drivers
Rest Area Commercialization
One controversial program that some States are considering is the commercialization and privatization of rest areas. Advocates say commercialization would allow private firms to provide services and parking similar to what is found in service plazas on many toll roads and turnpikes. Opponents of the idea say that commercial parking would actually decrease because privatized rest areas along the highway would force many interstate truckstops, restaurants and other businesses to close.
Current laws prohibit interstate rest areas built after January 1, 1960 from offering commercial services such as food and fuel. These laws were put in place shortly after the creation of the Interstate Highway System because local communities feared that businesses, jobs, and tax revenue would decline as truckers and motorists bypassed adjacent communities for the convenience of roadside amenities. | 
