For decades, the trucking industry has suffered from a lack of accessible truck parking, leading to deadly consequences for some drivers. Truckers in the U.S. and the UK are often forced to choose between violating hours-of-service regulations or finding somewhere to park, even if it’s an unsafe location. The result impacts health and road safety for everyone.
Lack of Parking Equals Driver Fatigue
After investigating a fatal crash on I-70 in 2023, the National Transportation Safety Board called for more truck parking capacity to prevent operator fatigue. The lack of safe places to park at rest stops leaves many without a space during their mandated down periods. The UK is facing similar issues.
Tired drivers may nod off at the wheel or fail to react quickly when a car cuts in front of them or they run into another hazard on the road. Fleet managers have a responsibility to help their employees devise real solutions that work alongside transportation regulations.
Female Security Concerns
Just stopping might seem obvious, but it is much more complex. Female drivers may worry about a lack of well-lit areas when travelling alone. Many worry they’ll be targeted and thus have a hard time resting comfortably. Every little noise outside their cabs creates concern. The industry and states must create monitored parking areas or secure bays with access to private restrooms.
Another idea is to staff rest stops with security officers and provide well-lit areas to prevent crime. Many lack a way to monitor the parking spots fully after dark, but subsidies and driver demand could ensure companies add safer options, sensors, cameras, and alerts to guards on duty. Strengthened security measures at older truck stops can help prevent issues. The oldest truck stop in the UK is using modern technology to prevent crime by equipping its staff with body cameras.
Severe Weather Makes Parking More Dangerous
Everyday security and rest issues impact truck drivers, but another growing challenge is severe weather events. Threats like hurricanes, tornadoes, hailstorms and wildfires concern drivers parked in open, unprotected spaces.
Without adequate protection, such situations can turn deadly. Thankfully, some facilities are offering more than a parking pad and including structural safety, such as bays with protective features. Reinforced doors and designated storm shelters can give drivers the time to evacuate or find protection from the ravages of Mother Nature. For example, fire-rated overhead doors slow the spread of flames and smoke and give occupants the time to escape if a wildfire takes over a building.
Flame-resistant materials and high-cycle closing mechanisms make such doors more durable than standard ones. The heavier-duty materials can withstand hundreds of cycles per hour and open and close faster in an emergency. Managers in hurricane- and flood-prone areas should consider locations where trucks can be sheltered — impacted-rated building materials, strong garage doors and elevated parking reduce the risk during emergencies.
What Can Fleet Managers Do in the Meantime?
As a manager, you have a responsibility to look out for your workers’ best interests. There are some specific actions you can take to make a difference:
- Advocate for safer parking whenever possible. Write senators in the states where you transport goods, encourage your staff to voice their concerns and support organisations that demand change.
- Utilise real-time parking apps so operators can locate open spots well before they reach the state of fatigue or spaces fill up.
- Review policies on delivery schedules to make sure nothing supports drivers skipping their mandated breaks. Encourage rest and human safety over speed. The price could be catastrophic when sleepy drivers must choose between safety and staying on schedule.
- Invest in space in warehouses and depots with secure vehicle space and rest areas. Commercial building owners now add features like more efficient loading bays and reinforced doors. In addition, smart buildings tend to be safer because the perimeter is more secure and only those with codes can access the site.
Focusing on what you can do as well as what needs to be changed can become the driving force behind reform.
A Life or Death Situation
Offering safer truck parking benefits team members and the general public. Forcing drivers to keep moving when tired risks collisions with sometimes deadly consequences. At a minimum, they deserve to rest in safe conditions.
The truck parking crisis took years of doing nothing to get where it is today. To solve the issue, governments, facility designers, fleet managers and the public will have to demand change.
Evelyn Long, Editor-in-Chief of Renovated Magazine
