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Another “Study” Tells Us What We Already Knew About Truck Parking Crisis

by, Lombard

In the American Transportation Research Institute’s most recent study, they looked into how states are actually providing truck parking, and how they can expand. Some states have made some progress, but for the most part everyone is lagging behind. The reason for this is because funding and local/community pushback are slowing down any expansion, especially versus the private sector. The private sector is pulling the most weight in the expansion of truck parking, but still the problem persists, if not getting worse.

“About 40,000 of the more than 300,000 truck parking spaces across the country are located at public rest areas, with an average of nearly 600 public spaces per state. With the private sector controlling most parking, the accepted ratio of public-to-private parking is 1-to-4. Most states are not meeting that expectation.”

A resounding 37 states have fewer than one public parking spot for every private sector parking spot. The wildest states of public versus private are in Louisiana with 1 public parking spot per 42 private parking spots, in Oklahoma it’s 1 to 28, Arkansas 1 to 20.5, Texas 1 of 19, and even Alaska for 1 out of 3.

Where local municipalities giving pushback, as we saw in San Antonio, states themselves aren’t taking advantage of opportunities presented to them. The cost is high for public parking spaces, which I personally believe needs to be audited because the cost for one public parking place is allegedly $100k. However, nearly 2/3 of states partially fund parking with federal dollars, but only 40% of those states have applied for DOT grants.

We need dedicated funding to just parking, since 2022 $752 million has been awarded to projects funding truck parking, with a low yield of only 2,000 more parking spots. Probably the most egregious thing I have ever heard, what’s worse is when you find out how that $752 million was spent. $275 million went to adding lanes and widen shoulders in Nevada, and $12 million went to a truck parking management information system in California, Oregon, and Washington. Which was essentially signage that simply state how many parking spaces are available at rest stops.

States themselves are having a hard time acquiring new property for rest areas, and want public/private partnerships, but NIMBY pushback from local communities doesn’t help. Why then aren’t states utilizing land they already own for the issue.

It’s articles like these that remind us all what we’re up against. If the public sector was able to pick up even half of the slack the private sector does, I don’t think parking would be as widespread an issue as it is. At the same time not even the private sector can be a fix for this solution as the private sector is operating as efficiently as it can. This is just another reason why Truck Parking Club will continue to be apart of the solution working with any and anyone to solve the truck parking shortage.

What are some of your ideas on how we can expedite solving this ongoing problem?

Source: Landline

I want to hear from you! For Driver Submissions, questions, and comments contact me at: [email protected] or Text me directly at 423-275-2444

The Power of Setting Goals

by, Trucker Joseph Lowry

There’s been a running theme in my life for the last few years that has repeated itself over and over again. 

I would come across a problem or something I wanted to accomplish and I didn’t know how to do it, or if it was even possible. 

I’m in the trucking industry which can be very volatile at times. Years ago, wife and I found ourselves at the edge of bankruptcy, owing the IRS over $10,000, cars repossessed, our home in foreclosure and we were in a bad spot. We were $250,000 in debt.  Even our marriage was in trouble because of my mismanagement and the trouble it caused. 

How were we going to get out of this ? 

I discovered a plan from a financial expert who had helped others and we decided to try it.

 Now we had a direction. A goal. 

1. We defined a specific goal. Zero debt. 

2. We put our goal on paper and posted it on our refrigerator. 

3. We regularly tracked our progress. And made adjustments as needed. 

Having a specific goal helped us to focus. We slowly made started making progress. That helped  us to stay motivated and keep going. It took us 4.5 years, but we paid off the debt. The process worked. 

A couple of years later, I would use the same technique for another goal. I had gained weight and decided I was sick and tired of being overweight and fatigued all the time. So, using what I had learned, I set another goal. 

1. I have a specific goal. Get under 180 pounds ( I was 260 at the time ) 

2. I put my goal on paper and put it where I could see it every day. 

3. I regularly tracked my progress, making small improvements over time. 

Once again, this process took a while ( 4 years ) but by sticking to the process and having a goal, I was able to lose 80 pounds. The process worked. 

A short time after that, I was listening to a podcast about ultra marathons. People were talking about running 100 miles. I didn’t know that humans could do that. It sounded incredible. That made me think about doing something incredible like that. What could I do ? I started watching running videos and decided I wanted to run a marathon ( at 47 years old ) even though I hadn’t ran a mile since high school. 

How would I do it ? 

I would set a another goal. 

1. I came up with a goal. Be physically able to run 26.2 miles in 6 months. 

2. I put my goal paper, and put it where I could see it. ( After buying a training guide and signing up for a race. )

3. I regularly tracked my progress, keeping a log of what I was doing. 

6 months later, I ran a marathon despite the fact that I hadn’t ever done one before. 

All of these examples have 3 things in common. 

1. Set a specific goal with a specific number. Lose 180 pounds, pay off $250,000, be able to run 26.2 miles etc. 

2. Put it on paper. A goal on paper isn’t abstract. It’s real. There’s something about writing it down that helps you mentally  aim at it. If it’s abstract, then it’s not specific. It’s generalized. Write it down ! 

3. Track your progress. When you can see the progress compared with the starting point of the goal, it helps you stay motivated and to keep going. Tracking progress makes the success of a goal more likely. 

Take some time to figure out what you want to accomplish in life . What goals do you have ? What do you want ? What can you achieve ? These steps apply in business, health, fitness and lots of other aspects of life. 

I hope you find it helpful. And I wish you luck ! 

Joseph Lowry is a marathoner and American Truck Driver hauling tanker throughout the south and midwest. You can follow him on X (twitter) @Jolothetrucker

Health Tip of the Week

Chew Your Food!

The food we put inside our mouth certainly matters, and fun fact the digestion process begins once you start chewing! With so much time on the go, it can become easy to just inhale food as quickly as possible, and get rolling. This was a bad habit I picked up during my time in the Marines, but here are 4 benefits of of chewing your food!

Mindful eating leads to feeling full faster. The slower you chew your food, the more aware you are of what you’re eating. This means that you will be able to notice when you are full, which can help prevent you from over eating.

Saliva breaks down your food better. Saliva contains digestive enzymes that break down your food and aid your stomach and small intestine in digestion. The longer your food is exposed to saliva, the easier it will be to digest.  

Chewing helps keep your teeth and mouth healthy. The bones that hold our teeth are getting a workout the more we chew, which keeps them strong. The saliva produced from chewing also washes away food particles and bacteria, preventing plaque build-up and tooth decay.  

There is less bacteria to linger and go bad. When large, undigested food leaves the stomach and enters the intestines the door is wide open for any number of ailments including diarrhea, gas, bloating, constipation, abdominal pain and other digestive problems.  

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