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Advocacy in Trucking

Last week I spoke with Owner/Operator Jon Robison about the truck parking crisis, and he relayed to me some information regarding certain weigh stations and rest areas within Tennessee. Jon was passing through the welcome center on I-65 Northbound and noticed that trucks only have a 2 hour parking limit, and are not allowed to park over night. This has become the case in a lot of welcome centers and weigh stations nationwide, and something I have witnessed myself. The reason behind this is because despite the parking being already built and available, free or paid parking does come with a cost to maintain. Taxpayer dollars aren’t unlimited, and the federal government and states are cutting their budgets in a lot of different ways. The rationale is that a poorly maintained parking area is worse than none at all.

But what about Jason’s Law? Jason’s Law passed in 2012 put in motion the following

1. Evaluate the capability of each State to provide adequate parking and rest facilities for commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate transportation;

2. Assess the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in each State; and

3. Develop a system of metrics to measure the adequacy of commercial motor vehicle parking facilities in each State

These have led to an increase in money allocated towards parking, but it’s also paid for the signage you see that simply has an illuminated number of spots available at certain rest areas located along the highway. Jason’s Law was a step in the right direction, but the job isn’t finished, so what can we do? Get involved!

The best way to get involved is to simply start by talking about it. Social Media can be a strong tool in getting the conversation going, at a certain point it can become an echo chamber, and the conversation hits a ceiling when it needs to go higher. Having worked in advocacy for several years, you’d be surprised at how easily you can get in touch with your local state senators, and representatives, or finding which one of your state legislators are on the state’s transportation committee. These legislators spend a lot of their days being hammered by lobbyists, and more than anything welcome passionate constituents who want to get involved in their communities. Eventually this too can reach a conversation ceiling, and we know trucking goes beyond just the state level, and to really resolve the industry’s issues it is going to take action on the Federal level.

Conversations aren’t enough at the Federal level, and whether we like it or not, it’s money that talks Congress. A daunting task for individual truck drivers, so where do we go? When I was over the road I saw a billboard that said “If you Drive a Truck, You Should Be a Member.” This was an advertisement for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association or OOIDA. I’ve been a member ever since I saw that billboard, but sometimes I’ve had to ask myself why. In the thousands of conversations I’ve had with drivers, many have expressed they feel like OOIDA hasn’t risen to the occasion, or has poorly advocated for drivers. It’s for this reason I am a member, and plan to be more involved. Similar to the state representative who wants to hear from constituents, OOIDA not only wants members so they can fund efforts in Washington DC, they want their membership to be active. I met with Executive VP of OOIDA Lewie Pugh at MATS in 2024 where he told me they want more drivers to participate in advocacy, especially because he sees how vocal drivers are online, and that OOIDA can amplify their voices.

Some people are deterred from organizations like OOIDA because of small disagreements on policy issues, but when we vote in elections, don’t we vote for who we think the best candidate is overall, and who aligns mostly with what our ideals are? I’ve never once voted for someone I agree with on 100% of the issues, it’s sort of impossible to have the “perfect” candidate, so despite OOIDA not being a perfect organization, I still think it is the most well funded one that can amplify our concerns over truck parking, driver pay, and new unnecessary regulations.

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

Stolen Chassis In Los Angeles

For every truck driving in America, the number of trailers easily doubles the number of trucks, if not far more. I always thought it would be “easy” to make a trailer disappear, and so did this crime ring at the Port of Los Angeles.

Per Freightwaves: A suspect is in custody after $600,000 worth of chassis were recovered after a months long investigation. The suspect is in their mid-20’s and was apart of a larger crime ring that had revenues into the millions of dollars. By setting aside chassis at the Port of Los Angeles, the chassy number was painted over, and would then be stolen. “The Port of Los Angeles is the busiest port in the United States, so stopping this theft was important for everyone involved,” said Los Angeles Port Police Lt. Rosario Ferrara, in the release. “Our investigation into these activities continues to evolve, but we hope this arrest sends a message to other criminals targeting the Port complex.”

Health Tip of the Week

Core Strength and Bodyweight Exercises - Why you need a strong Core

Building core strength is important because it provides stability and balance for your body, supporting your spine, improving posture, reducing the risk of lower back injuries, and enhancing overall physical performance in daily activities and sports by acting as a solid foundation for all movements; essentially, a strong core allows you to move more efficiently and with better control across various situations. Maintaining a strong core while trucking is paramount as the job can take a toll on the spine and lower back

Key benefits of a strong core:

• Injury prevention: Helps prevent back pain and other injuries by stabilizing the spine. 

• Improved posture: Maintains proper alignment of your body. 

• Better balance: Enables you to stay stable during movements. 

• Enhanced athletic performance: Provides a solid base for power generation in sports. 

• Daily activity support: Makes everyday tasks like lifting, bending, and twisting easier. 

You can build core strength with body weight and plank exercises. One exercise you can do in your seat is place your hands and forearms together, and simply raise your hands and forearms while not letting the forearms separate. Doing three sets of 10.

@lombardtrucking

Little EMOM you can do with no equipment. Less than a 30min workout too! #fyp #truckers #trucking #trucker #truckerlife #truckerslife #tr... See more

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Partner Post of the Week!

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@peterbilt71

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February Park & Post Content Contest

Good news, we’re running this contest again in February. A dollar for every location we have live on February 28th is on the table!

The submission rules remain the same.

• Post a piece of original trucking content on your personal social profile (X, LinkedIn, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok)

• Use #truckparkingclub in the post

• Tag the Truck Parking Club account for your post to be eligible.

Content guidelines: It does NOT need to be about Truck Parking Club specifically

Truck Parking Club Partner Program

Do you create content for truckers, and want to help solve the truck parking crisis? Let’s work together! Click below to apply for Truck Parking Club’s Partner Program today!