The public’s perception of truck drivers is overwhelmingly positive. In a research report by Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), 87% of survey respondents held favourable impressions of the trucking industry, up from 67% in 2019 when the survey was last taken. Over 50% of respondents said truckers are “safer drivers than the general public”.
When Canadians are asked which group of workers should be considered “essential or critical” in times of crisis, trucking ranked in the top three along with grocery store and healthcare workers. As our economy has shifted to e-commerce and online shopping, we rely more heavily on transportation and truck drivers to deliver packages and goods. And while most Canadians respect the driver’s profession, their appreciation does not extend to their trucks.
Parking is a Big Pain
Since the pandemic began, e-commerce continues to be the largest contributor to retail growth and it’s projected to be 30% of consumer sales by 2026. Fulfilling this demand for goods delivered, comes with expanded trucking needs and increased costs to the supply chain. The dollar value from truck transportation has increased steadily for the last 20 years and will likely be a main source of product shipments in the future.
For the third year in a row, truck parking was the number one concern of truck drivers, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s (ATRI) annual, critical issues in the trucking industry study. Residents want goods delivered to their door but do not want any truck parking. In research sponsored by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, most people want truck parking over three miles away from where they live.
Parking is especially challenging in metro areas, where real estate is expensive and population densities increase consumer demand for truck freight. Regrettably Ontario has lost nearly 1,000 spaces with the closure of privately owned locations like 5th Wheel Truck Stops, the fire at 730 Truck Stop and other closed locations.
A bad situation is sure to intensify. Owners of available parking space are aware of the rising premium for zoned real estate and municipalities are ramping up enforcement efforts for illegally parked vehicles. In jurisdictions where its especially bad, illegal lots are popping up to meet increased demand.
ELDs Make It Worse
An Electronic Logging Device (ELDs) is a legislated requirement for drivers to digitally maintain their records of daily service (RODs) and their hours of service (HOS). Drivers don’t have flexibility to manipulate their drive time and fudge the time necessary to secure truck parking. ELDs have put a headlight on the long-standing issue. Drivers bent HOS rules until they could find a place to stop for the night. ELDs are unforgiving.
Mandated ELD usage has exacerbated the existing truck parking shortage by creating more demand for legal and available parking. Professional driving time is strictly regulated. According to the American Trucking Association, 70% of drivers have been forced to violate HOS rules until they find parking. Data gathered from large fleets reveals that drivers consistently quit two hours before their official drive clock runs out.
It’s a Safety Issue
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) identified one parking spot for every 11 trucks on the road. The simple fact is there’s not enough parking spaces for the number of drivers who need to take their mandatory Hours of service breaks. When they can’t find parking designated for their vehicles, they may have to park on the side of the road, on highway entry/exit ramps, at abandoned properties or with passenger vehicles. These scenarios are more dangerous and create a heightened safety risk for all motorists.
Highlighting the role that quality parking infrastructure plays in efforts to recruit, train and support commercial drivers, 20,000 transportation professionals signed a message to the Prime Minister, there’s an urgent need for more truck parking. For the most part, the federal and provincial governments are aware of commercial parking issues. Municipalities responsible for local zoning, make their decisions based on public input and feedback repeatedly indicates no one wants truck parking, no matter how desperately it is needed.
Transportation is a Provincial Responsibility
Drivers are managing their hours of service and planning their rest stops in a different way now. It’s riskier to neglect researching where to park and driving out of hours can result in steep violations. Several websites and mobile apps allow drivers to reserve parking spots online, some free and some for a fee. The plan is to integrate parking data with ELDs so drivers can plan their routes around safe, available parking.
The Ontario government, accountable for Transportation, has stepped up with a 5-year plan to improve 14 existing truck rest areas, build 10 new sites and add 178 additional truck parking spaces at four existing ONroute travel plazas. The ONroute plazas to receive additional truck parking include Bainsville, Cambridge North and South and Trenton South locations.
The province could go further and require truck parking be included with any construction projects to build or expand highways, similar to how parks and green spaces are added to residential housing developments. Most urban areas have existing parking facilities that are available for parking overnight when drivers want to use them. Stadiums and arenas are used a few days a month when there are sporting events and typically empty the rest of the time.
Creative Parking Solutions
An obvious solution is shopping malls, which can accommodate large numbers of vehicles and have hundreds of parking spaces. When the mall closes, these areas empty out and remain unused until mid-morning the next day. With the downturn in traditional mall business, this may be an opportunity for property owners and managers to generate alternate sources of income. From a logistics perspective, many malls are owned by national companies meaning one negotiated agreement could serve the parking needs for multiple cities.
Trucking’s outsized industry value and predictable consequences for drivers without adequate parking ensure this will be an important issue and pressing priority for the foreseeable future. As the volume of goods delivered by truck continues to grow, parking problems will scale as fundamental realities are ignored. We either agree to legal or illegal truck parking, in our backyard.
Photo Credit: iStock
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