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It is well known that the trucking industry is currently grappling with a labor shortage—but did you know that it is also dealing with a shortage of a different kind that is just as concerning?
Nowhere to park
Yes, currently the trucking industry is struggling with a pretty severe truck parking shortage. There simply aren’t enough parking lots or pull-off areas on the highways to accommodate the number of trucks that are on the road. And seeing that the trucking industry is set to see a huge growth in the next decade or so, the problem is only going to get worse.
A national safety concern
The US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration calls the parking shortage “a national safety concern.” The lack of truck parking areas is dangerous in two different regards. Firstly, when truckers try to pull over or park at a rest stop to get some much needed relaxation but cannot find a spot, they are prompted to continue driving, which is remarkably dangerous for everybody on the road. A tired trucker is a less alert trucker, and a less alert trucker is a more accident prone trucker.
Secondly, when truckers are simply too tired to carry on and there are no more designating parking/rest stops for them, they sometimes rest on the side of the road or in other parking spots—a practice which has caused several truckers to be robbed or even murdered. Parking in random places is dangerous for truckers.
There needs to be more parking spaces for America’s hardworking truckers. Forcing them to continue driving or rest in dangerous areas is clearly not acceptable, and hopefully there is soon a fix to this pressing issue. Fleet owners, do you want to fix issues in your financial situation as well? Is business going slow, and not developing at the rate you would like? Factor Finders can take care of that. Take a look at the ins and outs of the Freight Factoring Process and discover how it can help your small trucking fleet find success.
