More trucks hit the road each year to keep up with online orders and parking has long been a pain point for long-haul truck drivers.
President Biden's "Trucking Action Plan" was released last month as part of the administration's $2 trillion infrastructure bill, but it does not mention parking once.
In December, Merry Leach told federal highway officials that supply-chain problems can't be solved until drivers are able to use their entire 11 hour drive time driving, not fighting for the next parking spot.
The American Transportation Research Institute noted in its yearly critical issues report that a highway bill provision included nearly $1 billion in truck parking grants, but was later removed.
The lack of available truck parking has made the top 10 list of industry concerns for the 10th year in a row, and it has consistently ranked in the top three for commercial drivers.
Some drivers are forced to park in illegal or dangerous spots when searching for parking. In the Northeast, the shortage is the worst.
Truck drivers drive shorter distances to account for the extra time it takes to park. According to the outlet, parking for a truck driver costs an average of $4,600 a year.
Since most truck stops fill up between 4 pm and 6 pm, finding parking is a huge pain. There are more trucks on the road than there were 20 years ago, and truck parking hasn't changed to accommodate the new rigs.
Team driving is a way of sidestepping the burden of parking, when two people take turns driving one truck. One sleeps while the other is behind the wheel.
Team drivers like Robert and Carla are not allowed to search for overnight parking. The pair told Insider that more parking is always a good thing.
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