What’s New in Trucking
Welcome to 2024! While we are all trying to make the switch from the holiday season, truckers keep trucking and the industry keeps moving.
Let’s look at the trucking news that we think are the most compelling news stories shaping the trucking industry from December. From parking issues, to predatory towing, to infrastructure announcements – December was a busy time in trucking!
So sit back and stay up-to-date with trucking news.
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Truck Parking
Montana Flying J truck stop to shut down – The Broadway Flying J Travel Plaza located at I-90 and Jackrabbit lane in Belgrade is closing down, according to local outlet MontanaRightNow.
Sheetz has free truck parking at new stores in North Carolina, Virginia – Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain, recently opened two new stores, one in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and the other in Disputanta, Virginia.
TA opens two stores in North Dakota with a combined 150 truck parking spaces – TravelCenters of America (TA) announced the opening of two truck stops in North Dakota with a combined 150 truck parking spaces.
Openings of 4 new Love’s add 377 more truck parking spaces – Love’s Travel Stops is now serving customers in Michigan City, Indiana; Nicholson, Mississippi; and Watertown, New York, thanks to three locations that opened Thursday, Dec. 14. A fourth location in Salinas, California, is scheduled to open in the coming days. The stores add a combined 377 truck parking spaces.
Arizona reveals truck parking expansion plan – The Arizona Department of Transportation, in an effort to address a shortage of truck parking in the state, has developed a statewide truck parking plan that recommends expanding parking at existing rest areas and adding three new facilities.
U.S. sees increased parking availability, a symptom of a slowing market – The national average for available parking spots in the U.S. has increased by almost 20% this year compared to late 2021. On average, surveyed truckers said there were ‘many spaces’ available 64% of the time at noon and 38% of the time at night.
Wyoming to build 365 truck parking spaces near I-80 and Utah border – The Wyoming Department of Transportation Wednesday, Dec. 13, said it will receive more than $26.6 million through the 2023-2024 federal Rural Surface Transportation Grant, which will be used to build about 365 truck parking spaces along Interstate 80 in Evanston.
Trucking Regulations and Enforcement
FMCSA increases fines for trucker regulation violations – The FMCSA has announced an increase in civil monetary penalties for regulation violations to go into effect on December 28, 2023, when the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register.
Are you using the FMCSA’s Personal Conveyance rule correctly? – Many truckers have questions about when and how the FMCSA’s Personal Conveyance rule may be used — Here are some answers that could help.
Colorado Safety Videos Focus on Mountain Driving – Through The Mountain Rules campaign, the Colorado Department of Transportation is trying to increase awareness of the challenges truck drivers face on the state’s mountainous highways. This year it has added three new videos, including one that prepares drivers for winter travel through the mountains.
Indiana Town Targets Truckers Sleeping Along Interstate, Despite Parking Shortage – The Greenwood, Indiana, police department changed its routine of knocking on cab doors and asking truckers to park elsewhere. Now, weary drivers with no legitimate space to sleep for the night receive tickets for parking on the shoulder of even underused Interstate 65 ramps.
New Mexico State Police remind truckers that they’re banned from the left lane – On December 4, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) issued a statement asking truckers to obey a lane restriction law that went into effect in the summer of 2023.
Trucking Safety
How To Combat Predatory Semi-Truck Towing – The timing of the American Transportation Research Institute’s “Causes and Countermeasures of Predatory Towing” report couldn’t have been more apropos. Truckers and freight carriers have been increasingly stung by unscrupulous, greedy towing operations determined to overcharge for transporting big rigs involved in accidents, as well as those parked in what appear to be usable lots. With the report being made public as of Nov. 29, the disturbing results have people in the trucking industry rightfully concerned.
Predatory towing: How common it is, and how truckers can avoid it – Just this year, reports of predatory towing targeting the trucking industry have increased significantly — ranging from outrageous invoices to alleged assaults of truck drivers, trucks being seized without cause and more. Such stories aren’t just a 2023 development, however. Truckers have been dealing with such practices, and taking the hits, for years.
Over half of drivers you share the road with are dangerous, says AAA – A new report by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety identifies six types of drivers by analyzing risky driving behaviors. The most common dangerous behaviors were speeding, distracted driving, and aggressive driving.
Government & Infrastructure
Canada establishing new Supply Chain Office – Canada is establishing a National Supply Chain Office to help respond to future supply chain disruptions like those that emerged during Covid-19.
Kicking Horse Canyon upgrades essentially complete – B.C. has opened new westbound lanes on the Trans-Canada Highway through Kicking Horse Canyon, essentially concluding Phase 4 of the work on the four-lane divided highway.
Ontario expands Highway 401 in Cambridge – The Ontario government has completed expansion of Highway 401 in Cambridge with eight kilometres of new lanes from Highway 8 to Townline Road now open.
