ATA Pushes Truck Parking Funding in Next Highway Bill

Trucks park at a truck stop near Bowling Green, Ky. (Jeremy Poland/Getty Images)

The trucking industry is insisting lawmakers include long-term funding for truck parking in the next surface transportation reauthorization as House policymakers prepare to take up the long-awaited highway legislation.

American Trucking Associations is pressing Congress to establish a dedicated, multiyear funding stream for truck parking, a priority the group says reflects one of the freight industry’s most urgent needs. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is expected to move toward a highway bill markup in the coming weeks.

ATA Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Alex Rosen told Transport Topics the federation wants federal funds dedicated specifically toward expanding truck parking capacity nationwide.

Congress has approved about $200 million for truck parking through recent appropriations, but Rosen explained aspects of the industry lack confidence such funding will continue. Larger multimodal projects as well as local transportation priorities, she added, often overshadow truck parking proposals.

“When you have truck parking competing with these other projects, it always seems to fall at the bottom of the list,” Rosen said.

ATA endorses a robust, competitive funding program exclusively for truck parking projects rather than allowing states to redirect money to other transportation priorities. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), would authorize $755 million over five years. Industry leaders are pushing to fold this measure into the broader highway reauthorization.

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Bost 

“I know firsthand how difficult, and oftentimes dangerous, it can be when America’s truckers are forced to push that extra mile in search of a safe place to park,” Bost said when touting his bill last year.

Truck parking ranked fourth on the American Transportation Research Institute’s list of top industry issues in 2025. Rosen described Bost as a longtime advocate for the issue.

“He is a loud champion of the things he believes in, and truck parking has always been one of those issues,” Rosen added.

ATA plans to keep truck parking front and center during upcoming advocacy events on Capitol Hill as lawmakers draft the next highway bill. The House transportation committee is expected to schedule the bill’s consideration before Memorial Day. However, even if reauthorization slips into the next Congress, ATA expects truck parking language to remain in the base bill, regardless of which party controls the chamber.

Safety is ATA's central argument. As Rosen observed, “It is one of the biggest issues impacting the trucking industry’s recruitment and retention of qualified and talented people … in particular, women.”

Research has determined drivers unable to find parking are sometimes forced to stop on highway shoulders, ramps or other unauthorized locations, potentially creating hazardous situations. In other cases, some drivers might choose to continue driving while fatigued in search of a safe place to stop.

Truck drivers deserve a safe, legal place to park at the end of their shift.

ATA has helped unlock half a billion dollars to expand truck parking capacity, and we are continuing to advocate for this priority in the upcoming surface transportation bill.

This will not only… — American Trucking (@TRUCKINGdotORG) March 4, 2026

For female drivers, the lack of safe, well-lit parking with basic facilities remains a significant barrier. Women account for a small number of professional truck drivers, and industry surveys consistently cite truck parking as a top concern among female drivers.

“Safe restrooms and a secure place to rest aren’t luxuries,” Rosen explained. “They’re basic needs, and Congress has the ability to address them.”

Earlier this year, ATA’s Women In Motion Council urged lawmakers to elevate truck parking in the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, arguing the issue continues to hamper workforce growth and driver safety.

Emily Williams, the council’s chairwoman, sent letters earlier this year to leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, the panels with jurisdiction over federal highway policies. She cited feedback from members who said a lack of reliable, secure parking discourages women from entering the industry.

“The root cause of the truck parking shortage is that infrastructure investment has failed to keep pace with soaring truck transportation,” Williams said.