Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 20, 2022:
The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Wednesday passed a bill that would allocate $755 million for state and local truck parking projects.
The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act would authorize the creation of a competitive grant program for states to spend $755 million over a four-year period on new truck parking projects, including capacity expansion and enhancements like lighting, restrooms and other security features.
Now that the bill has cleared the committee, it will go to the full House, where if it passes, it would then move to the Senate for a vote before going to President Biden’s desk for a signature.
In an instance of somewhat rare agreement, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the American Trucking Associations both praised the House committee for advancing the bill.
Todd Spencer, President and CEO of OOIDA, said it’s a major step forward but that there is still plenty of work to do. “We thank all the House lawmakers from both parties who have worked together on this and hope that the U.S. Senate will follow their lead by stepping up to address American truckers’ top safety concern.”
ATA President and CEO Chris Spear echoed Spencer's comments.
