Summary
# TRUCK PARKING SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT (S. 1034)
## WHAT THIS BILL DOES
This bill creates a competitive grant program that gives money to states, cities, and other organizations to build or improve parking spaces for commercial trucks (also called commercial motor vehicles). The goal is to address a shortage of safe parking places for truck drivers on federal highways and improve highway safety.
## WHO IT AFFECTS
- Truck drivers and motor carriers (companies that operate trucks)
- State governments and local governments
- Metropolitan planning organizations (regional transportation planning groups)
- Native American tribal governments
- Private trucking companies and truck stop owners
- The Secretary of Transportation (the federal official who oversees transportation)
## KEY PROVISIONS
- The federal government will give grants on a competitive basis to eligible organizations to create public parking for commercial trucks and improve driver safety (Sec. 3(b))
- Eligible organizations include states, cities, local governments, tribal governments, and groups of these entities working together (Sec. 3(c))
- Grant money can be used for planning, design work, construction, and improvements to parking facilities, but not more than 25 percent can be spent on planning activities (Sec. 3(h))
- All parking built or improved with grant money must be open to all truck drivers and cannot charge fees (Sec. 3(i))
- The Secretary of Transportation must consider whether a project will increase parking availability, help freight movement, or improve highway safety when deciding which projects get grants (Sec. 3(f))
## WHAT CHANGES
If this becomes law, federal money becomes available for organizations to apply for grants to build truck parking. The Secretary of Transportation must review grant applications and select projects based on whether there is a real shortage of truck parking in that area and whether the project meets certain safety and efficiency goals. Every 4 years after the law passes, and then every 2 years after that, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress about whether the program is working and whether truck parking availability is improving.
## IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS
- **Commercial motor vehicle**: A truck as defined in federal transportation law (Section 31132 of Title 49 of the United States Code)
- **Safety rest area**: A facility as defined in an earlier section of federal highway law (Section 120(c)(1))
## EFFECTIVE DATE
Not specified in bill text
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 1034
To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a competitive grant
program for projects for commercial motor vehicle parking, and for
other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 29, 2023
Ms. LUMMIS (for herself, Mr. KELLY, Mr. BOOZMAN, and Mr. TESTER) intro-
duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com-
mittee on Environment and Public Works
A BILL
To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish a com-
petitive grant program for projects for commercial motor
vehicle parking, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Truck Parking Safety
4
Improvement Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
6
It is the sense of Congress that it should be a na-
7
tional priority to address the shortage of parking for com-
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mercial motor vehicles on the Federal-aid highway system
1
to improve highway safety.
2
SEC. 3. PARKING FOR COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES.
3
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of title 23, United
4
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
5
lowing:
6
‘‘§ 180. Parking for commercial motor vehicles
7
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
8
‘‘(1) COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE.—The term
9
‘commercial motor vehicle’ has the meaning given
10
the term in section 31132 of title 49.
11
‘‘(2) SAFETY
REST
AREA.—The term ‘safety
12
rest area’ has the meaning given the term in section
13
120(c)(1).
14
‘‘(b) GRANT AUTHORITY.—Subject to the availability
15
of funds, the Secretary shall make grants, on a competi-
16
tive basis, to eligible entities for projects to provide public
17
parking for commercial motor vehicles and improve the
18
safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers.
19
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—
20
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity eligible to receive
21
a grant under this section is any of the following:
22
‘‘(A) A State.
23
‘‘(B) A metropolitan planning organiza-
24
tion.
25
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‘‘(C) A unit of local government.
1
‘‘(D) A political subdivision of a State or
2
local government carrying out responsibilities
3
relating to commercial motor vehicle parking.
4
‘‘(E) A Tribal government or a consortium
5
of Tribal governments.
6
‘‘(F) A multistate or multijurisdictional
7
group of entities described in subparagraphs
8
(A) through (E).
9
‘‘(2) PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION.—An eli-
10
gible entity that receives a grant under this section
11
may partner with a private entity to carry out an eli-
12
gible project under this section.
13
‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—
14
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity may use a grant
15
provided under this section for a project described in
16
paragraph (2) that is on—
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‘‘(A) a Federal-aid highway; or
18
‘‘(B) a facility with reasonable access (as
19
described in section 658.19 of title 23, Code of
20
Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation))
21
to—
22
‘‘(i) a Federal-aid highway; or
23
‘‘(ii) a freight facility.
24
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‘‘(2) PROJECTS
DESCRIBED.—A project re-
1
ferred to in paragraph (1) is a project—
2
‘‘(A) to construct a safety rest area that
3
includes parking for commercial motor vehicles;
4
‘‘(B) to construct additional commercial
5
motor vehicle parking capacity—
6
‘‘(i) adjacent to a private commercial
7
truck stop or travel plaza;
8
‘‘(ii) within the boundaries of, or adja-
9
cent to, a publicly owned freight facility,
10
including a port terminal operated by a
11
public authority;
12
‘‘(iii) at an existing facility, including
13
an inspection or weigh station and a park-
14
and-ride location; or
15
‘‘(iv) at another suitable facility, as
16
determined by the eligible entity, in con-
17
currence with the Secretary;
18
‘‘(C) to reopen an existing weigh station,
19
safety rest area, park-and-ride facility, or other
20
government-owned facility, that is not in use,
21
for commercial motor vehicle parking;
22
‘‘(D) to construct or make capital improve-
23
ments to an existing public commercial motor
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vehicle parking facility to expand parking use
1
and availability, including at a seasonal facility;
2
‘‘(E) to identify, promote, and manage the
3
availability of publicly and privately provided
4
commercial motor vehicle parking, such as
5
through the use of intelligent transportation
6
systems;
7
‘‘(F) to improve the personal safety of
8
commercial motor vehicle drivers at a parking
9
facility as part of a project described in sub-
10
paragraphs (A) through (D); or
11
‘‘(G) to improve a parking facility, includ-
12
ing through truck stop electrification systems,
13
as part of a project described in subparagraphs
14
(A) through (D).
15
‘‘(e) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant
16
under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the
17
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner,
18
and containing such information as the Secretary may re-
19
quire, including—
20
‘‘(1) a description of the proposed project; and
21
‘‘(2) any other information that the Secretary
22
determines to be necessary.
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‘‘(f) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary may se-
1
lect a project to receive a grant under this section only
2
if the Secretary determines that—
3
‘‘(1) there is a shortage of commercial motor
4
vehicle parking capacity in the corridor in which the
5
project is located;
6
‘‘(2) the eligible entity has consulted with motor
7
carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, public
8
safety officials, and private providers of commercial
9
motor vehicle parking regarding the project;
10
‘‘(3) the project will likely—
11
‘‘(A) increase the availability or utilization
12
of commercial motor vehicle parking;
13
‘‘(B) facilitate the efficient movement of
14
freight; or
15
‘‘(C) improve highway safety, traffic con-
16
gestion, and air quality; and
17
‘‘(4) the eligible entity demonstrates the ability
18
to provide for the maintenance and operation of the
19
facility.
20
‘‘(g) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION.—To the max-
21
imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall select
22
projects to receive grants under the program in a manner
23
that maximizes the geographic dispersion of new commer-
24
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cial motor vehicle parking capacity across the United
1
States.
2
‘‘(h) USE OF FUNDS.—
3
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may use
4
a grant under this section for—
5
‘‘(A) development phase activities, includ-
6
ing planning, feasibility analysis, benefit-cost
7
analysis, environmental review, preliminary en-
8
gineering
and
design
work,
and
other
9
preconstruction activities necessary to advance
10
a project under this section; and
11
‘‘(B) construction and operational improve-
12
ments.
13
‘‘(2) LIMITATIONS.—
14
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may
15
use not more than 25 percent of the amount of
16
a grant under this section for activities de-
17
scribed in paragraph (1)(A).
18
‘‘(B) EXISTING FACILITIES.—
19
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
20
vided in clause (ii), not more than 10 per-
21
cent of the amounts made available for
22
each fiscal year for grants under this sec-
23
tion may be used for projects described in
24
subsection (d)(2)(E) that solely identify,
25
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promote, and manage the availability of ex-
1
isting commercial motor vehicle parking.
2
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall
3
not apply to a project described in sub-
4
section (d)(2)(E) that is part of a project
5
to expand commercial motor vehicle park-
6
ing capacity.
7
‘‘(3) PROHIBITION.—
8
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts made avail-
9
able to carry out this section shall not be used
10
for the construction, or development phase ac-
11
tivities that would enable the construction, of
12
charging or fueling infrastructure for the pro-
13
pulsion of a vehicle, including a commercial
14
motor vehicle.
15
‘‘(B) SAVINGS
PROVISION.—Nothing in
16
this paragraph limits the use of funds other
17
than funds made available to carry out this sec-
18
tion.
19
‘‘(i) REQUIREMENTS.—
20
‘‘(1) PUBLICLY
ACCESSIBLE
PARKING.—Com-
21
mercial motor vehicle parking constructed, opened,
22
or improved with funds from a grant under this sec-
23
tion shall be open and accessible to all commercial
24
motor vehicle drivers.
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‘‘(2) PROHIBITION ON CHARGING FEES.—
1
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—No fee may be
2
charged by an eligible entity to a commercial
3
motor vehicle driver to gain access to parking
4
constructed, opened, maintained, or improved
5
with a grant under this section.
6
‘‘(j) TREATMENT OF PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding
7
any other provision of law, a project carried out under this
8
section shall be treated as a project on a Federal-aid high-
9
way under this chapter.
10
‘‘(k) PERIOD
OF
AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—
11
Amounts made available for projects under this section
12
shall remain available for a period of 3 years after the
13
last day of the fiscal year in which the amounts are made
14
available.’’.
15
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap-
16
ter 1 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by add-
17
ing at the end the following:
18
‘‘180. Parking for commercial motor vehicles.’’.
SEC. 4. SURVEY AND COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT.
19
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years after the
20
date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there-
21
after, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation
22
with appropriate State motor carrier safety personnel,
23
motor carriers, State departments of transportation, and
24
private providers of commercial motor vehicle parking,
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•S 1034 IS
shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public
1
Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transpor-
2
tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives
3
a report that—
4
(1) evaluates the availability of adequate park-
5
ing and rest facilities, taking into account both pri-
6
vate and public facilities, for commercial motor vehi-
7
cles engaged in interstate transportation;
8
(2) evaluates the effectiveness of the projects
9
funded under section 180 of title 23, United States
10
Code, in improving access to commercial motor vehi-
11
cle parking;
12
(3) evaluates the ability of eligible entities that
13
received a grant under section 180 of title 23,
14
United States Code, to sustain the operation of
15
parking facilities constructed with funds provided
16
under that section; and
17
(4) reports on the progress being made to pro-
18
vide adequate commercial motor vehicle parking fa-
19
cilities.
20
(b) RESULTS.—The Secretary of Transportation
21
shall make the reports under subsection (a) available to
22
the public on the website of the Department of Transpor-
23
tation.
24
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(c) ALIGNMENT OF REPORTS.—In carrying out this
1
section, the Secretary of Transportation shall—
2
(1) consider the results of the commercial
3
motor vehicle parking facilities assessments of States
4
under subsection (f) of section 70202 of title 49,
5
United States Code; and
6
(2) seek to align the contents of the reports
7
under subsection (a) and the submission and publi-
8
cation of those reports with the State freight plans
9
developed and updated under that section.
10
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
11
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
12
retary of Transportation for projects for commercial
13
motor vehicle parking under section 180 of title 23, United
14
States Code—
15
(1) $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
16
(2) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; and
17
(3) $320,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
18
Æ
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