Yet again, another trucker could not find legal parking, did not want to risk a ticket by parking on an interstate ramp, and took a chance by driving sleepy.  

The trucker crashed in Charlotte, NC on May 6, 2016. Thankfully the driver physically survived; however his career in trucking may now be over.

Resolve the conflict between FMCSA regulations for truckers and the availability of legal parking for large trucks.

The following petition hopes to bring about legal parking for trucks, proportionate to truck traffic volume statistics for each state.

Drivers - would you pay $1 per night, via token, to legally park in a gated, lighted lot off a rural freeway ramp?

Organizers: http://www.truckerpetition.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truckerpetitionorg/

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Entire petition language:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Flip the Law: FMCSA Please Direct States to Provide Rest Stops for Truckers

(Petition signors: https://www.change.org/p/flip-the-law-fmcsa-please-direct-states-to-provide-rest-stops-for-truckers
(Full petition pdf: http://www.truckerpetition.org/petition_truckparking.pdf

In response to the most recent sleepy-trucker accident in North Carolina on May 6, 2016, truckers are petitioning the FMCSA to pressure States for once, instead of pressuring only trucking industry players. 

Background

No one can argue that there is not enough legal parking options for over-the-road truckers. Yet the FMCSA mandates when truckers must stop driving, based on strict Hours-Of-Service regulations.

The most prominent activism for more legal truck parking is Jason's Law, named after driver Jason Rivenburg, who was murdered in his truck in 2009 while parked at an abandoned gas station because he could not find other legal parking.

Thanks to Jason's Law, the U. S. Department of Transportation compiled a survey of national truck parking statistics. The report was released in August 2015. A summary of the report can be found at Land Line Magazine: http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryID=29646#.VzNGFIQrLGI 

Action Requested

We, the undersigned petitioners, formally request that the FMCSA mandate that each state provide enough state-sanctioned truck parking along interstates to match annual truck traffic volume statistics.

This can be done by making a plain dirt lot available for truckers to park in, at various rural exit ramps. 

Considerations

We, the undersigned petitioners, understand that even a plain dirt lot will carry some cost to each state. Aside from land procurement, several factors are at play for which We, the undersigned petitioners, would gladly contribute via nominal coin- or token-operated toll gates to enter the aforementioned lot.

- No-frills parking lots for large trucks: either dirt, gravel, or pavement
- Reasonable freeway-type light poles
- Dumpster near exit of parking lot
- Winter conditions in some states may require snow management
- Law enforcement should not be allowed to “troll” these lots, instead restricted to Weigh Stations

We, the undersigned petitioners, are willing to contribute on a per-entry basis via coin- or token-operated machines on the following schedule: $1.00 for dirt lot; $2.00 for gravel lot; $3.00 for paved lot.

Each state should contribute rural land and easements, and facilitate management of the lots.

Sincerely Signed,