Parking problems - fees to park

[Jim L]

Over the past year we have seen the amount of US truck stops and other parking locations start to charge a fee for parking. We used to only see this problem in Ontario, California and the Petro in downtown Atlanta but those fees were waived if you purchased $50 or more. I was wondering what other carriers are doing in regards to this problem? Are you reimbursing your drivers? How do the drivers manage it?

This is what I am worried about:

• The parking fees (currently about 12US/night) will rise to who knows what because the sky is the limit.
• Truck stops that offer a section of paid parking plus a section of free parking will increase their paid parking spaces at the expense of the free parking.
• Truck stops that are not charging now will see this as a revenue stream and begin to charge.
• Rest areas are generally full at 4pm with no new spaces available
• Unscrupulous people are now waking up my drivers who park in abandoned lots or small truck stops at 2am and demanding that they need to pay or leave. Who knows if this is legitimate or some lot lizard who figured out an angle.
• How do we recoup this charge to the end customer? On a trip to California it could be 4-5 nights or $60 that we have to add to the fee.
• If we start reimbursing the driver, then they will use paid parking every night because it's simple.

What are your thoughts?

 

[ralphthetrucker]

If you don't reimburse your drivers, how long do you think it will take them to resign and move on. The carrier is in a better position to negotiate rates and increases than the driver is. When the ELD device says "time's up" the driver has little/no choice in the matter.

 

[chica123]

From a business point of view, if I was the owner of the "Truck Stop", I would certainly be considering charging for parking for those that just park because their hours are up. Truck Stops have no need to solve the problem of drivers running out of hours, lack of free public spots at rest areas etc. They have huge expenses to be sure. This is not a situation they created, and realistically, should not shoulder the cost. Many trucks park that make no purchases at all. If the government was willing to subsidize them for offering parking (yeah right) to counterbalance the lack of free public spots it would be a different story. You can see I am playing devil's advocate. I would not like to pay for parking any more than the next person, but let's face it...times are changing. Businesses need a revenue stream and they will start looking at whatever they need to do to stay profitable. Like I said, many of these circumstances leading to the shortage of free spaces is not their fault.

 

[bellcitytransport]

We have covered this cost since truck stops began charging. It was our due diligence in ensuring our drivers get a full and uninterrupted night sleep. Also, there is no excuse to hear that "the truck stop was full", we encourage them to book well in advance and plan their routing accordingly.

 

[TNS_Jess]

I believe compensation should be determined on a case by case basis. The main thing, is ensuring that drivers are making professional decisions when planning their routes. Most drivers that have been in the industry a long time, know about Truck stops, and other areas free of charge to park for their rest periods. However, a newer driver would not have that advantage. In addition, there are other circumstances beyond control of any driver, which may include; road closures, detours, construction and bad weather, etc. This may put the driver in a situation where their shift is ending soon, and they don't have a choice whether they pay or not. In that case, we should be compensating drivers for the charges without question. The last thing I would want, is a driver quitting over a $12 parking fee that we didn't reimburse for.

 

[Michael Ludwig]

We encourage our guys to book in advance as well, and we do pay for them. Typically, it's an added in cost and part of the rate structure algorithm. Additionally, if we have to pay for parking we are not beholding to using any of that truck stops services. i.e. if food is better across the road, the guys go there. If there is a cheaper fuel across the road, we buy it there, etc., etc., etc.