National Coalition on Truck Parking: 2019 Kickoff Webinar - March 26, 2019

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Contact Information: Freight Feedback at FreightFeedback@dot.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590

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Facilitators:

• Tiffany Julien, FHWA
• Jeff Purdy, FHWA
• Jordan Wainer, Volpe

Welcome and Introductions

Jordan Wainer welcomed the group to the meeting and provided an overview of the phone settings and webroom. She also stated that the meeting is being recorded for those who cannot attend and that the link to the recording will be available upon request.

Jordan then introduced Tiffany Julien, who shared that the goal of the meeting is to review the draft Truck Parking Guide outline that Volpe and FHWA developed based on the last working group webinar, held on February 26, 2019. Tiffany then turned the meeting back over to Jordan to review what occurred in the previous working group webinar.

Previous Meeting Overview

Jordan provided an overview of the February 26, 2019 working group meeting. The highlights of the meeting included:

• Reviewing the Future Research Areas matrix;
• Soliciting additional ideas for each research area and product;
• Voting on the research area the working group members would like to pursue; and,
• Per the results of the voting, choosing to create a guide that would include zoning template language and design guidelines for truck parking geared at city, county, and regional governments.

Jordan then transitioned the discussion to review the draft outline of the zoning and design guidelines that Volpe and FHWA developed based on the discussion in the previous meeting.

Truck Parking Guide Outline

Working group members provided feedback, section by section, on the draft outline of the zoning and design guidelines document.

Introduction

Purpose of the Guide

• One working group member commented that the guide should remind stakeholders that truck drivers are not reimbursed for paid parking. The guide should encourage fleet owners to reimburse their drivers if they need to pay for parking.
• Another working group member commented that the guide should clarify public versus private sector roles in addressing the shortage of truck parking.
• Another working group member noted that this section of the guide would be a good place to highlight other resources that explain why truck parking is important.
• A working group member shared that this section of the guide should describe how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hours of service requirement relates to Jason's Law in that it attempts to increase the amount of rest drivers must get in order to make roads safer for truck drivers as well as other drivers.
• One working group member noted that the document appears to have grown larger in scope and should perhaps be broken into multiple documents.

Why Truck Parking is Beneficial

• One working group member stated that the title of this section of the guide should be edited to read "Why Truck Parking is Necessary," in order to better convey the need for truck parking.
• A working group member shared that it would be useful to include case studies on truck trip generation rates for different land uses and the need for parking to serve those trucks.
• Another working group member expressed that the guide should attempt to demonstrate how many trucks are involved in the full shipping process. For example, the guide could include a case study about the different steps involved in delivering an Amazon package to an end user.
• A working group member noted that the guide could include possible rebuttals that truck parking advocates can use in communities that don't want to add truck parking. Examples of communities that have welcomed additional truck parking are Elmira, New York and Weed, California.
• To demonstrate how truck parking is beneficial, a working group member suggested that the guide include an example of a trucking business that has contributed to the community through employment, property taxes, etc.
  • Volpe agreed to reach out to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO) for suggestions of other communities to cite, and potentially speak with, in this section of the guide.
• A working group member noted that it would be helpful to include data on the amount of time it takes drivers to locate parking. Being able to park as close as possible to their destination lets drivers reduce the amount of time they tie up rush hour traffic in the morning.
  • A working group member suggested that Volpe forward this question to the Transportation Research Board (TRB) to see if they could help answer it.
• A working group member suggested that Volpe look at the Florida Department of Transportation District 6's fiscal year 2018 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant application for a truck parking project that included a benefit/cost analysis.
• Another working group member noted that FASTLANE and TIGER grants targeting truck parking capacity or information solutions could also provide examples of benefit/cost analyses.
• A working group member suggested that this section of the guide also provide the background of Jason's Law and describe Jason's story and how it relates to the hours of service requirement.

How to Implement Truck Parking

• A working group member suggested that this section include information on possible setbacks and buffers that could help make truck parking more appealing to community members.
• Another working group member noted that, sometimes, permeability of the surface of a truck parking area can be important in determining whether a community will allow the truck parking facility. In some areas near Atlanta, a barrier to truck parking is the groundwater protection ordinances that forbid impermeable pavement, for example.
• One working group member noted that some rural areas can't always provide water or sewer services at truck parking facilities. The guide should mention these types of facilities as well.
• A working group member suggested that Volpe reach out to planners or elected officials in potential case study locations and ask what obstacles they faced in implementing truck parking, how they overcame them, and what benefits they've seen as a result of adding truck parking.
• A working group member noted that planners will want to have a specific zoning template to look at for guidance on how to adapt their zoning code.
• A working group member noted that the guide should differentiate between "zoning" and "planning" to more precisely convey the process for implementing truck parking through zoning and planning steps.
• A working group member suggested that the guide include a discussion of why truck parking is important to include in large developments and provide some examples of zoning codes that require large developments to provide truck parking.
• A working group member shared that the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) might have guidance on truck parking in terms of traffic impact studies and why there's a need for trucks to park and stage in advance of making a delivery.
• A working group member suggested that this section also mention the use of incentives like impact fees in zoning requirements. Incentive zoning can be used to trade truck parking spaces for square footage or height in buildings.
• A working group member stated that it would be helpful to include zoning tools that could be used by local planners to retrofit sites and stimulate private land developers to cooperate in the parking management efforts in and around industrial and distribution areas.
• Another working group member suggested that it would be helpful to include steps to conduct a parking lot audit and line striping plan to use parking areas more efficiently. The working group member cited an effort in France that led to 30 percent more truck parking as a result of adjusting line placement.

Funding/Finance

• A working group member suggested that this section of the guide include a description of how to use tax increment financing (TIF) for truck parking.
• Another working group member suggested that this section provide examples of communities that have had successful public/private partnerships. The guide could mention the partnership between Fernley, Nevada and Flying J (a large truck stop provider), but point out that this partnership was problematic because drivers perceived the additional parking as unwelcoming and therefore it wasn't used to its fullest potential.
• A working group member noted that the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is working on creating guidance for planners. This could be a helpful resource for Volpe and FHWA in creating this guide.
• A working group member stated that it would be helpful to include specific zoning language that can be reused by other communities. The guide should include how the people involved developed the language and how they were able to get buy-in from elected officials.

Stakeholder Involvement

• A working group member stated that the guide should include resources for MPOs to proactively reach out to truck parking stakeholders to understand the issues related to truck parking.
• Another working group member noted that including the perspective of shippers and receivers is key. Some shippers and receivers that could be contacted and referenced in the guide are Meijer and Unilever. Some of the primary concerns of shippers and receivers in providing truck parking are congestion on their lots, concern that some drivers will not take good care of the parking area, liability, and enforcement.

After discussing each section of the guidance document, the working group then transitioned to discussing the next steps for the group.

Next Steps

Jordan described the next steps for the working group following this meeting.

• Volpe and FHWA will build out the outline based on today's discussion.
• Volpe will follow up with contacts related to the case studies that the guidance document will include.
• The working group members will think about other potential case studies that should be included in the document.

A working group member noted they would like to have the opportunity for more informal review and participation in the development of the guidance document. This could include participating in phone calls with contacts related to the case studies, for example.

Tiffany thanked the group members for their continued participation in this effort. Jordan then concluded the working group meeting.