Washington — The American Trucking Associations is commending multiple industry safety provisions – including $200 million in federal funding for truck parking – that are part of a House appropriations bill recently signed into law.
In a press release, ATA calls the measure within the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 (H.R. 7148) “groundbreaking,” noting that although past laws provided funding that could be used for parking, this one requires it.
“When truck drivers finish their shift or take their federally mandated rest break, the last thing they should have to worry about is finding a safe place to park,” ATA President and CEO Chris Spear said in the release. “Unfortunately, chronic underinvestment in this essential infrastructure has resulted in severe shortages, making it extremely difficult for truck drivers to do their jobs and creating significant hazards for all motorists.
“This substantial new funding that ATA championed will help us turn a corner on this issue.”
Parking projects “shall be within reasonable access to or in the right of way of an interstate highway, the National Highway System or the National Highway Freight Network,” per the legislation, which President Donald Trump signed into law Feb. 3.
Additionally, the act codifies an Executive Order issued by Trump in April mandating that truck drivers be placed out of service for failing an English proficiency test. The test includes a driver interview and an assessment of highway traffic sign recognition.
ATA’s release highlights what Spear calls other “pro-trucking provisions” in the act “that give our industry many reasons to celebrate.” Among them:
- Addressing distracted and impaired driving
- Reporting on the availability and feasibility of technologies that could measure intoxication, including marijuana impairment
- Demanding the issuance of “long-overdue” guidance that will allow motor carriers to use hair samples to detect drug use
- Providing an update on the establishment of a national autonomous vehicle framework
- Strengthening oversight of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Training Provider Registry
