Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021:
OOIDA calls on Buttigieg to address truck parking shortage
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association penned a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calling on him to use funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to address the national truck parking shortage.
Specifically, the group asked Buttigieg to dedicate $1 billion in discretionary funding to address the truck parking issue.
“We are extremely disappointed that the IIJA does not dedicate any funding exclusively to truck parking, despite the broad bipartisan and industry support for federal investment,” OOIDA said in the letter. “With the significant amount of new discretionary funding your department will be responsible for allocating under the IIJA, we believe that you have the ability to direct funding to critical truck parking projects across the country.”
OOIDA added that it believes $1 billion “is an appropriate level of funding to build out truck parking capacity.”
Fixing the truck parking shortage, OOIDA added, would also help address the ongoing supply chain disruptions.
“Studies indicate truckers spend on average 56 minutes a day of driving time looking for parking,” OOIDA said. “By reducing this wasted time, U.S. DOT can help alleviate supply chain issues by enabling drivers to be more efficient.”
To address the parking shortage, OOIDA said Buttigieg and DOT should “use all available authorities and opportunities to focus on truck parking, including encouraging discretionary grant applications to apply for truck parking funding” and for truck parking to be part of larger transportation projects.
[Related: With new administration comes renewed debate over rest-area commercialization]
Timpte recalling certain hopper trailers for braking issue
Timpte is recalling certain 2022 Bulk Commodity Hopper trailers based on information from ZF Wabco about iABS Electronic Control Unit assembly issues, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
Approximately 67 trailers are included in the recall. In the affected trailers, the screws that secure the bracket cover and end cover of the iABS ECU may have been improperly tightened, which can allow the screws to loosen and back out, resulting in a loss of pressure in the unit, which could cause loss of brake function.
Dealers will replace the iABS ECU, free of charge. Owners can contact Timpte customer service at 1-402-367-3056. NHTSA’s recall number is 21V-883.
Ohio troopers unveil mobile scale vehicle
The Ohio State Highway Patrol late last week introduced a new patrol vehicle that carries portable scales for weighing commercial vehicles.
In a Facebook post showing off the new vehicle, OSHP said the new scale trucks will be used to tackle overweight violations across the state.
