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Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 27, 2025
Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide competitive grants for projects that provide public parking for commercial motor vehicles and improve the safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers. States, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal governments, and local governments are eligible for these grants.
The grants must be used for projects on federal-aid highways or a facility with reasonable access to such a highway or a freight facility.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
A grant recipient may not charge a fee to a commercial motor vehicle driver to access a public parking facility that is constructed, opened, maintained, or improved with a grant under this program.
In providing grants, DOT must determine that
there is a shortage of commercial motor vehicle parking capacity in the project's corridor;
the eligible entity has consulted motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, public safety officials, and private providers of commercial motor vehicle parking regarding the project;
the project will likely increase the availability or utilization of commercial motor vehicle parking, facilitate the efficient movement of freight, or improve highway safety, traffic congestion, and air quality; and
the eligible entity has demonstrated the ability to provide for the facility's maintenance and operation.
To the maximum extent practicable, DOT must select grant projects that maximize the geographic dispersion of new commercial motor vehicle parking capacity across the United States.
People & committees
Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12] · R–IL
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jul 18, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-02-27 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This proposal would create competitive federal grants to add or improve public truck parking and support driver safety, subject to available funding. Funded parking would have to be accessible to all commercial vehicle drivers, and grant recipients could not charge drivers for access. The bill would authorize funding, which does not itself provide the money.
Subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities for projects to provide public parking for commercial motor vehicles and improve the safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers.
Commercial motor vehicle parking constructed, opened, or improved with funds from a grant under this section shall be open and accessible to all commercial motor vehicle drivers.
No fee may be charged by an eligible entity to a commercial motor vehicle driver to gain access to parking constructed, opened, maintained, or improved with a grant under this section.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for projects for commercial motor vehicle parking under section 180 of title 23, United States Code, $151,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
The bill would be called the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. It would express Congress's view that addressing truck parking shortages on the Federal-aid highway system should be a national safety priority; this statement does not establish that the proposal would improve safety.
This Act may be cited as the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.
It is the sense of Congress that it should be a national priority to address the shortage of parking for commercial motor vehicles on the Federal-aid highway system to improve highway safety.
Eligible grant recipients would include states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, government subdivisions responsible for truck parking, Tribal governments and Tribal consortia, and groups of these entities across jurisdictions.
An entity eligible to receive a grant under this section is any of the following: (A) A State. (B) A metropolitan planning organization. (C) A unit of local government. (D) A political subdivision of a State or local government carrying out responsibilities relating to commercial motor vehicle parking. (E) A Tribal government or a consortium of Tribal governments. (F) A multistate or multijurisdictional group of entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (E).
A grant recipient could partner with a private entity to carry out an eligible project.
An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may partner with a private entity to carry out an eligible project under this section.
Projects would have to be on a Federal-aid highway or at a facility with reasonable access to such a highway or a freight facility. The bill would use an existing regulation to define reasonable access and existing statutes to define commercial motor vehicles and safety rest areas.
The term commercial motor vehicle has the meaning given the term in section 31132 of title 49.
The term safety rest area has the meaning given the term in section 120(c)(1).
An entity may use a grant provided under this section for a project described in paragraph (2) that is on— (A) a Federal-aid highway; or (B) a facility with reasonable access (as described in section 658.19 of title 23, Code of Federal Regulations (or a successor regulation)) to— (i) a Federal-aid highway; or (ii) a freight facility.
Grants could support new rest areas with truck parking and additional parking beside private truck stops or travel plazas, at or beside publicly owned freight facilities, and at existing facilities such as weigh stations or park-and-ride locations. Other suitable facilities would require agreement between the eligible entity and the Secretary.
(A) to construct a safety rest area that includes parking for commercial motor vehicles; (B) to construct additional commercial motor vehicle parking capacity— (i) adjacent to a private commercial truck stop or travel plaza; (ii) within the boundaries of, or adjacent to, a publicly owned freight facility, including a port terminal operated by a public authority; (iii) at an existing facility, including an inspection or weigh station and a park-and-ride location; or (iv) at another suitable facility, as determined by the eligible entity, in concurrence with the Secretary;
Grants could reopen unused weigh stations, rest areas, park-and-ride facilities, or other government-owned facilities for truck parking. They could also fund construction or physical improvements at existing public truck parking facilities to expand use and availability, including at seasonal facilities.
(C) to reopen an existing weigh station, safety rest area, park-and-ride facility, or other government-owned facility, that is not in use, for commercial motor vehicle parking; (D) to construct or make capital improvements to an existing public commercial motor vehicle parking facility to expand parking use and availability, including at a seasonal facility;
Projects could identify, promote, and manage available public and private truck parking, including through transportation technology. Driver safety improvements and other parking facility improvements, including truck stop electrification systems, would qualify only as part of the construction, reopening, or expansion projects listed in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
(E) to identify, promote, and manage the availability of publicly and privately provided commercial motor vehicle parking, such as through the use of intelligent transportation systems; (F) to improve the personal safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers at a parking facility as part of a project described in subparagraphs (A) through (D); or (G) to improve a parking facility, including through truck stop electrification systems, as part of a project described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
Applicants would have to describe their proposed projects and provide any other information the Secretary requires, following the Secretary's application timing and submission rules.
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— (1) a description of the proposed project; and (2) any other information that the Secretary determines to be necessary.
Before selecting a project, the Secretary would have to find a truck parking shortage in the project's corridor and confirm that the applicant consulted trucking operators, drivers, public safety officials, and private truck parking providers.
The Secretary may select a project to receive a grant under this section only if the Secretary determines that— (1) there is a shortage of commercial motor vehicle parking capacity in the corridor in which the project is located; (2) the eligible entity has consulted with motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, public safety officials, and private providers of commercial motor vehicle parking regarding the project;
The Secretary would also have to find that a project is likely to increase parking availability or use, help freight move efficiently, or improve highway safety, congestion, and air quality. Applicants would have to demonstrate their ability to maintain and operate the facility. These are selection requirements, not evidence of achieved results.
The Secretary may select a project to receive a grant under this section only if the Secretary determines that—
(3) the project will likely— (A) increase the availability or utilization of commercial motor vehicle parking; (B) facilitate the efficient movement of freight; or (C) improve highway safety, traffic congestion, and air quality; and (4) the eligible entity demonstrates the ability to provide for the maintenance and operation of the facility.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary would have to select projects to spread new truck parking capacity geographically across the United States.
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall select projects to receive grants under the program in a manner that maximizes the geographic dispersion of new commercial motor vehicle parking capacity across the United States.
Grants could pay for project preparation, construction, and operational improvements. No more than 25 percent of an individual grant could pay for preparation activities such as planning, feasibility studies, comparing benefits and costs, environmental review, engineering, and design.
An eligible entity may use a grant under this section for— (A) development phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, benefit-cost analysis, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities necessary to advance a project under this section; and (B) construction and operational improvements.
An eligible entity may use not more than 25 percent of the amount of a grant under this section for activities described in paragraph (1)(A).
No more than 10 percent of each fiscal year's grant funding could support projects that solely identify, promote, and manage existing parking availability. This limit would not apply when those activities are part of a project expanding truck parking capacity.
Except as provided in clause (ii), not more than 10 percent of the amounts made available for each fiscal year for grants under this section may be used for projects described in subsection (d)(2)(E) that solely identify, promote, and manage the availability of existing commercial motor vehicle parking.
Clause (i) shall not apply to a project described in subsection (d)(2)(E) that is part of a project to expand commercial motor vehicle parking capacity.
Program funds could not pay to construct charging or fueling infrastructure used to propel vehicles, or to prepare for that construction. This restriction would not limit the use of money from other sources.
Amounts made available to carry out this section shall not be used for the construction, or development phase activities that would enable the construction, of charging or fueling infrastructure for the propulsion of a vehicle, including a commercial motor vehicle.
Nothing in this paragraph limits the use of funds other than funds made available to carry out this section.
Parking constructed, opened, or improved with a grant would have to be accessible to all commercial vehicle drivers. Eligible entities could not charge those drivers to access parking constructed, opened, maintained, or improved with a grant.
Commercial motor vehicle parking constructed, opened, or improved with funds from a grant under this section shall be open and accessible to all commercial motor vehicle drivers.
No fee may be charged by an eligible entity to a commercial motor vehicle driver to gain access to parking constructed, opened, maintained, or improved with a grant under this section.
Projects would be treated as Federal-aid highway projects under chapter 1 of title 23, regardless of other provisions of law. The supplied text does not reproduce that chapter's broader requirements.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a project carried out under this section shall be treated as a project on a Federal-aid highway under this chapter.
Project funding would remain available for three years after the end of the fiscal year in which it is made available.
Amounts made available for projects under this section shall remain available for a period of 3 years after the last day of the fiscal year in which the amounts are made available.
The Transportation Secretary would have to report to the specified Senate and House committees within four years after enactment and every two years afterward. Preparing the reports would require consultation with state motor carrier safety personnel, trucking operators, state transportation departments, and private truck parking providers.
Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with appropriate State motor carrier safety personnel, motor carriers, State departments of transportation, and private providers of commercial motor vehicle parking, shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report
Reports would assess public and private parking and rest facilities for commercial vehicles traveling between states, funded projects' effectiveness in improving parking access, recipients' ability to keep newly constructed facilities operating, and progress toward adequate parking.
(1) evaluates the availability of adequate parking and rest facilities, taking into account both private and public facilities, for commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate transportation; (2) evaluates the effectiveness of the projects funded under section 180 of title 23, United States Code, in improving access to commercial motor vehicle parking; (3) evaluates the ability of eligible entities that received a grant under section 180 of title 23, United States Code, to sustain the operation of parking facilities constructed with funds provided under that section; and (4) reports on the progress being made to provide adequate commercial motor vehicle parking facilities.
The reports would have to be published on the Transportation Department's website. The Secretary would have to consider state truck parking assessments and seek to align the reports' content, submission, and publication with state freight plans.
The Secretary of Transportation shall make the reports under subsection (a) available to the public on the website of the Department of Transportation.
In carrying out this section, the Secretary of Transportation shall— (1) consider the results of the commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessments of States under subsection (f) of section 70202 of title 49, United States Code; and (2) seek to align the contents of the reports under subsection (a) and the submission and publication of those reports with the State freight plans developed and updated under that section.
The bill would authorize Congress to appropriate $151 million for parking projects in each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029. This is permission for future funding, not an appropriation providing that money.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for projects for commercial motor vehicle parking under section 180 of title 23, United States Code, $151,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
The supplied actions snapshot, updated July 18, 2026, records introduction in the House and referrals to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Highways and Transit Subcommittee on February 27, 2025. This snapshot does not establish whether later legislative action occurred.
Source snapshot updated 2026-07-18T00:00:35Z. 2025-02-27: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. 2025-02-27: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. 2025-02-27: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-02-27. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No provision unrelated to the truck parking proposal's main subject was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish attachment history or the contents of other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; formal earmark disclosures and accompanying materials are not supplied.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment warranting a finding was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. Ordinary program eligibility and project rules were not treated as special benefits. This conclusion does not extend to other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Jul 18, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI