Eye on Trucking: Stop, rest and eat? Commercialization of rest stops debated

By LYNDON FINNEY
The Trucker Staff

9/24/2009

He’s baaaaaack….

Well, he really didn’t go anywhere, but Rep. James Oberstar is being mentioned in the debate over commercialization of rest areas along the nation’s interstate highways.

The issue has gone all the way to the Los Angeles Times, which ran an article Aug. 31 headlined “Ban on interstate business may be relaxed.”

Now as headline writers sometimes do, the headline is a bit of a stretch on the actual story, which reports on the closure or pending closure of 42 rest areas in Virginia and the push by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine to commercialize the rest stops.

The article notes that whether the law is changed could depend on which side has more political horsepower.

Duh? Isn’t that the case with any attempt to write a new law or change existing law?

Reporter Richard Simon ended the article this way: “Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, an advocate of the commercialization of rest stops, is chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Against the idea is Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-Minn.), the influential chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.”

The Partnership to Save Highway Communities, whose members include the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchises, the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers and McDonald’s Corp., has opposed the effort. We thought those would be the very ones that would benefit from commercialization at rest stops but presumably they feel it would compete with their current business.

We even ran a recent poll that asked: “Do you favor commercialization of federal/state rest areas, i.e., allowing vendors such as McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, etc., to have locations there?”

Almost 78 percent of the truckers who responded said “yes.”

“They already have them in travel plazas on turnpikes. Why not have them in rest areas so it’s easier for truckers to get to,” wrote one reader.

“This will create a more secure rest area. I use truck stops because there’s plenty of activity at the location. Rest stops are so isolated,” wrote another.

Notice the issues expressed: convenience (time) and safety.

However, it’s not a given what type of commercial ventures would be allowed, according to Gordon Hickey, Gov. Kaine’s press secretary.

Hickey told The Trucker that if commercialization was allowed, it would be “modest” commercialization and that the governor didn’t want to do anything to put current commercial operations out of business.

He reiterated the state was seeking revenue through commercialization to help fund keeping the rest areas open.

To give credit where it’s due, Virginia implemented changes to its rest area truck parking restrictions July 21.

The agency will remove a number of no parking signs in the remaining rest areas and welcome centers to provide more than 225 legal truck parking spaces.

This will offset the total number of truck parking spaces lost at the closed facilities. VDOT will also remove signs that had restricted vehicles to two-hour parking limits.

We are not taking sides in this issue, other than we want the federal government to pass laws that will ensure adequate and safe parking with convenient access where good nourishment is available at a nominal cost.

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One reader to our poll who is against commercialization wrote: “I enjoy the different state ‘flavors’ of rest areas and being commercial would ruin that and make them trashy and more like truck stops.”

It brought to our attention efforts by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to open more truck parking in our home state.

Interstate 40 is one of the most heavily-traveled east-west corridors in the country, and as such, there has always been a premium on truck parking along that route.

We noticed the other day that the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department has erected truck parking allowed signs at the entrances to at least one former weigh station on I-40 just west of Little Rock.

We passed there one morning about 7:30, and on both sides of the interstate, the parking areas were still pretty much full.

We also noticed one other thing, and we know for a fact that it is a concern of the department: trash on the ground.

Truckers have long begged for more parking areas other than at truck stops and travel centers.

Let’s not abuse what we’ve been given.

Put trash in the receptacles provided.

The parking space you save may be your own.

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Speaking of polls, we recently asked readers how long they have driven for their present company.

The largest group (25 percent) had been with their company six to 10 years and another 19 percent for 11 or more years.

Another large group (23 percent) had been with their current company one year or less.

Lyndon Finney may be reached for comment at editor@thetrucker.com.

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