House Panel Approves $200 Million for Truck Parking
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Parking availability for the nation’s truck drivers would increase as part of recently approved legislation in the House of Representatives.
A Republican-led fiscal 2026 transportation funding bill advanced July 17 by the Appropriations Committee would dedicate $200 million for expanding access to truck parking.
Industry stakeholders, including , were quick to applaud Congress’ attention to this long-standing concern. Henry Hanscom, ATA’s senior vice president of legislative affairs, explained the “substantial investment for expanded parking capacity would help alleviate one of the biggest challenges that truck drivers face and improve the efficiency and safety of our roadways.”
A lack of meaningful parking for commercial drivers has been front-and-center in the freight sector, per the.
If the bill is signed into law, the truck parking funds would be administered by the ’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grant program. The legislation awaits consideration on the floor of the chamber. Debate on the Senate companion bill is scheduled for July 24. Funding authority for most of the federal government, including DOT, expires Oct. 1.
Funding FMCSA
The House legislation would dedicate $927 million for the — the agency with jurisdiction over commercial transportation — in the upcoming fiscal year. The funds would support administrative operations as well as the management of safety grants. In the bill, funding is denied for the enforcement of electronic logging devices in the transport of livestock and insects. The bill also would halt certain requirements linked to inward-facing cameras.
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Overall, the measure would authorize $89.9 billion for programs at DOT as well as the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The legislation would seek to incentivize recruitment and retention efforts in the transportation sector, primarily air traffic controllers. It also would prioritize traditional transportation projects, such as highways and bridges, instead of Biden-era climate-centric proposals.
Steve Womack (R-Ark.), the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee’s chairman, is the bill’s sponsor.
'Rightsize Funding Levels'
“The [fiscal year 2026] Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill presents a critical opportunity to rightsize funding levels in order to support the programs that benefit Americans most and use taxpayer dollars as efficiently as possible,” Womack said.
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the panel’s chairman, argued the legislation would pave the way for “improving how we travel, where we live, and how we grow as a nation.”
“From our roads and bridges to our ports and skies,” Cole said, “it supports the safety and security of vital transit systems. Enhanced resources for [Federal Aviation Administration] facilities and equipment will modernize air traffic control, hire needed controllers and accelerate the deployment of new technologies.”
Democratic Opposition
For the most part, committee Democrats opposed the legislation.
Appropriations Committee ranking member Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said, “House Republicans are ignoring the working class, the middle class and vulnerable Americans who are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, own a home, and commute to work and school in a way that is safe and affordable.
“Their bill strips away critical investments in housing and community development while cutting Amtrak and other critical transportation resources, putting more commuters on the road, and adding more delays getting to work.”
The White House has called on Congress to approve appropriations measures to avert a government shutdown.
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