Bipartisan caucus eyes truck parking in next Congress

A bipartisan House caucus is pushing an infrastructure package that includes a long-sought trucking priority: expanding truck parking. The Build More Caucus released an Oct. 5 report recommending faster project approvals, shorter construction timelines, and more state flexibility to build truck parking capacity, according to Transport Topics on Oct. 8.

The caucus was founded last year by Reps. Josh Harder, D-Calif., and Celeste Maloy, R-Utah. Truck parking ranked No. 4 among 2025 industry concerns in the American Transportation Research Institute's annual survey, and 37.3% of respondents supported dedicated federal funding to expand capacity at freight-critical locations. The standout proposal: let states permit commercial activity at interstate rest areas facing severe truck parking shortages — currently barred by federal law — framed as adding capacity without new federal spending. The report also recommends limiting lengthy federal reviews of alternatives to voter-approved projects, streamlining public comment requirements, and expanding the FAST-41 permitting process to midsize projects.

The proposals could be introduced as legislation in the next Congress, and truck parking is expected to feature in the next surface-transportation reauthorization bill. Separately, the BUILD America 250 Act — approved by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in May, which would create a dedicated commercial-vehicle parking grant program — still has no full House vote and no Senate companion.