BCTA members may recall our requests in 2017-18 for truck drivers who operate in southern Ontario to complete a survey about truck parking in that region. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation recently committed to improvements, but the numbers fall short of those called for in a final study based on the survey.

Truck News reported on the study in January following an announcement by the Ontario ministry that it would be providing 178 new spaces at existing locations, improvements to 14 rest areas and 10 new rest areas through infrastructure projects scheduled into 2025 (see “More needed in bid for Ontario truck parking, says researcher,” by John G. Smith, Truck News, January 15, 2021. Accessed online February 4, 2021).

While any new truck parking anywhere is welcome, the study noted there is a need for broader solutions, potentially with the participation of “provincially-formed working groups,” municipal planning departments and agreements with businesses such as big box retailers or public-private partnerships.

Adequate truck parking is not only a safety issue, in terms of drivers having safe and reliable locations to rest, there is also a significant cost borne by truck drivers and carriers when spaces aren’t available. According to the study as quoted in Truck News, data from survey respondents indicates an estimated cost of $15,640 per truck every year, including:

• $4,216 for fuel while searching for parking
• $2,304 for truck overhead, and
• $9,120 in lost profits

And, with Canada’s electronic logging device rule also coming into force on June 12, 2021, the need for more parking—and related costs—is likely to get worse.

BC has begun preparation for the long-promised 100-truck parking facility on the north side of Highway 17, below and just east of the Port Mann Bridge, but the contractor for the actual facility and amenities has not yet been named. BCTA continues to advocate for more truck parking and improvements to existing facilities throughout the province, including better lighting, running water and adherence to maintenance standards.

For background on the survey, see the September 25, 2017, Bulletin article, “You’re Invited: Southern Ontario Truck Parking Survey.”