Congress funds free truck parking to improve highway safety

What it does

This bill creates a $151 million competitive grant program (2025–2029) for states, local governments, tribes, and public agencies to build, expand, or reopen public parking facilities for commercial trucks on or near federal highways. Eligible projects include constructing new truck parking, reopening closed rest areas, adding electrification systems, and improving driver safety. Parking must be free and open to all drivers; private companies may partner but cannot charge fees. The bill excludes funding for vehicle charging or fueling infrastructure.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a straightforward federal grant program for public truck parking—a traditional infrastructure investment with explicit safety and accessibility mandates. No hidden mechanisms or private carve-outs detected.

What the text implies

• Requirement that parking be free may create long-term operational burden on states/localities if federal funding lapses after 2029; sustainability depends on continued appropriations or state budget commitment.
• Private-sector participation clause allows private truck stops to receive indirect benefit (reduced competition from free public parking) without direct subsidy, though this is a secondary market effect, not a hidden provision.
• Prohibition on charging fees may inadvertently discourage private investment in truck parking, potentially concentrating supply risk on public sector.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill funds public infrastructure (free truck parking) that improves highway safety and reduces driver fatigue—a documented public-health benefit. Parking is mandated free and publicly accessible, preventing private capture. The $151M investment is modest but targeted at a genuine safety gap with no apparent subsidy to private operators.

Who stands to gain

• construction and engineering firms (project design and build)
• truck stop operators (reduced pressure to expand capacity)
• commercial motor carriers (reduced driver fatigue, improved safety)

Named in the bill

U.S. Department of Transportation (SecDOT), State departments of transportation, Metropolitan planning organizations, Tribal governments, Commercial motor vehicle operators, Private truck stop and travel plaza operators

Where it stands

54 cosponsors: 27 Democrats, 27 Republicans.

• Feb 27, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 27, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

9 lobbying clients named this bill on 12 disclosure filings across 3 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $7,770,677 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 89% of bills with at least one filing.

Mike Bost, the sponsor, reported $882,360 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle. $1,000 of that came from 1 PAC tied to these lobbying clients.

• Fedex Corporation — $2,930,000 on 1 filing
• American Chemistry Council — $2,570,000 on 1 filing
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters — $813,627 on 2 filings
• American Trucking Associations — $720,000 on 1 filing
• Owner-operator Independent Drivers Association — $302,237 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 22, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.