New legislation would for the first time require commercial warehouses, retailers and ports to allow truck drivers to use their restroom facilities when picking up or dropping off freight.
The Trucker Bathroom Access Act, introduced Thursday by U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.), adds language to federal law to ensure such access while drivers are working.
“American truckers are this nation’s backbone, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for the tremendous contributions they made during the pandemic,” said Nehls in a statement, noting that the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) lobbied for the bill.
“We’ve heard from countless drivers who have been forced to ‘hold it’ because they were not allowed to access the bathroom when they were picking up or delivering freight,” said OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer in thanking Nehls for sponsoring the legislation. “The men and women of America’s trucking industry keep our supply chain moving, and it’s only reasonable that their most basic needs be accommodated while they are on the job.”
Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT, also thanked Nehls for his effort.
“As more women enter the trucking industry, the need for restroom access increases while access to facilities has decreased,” Voie said.
Houlahan commented that the bipartisan legislation “will give all truckers, and female drivers in particular, the confidence of having access to a restroom when they deliver goods to businesses and American families. Ultimately, keeping more drivers on the road means fewer supply chain delays and lower costs.”
According to the bill’s language, facilities covered under the legislation include “a place of business open to the general public for the sale of goods or services,” and “a shipper, receiver, manufacturer, warehouse, distribution center or any other business entity that is receiving or sending goods by commercial motor vehicle.”
Places not covered include rail facilities, as well as “any structure such as a filling station, service station or restaurant of 800 square feet or less that has a restroom located within such structure that is only intended for use by employees.”
Restroom access requirements at seaports for drayage truckers are outlined in a separate section of the bill. It states that marine terminal operators — and port authorities, if they directly operate the terminal — shall provide:
- Access to existing restrooms while covered drayage truck operators are on port property and when such access does not pose an obvious safety risk to such truck operators and other employees of the terminal operator in the area.
- Additional restrooms, if necessary, at locations where there is the most need.
- A place for covered drayage truck operators to park vehicles while accessing such restrooms.
Nehls’ legislation is based on similar proposals introduced in Washington state and Pennsylvania earlier this year. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in March signed into law a scaled-down version that applies only to drayage truckers and marine terminals that became effective in June. Pennsylvania’s proposal, introduced in March, has not advanced.
Ronald L Shaw
Let’s make this a Law if the States aren’t going to provide enough parking and we need to park on ramps let put some trash cans and Porter Potty’s on the ramps and make the ramps wide enough to park a damm truck safely and make the Shoulder strong enough to support the trucks weight so it doesn’t get 8ft. Deep potholes
John bruno
I’ve been driving since 1973 I no longer drive I would never drive over the road or work for any company again with all the abuse and rules that they have for drivers are used to make 87,000 a year not even drive 100 miles a day home every night in my bed driving a little dump truck. These big companies think what they pay the drivers.
Alex B
I grew up in trucking industry, I’ve been driving trucks since 1983. I learned early on to respect private and public properties. This issue has been going on for as long as I can remember, drivers disrespecting shippers, receivers and truck stops by not flashing toilets, like someone should go behind them to do it for them. Throwing pee bottles and trash on the ground is disrespectful and it shows how you were raised, and I see it everyday truck drivers throwing those items out the windows in the parking lots and while driving. Truck stops provide us with trash cans for a reason to throw our trash inside, but many drivers just simply don’t get it. I sure hate to see their houses. If the porta-pot is full let someone know so they can make arrangements to have it emptied out, lift the seat up while peeing no one wants clean after you the hole is big enough for you not to miss it. Your parents, your girlfriends your wife’s or whoever are not going to clean after you wherever you stop and use restrooms. STOP and THINK who has to clean up your mess, it could be someone’s family member you know. My point is be respectful and think about others like you want to think about you.
Erin Thibault
It’s about time! I remember being docked for 5-6 hours and had to hold it.
David
As a driver myself it pisses me off that places of business refuses to let us use the restrooms,and $69,000 is not enough to drive a truck,we have the responsibility of not only driving our trucks to deliver the goods for America, but we also have the responsibility of the safety of all the other traffic on the road ways,
Creighton Trimble
H I have never heard or seen any of the many facilities I have been to deny the restroom but I have seen where the driver had been a pig and destroyed the bathroom.
I am tired of seeing truck drivers piss bottles and garbage where ever its convenient for them to drop it
There’s need to change, trucking should be from a railroad terminal to end destinations, basically local only.
You want a green new deal?
Eliminate the carbon foot print of trucks crossing the country. There are more efficient ways to move cargo and more environmentally responsible ways.
M H
Glad yall doing this. Had an experience at a Coca Cola plant in the Solid waste depth if you know what I mean. Had to go do my laundry. I was furious.
Shawn Smith
What the government should do is go after the state’s offered no facilities that allow us to use bathrooms and neglected Porta John’s.