Even before the Virginia Department of Transportation announced its rest area closure plan in February, truckers had been troubled by the state’s two-hour maximum parking rule at rest areas.

However, this rule may soon change as VDOT reviews its restrictive time limit, which doesn’t allow truckers to take their full 10-hour mandatory breaks.

VDOT Chief of Communications Jeff Caldwell told Land Line Magazine on Tuesday, April 21, the agency is taking a “serious look” at revising its two-hour rule.

“We are definitely looking at our two-hour rule and seeing what the possibilities could be for a change there,” he said. “We know this is a significant concern for the trucking community.”

This is good news for OOIDA members who run through the state. Several have been ticketed by the Virginia State Police in recent months for exceeding the two-hour rule because they couldn’t find other long-term parking options to pull off and rest.

When Land Line called the VSP in late January to ask about their ticketing policies and find out what options the agency recommends for tired truckers who are out of hours and who are being forced back onto the highways, their response was to “get a room.”

“It’s not our responsibility to make sure they are in compliance with the hours of service … so that responsibility sits on the driver to know his or her route and know where there is a place to park,” said Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the VSP, told Land Line.

“Get a clue” was the reaction of OOIDA members who said they couldn’t afford the added costs of a hotel room or were afraid to leave their trucks and precious cargo unattended because of possible theft.

OOIDA Regulatory Affairs Specialist Joe Rajkovacz told Land Line recently that telling truckers to “get a room” is not a satisfactory answer for agencies who claim they are concerned with improving highway safety.

“Safety considerations cannot be the sole domain of the driver while everyone else in the supply chain or law enforcement gets to act in a contrary manner,” Rajkovacz said.

Along with those who voiced opposition to the state’s two-hour rule, VDOT’s Caldwell said the plan to close 25 of its 41 rest areas “was the top point of discussion of all the proposed service area cuts.” He said this is based on the overwhelming number of oral and written comments VDOT received at the 11 public meetings and by e-mail.

“So we are going to review all of the comments we have and look at our business analysis, and it’s likely there will be some adjustments to our plan. That was just a proposal that we put out,” he said.

If VDOT is serious about reviewing its policies, Rajkovacz said ensuring highway safety should be foremost in their minds during the decision-making process.

“If it’s truly about safety, then why mess with truckers trying to comply with federal regulations regarding hours of service,” he said.

– By Clarissa Kell-Holland, staff writer
clarissa_kell-holland@landlinemag.com