NTSB finds illegal exit ramp parking contributed to deadly crash

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a lack of available truck parking was a factor in a deadly truck crash, and the agency wants the Department of Transportation to do something about it.

The NTSB voted on Tuesday to approve the findings and recommendations related to the crash that occurred in Highland, Illinois, in 2023, in which a Greyhound bus careened into three tractor trailers parked illegally on the shoulder of an exit ramp outside the Silver Lake rest area late at night.

The bus driver’s fatigue was found to be the probable cause of the crash, in which three bus passengers were killed and seven seriously injured. The truck drivers were uninjured.

“Also contributing to the crash were the three combination vehicles parked on the shoulder of the exit ramp – prohibited by Illinois statute – due to the recurring lack of available truck parking,” NTSB affirmed.

“The NTSB doesn’t usually weigh in on the need for congressional funding for specific programs, so I do think this is a big deal and I do think it is much-needed,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said at the meeting, pointing out that legislation pending in Congress would set aside funding specifically for constructing more truck parking nationwide.

Among 21 findings in the investigation, six related to issues involving a lack of truck parking, which was ranked by the American Transportation Research Institute as a top issue among truck drivers.

“Combination vehicles routinely parked on the shoulder of the exit ramp to the Silver Lake rest area due to recurring lack of available truck parking, which increases the risk of them being struck by an errant highway vehicle,” NTSB found.

“The limited truck parking capacity and subsequent unsafe parking observed at the Silver Lake Rest area were consistent with a lack of access to long term parking spaces for combination vehicles on the National Highway System.

“Individual states are limited in what they can do, and a centralized effort can more broadly address the safety risk caused by lack of available truck parking throughout the country.”

Recommendations approved by NTSB staff at the meeting directed at DOT included expanding efforts to use the department’s Truck Parking Information Management System to identify rest areas around the country in critical need of additional parking.

NTSB also recommended that DOT “pursue available options to increase commercial vehicle parking capacity on highways, such as establishing a grant program for states, local governments, and other eligible entities” and to evaluate “the benefits of ending restrictions on private development of rest areas, and seeking additional congressional appropriations as necessary.”

Related articles:

• Bridging the Divide in the Truck Parking Debate (The Playbook)
• Why the trucking industry should celebrate paid truck parking
• Lawmakers introduce ‘clear path’ to more truck parking

Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.

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