U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has unveiled a sweeping $275 million federal initiative aimed at tackling the nation’s long-standing truck parking crisis and cutting back on regulatory burdens for the trucking industry. The announcement marks the first major policy rollout under President Donald Trump’s new executive order focused on overhauling trucking regulations and infrastructure.
Speaking from the Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters, Duffy highlighted the essential role truck drivers play in the national economy.
“Truckers keep America running,” Duffy said. “While the country sleeps, truckers grind through the night to help keep shelves stocked, families fed and businesses humming. It’s a job that requires grit and dedication. But for too long, Washington, D.C., has made work harder for truckers. That ends today.”
The newly launched program allocates $180 million directly to the state of Florida, which will be used to construct 917 new truck parking spaces along the critical Interstate 4 corridor in Volusia, Seminole, and Osceola counties areas often cited for congestion and insufficient rest facilities. The remaining $95 million will be disbursed nationwide through competitive grants later this year.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue called the investment “transformational” for Central Florida’s freight infrastructure.
Addressing a Chronic Truck Parking Shortage
The truck parking shortage has plagued the U.S. freight industry for years, with DOT data showing that 40% of commercial drivers spend more than an hour each day searching for legal parking. This inefficiency not only contributes to driver fatigue and safety risks but also imposes a heavy cost on the national economy estimated in the billions annually.
Truck drivers are frequently forced to park in unsafe or unauthorized areas such as highway shoulders, ramps, or retail lots, especially at night. This creates additional dangers for both drivers and other motorists. By expanding designated parking availability, the federal government aims to improve rest compliance, reduce stress for drivers, and enhance overall road safety.
The issue has garnered bipartisan support and increasing urgency following several fatal accidents and rising insurance costs linked to driver fatigue and improper parking.
Regulatory Rollbacks Under Executive Order
In tandem with the funding, Secretary Duffy announced that the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA) will be withdrawing its controversial proposal to require speed limiters on heavy trucks. Critics argued that the regulation could increase the risk of accidents by forcing trucks to travel significantly slower than surrounding traffic, creating hazardous speed differentials.
FMCSA is also proposing the elimination of approximately 1,800 words from its current regulations, targeting redundant definitions and outdated record-keeping requirements. The agency says this is part of a broader effort to streamline federal trucking rules and reduce red tape for motor carriers, particularly small and independent operators.
Another component of the reforms includes cracking down on illegal double brokering, a deceptive practice in which freight is re-brokered to unauthorized carriers, often stripping revenue from legitimate small trucking firms and creating liability and safety issues.
Modernizing Trucking Tech Infrastructure
As part of the broader modernization effort, the FMCSA will upgrade several of its digital platforms, including the DataQ system used by drivers to challenge inaccurate inspection records and the agency’s consumer-complaint portal. Planned enhancements include real-time case tracking and single sign-on functionality to streamline user access and reduce administrative burden.
These tech improvements reflect an acknowledgment that outdated government systems have created bottlenecks and inefficiencies that disproportionately affect smaller carriers and individual owner-operators.
Industry Support and Broader Impact
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) applauded the initiative. “We thank the Trump administration and Secretary Duffy for their continued focus on the issues impacting America’s trucking industry,” said ATA President Chris Spear. “A safe and strong trucking industry is critical to America’s economic growth and security, and data-driven measures like these that reduce regulatory burdens are important steps toward that end.”
The trucking industry employs approximately 8.5 million Americans, including over 3.5 million drivers, and is responsible for hauling nearly 72% of the nation’s freight by weight, according to the ATA. Given its outsized role in the U.S. economy, reforms aimed at making the sector more efficient have wide-reaching implications.
This latest move builds on Duffy’s earlier directive issued in May 2025, which called for stricter enforcement of English-language proficiency standards for commercial drivers a rule that drew both support and criticism across the industry.
The DOT says more reforms are expected under the Trump administration’s trucking reform strategy, with a focus on tailoring federal rules to reflect on-the-ground realities and reduce what officials call “one-size-fits-all” mandates.
The federal grant application process for the remaining $95 million in parking funds is expected to open later this year, with DOT encouraging states and municipalities to propose shovel-ready projects that can quickly add safe and accessible truck parking.
