Creating Safer Roads Starts With Giving Drivers a Place to Rest
When a truck driver can’t find a safe place to park, they face an impossible choice: pull over illegally or keep driving while exhausted. Both options are dangerous, and both have led to catastrophic crashes across America.
The nationwide shortage of truck parking has been an open secret in the transportation industry for years. Now, states like Pennsylvania are finally taking action.
In October 2025, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced the addition of more than 1,200 new truck parking spaces across 133 locations by 2026—the state’s first major expansion in decades. According to officials, the move is designed to combat fatigue-related crashes and to provide commercial drivers with safe, legal places to rest during mandatory breaks under federal Hours-of-Service rules.
For our attorneys at Fried Goldberg LLC, this development represents more than an infrastructure improvement. It’s a reminder that trucking safety is not only about driver accountability; it’s about the conditions that make safe driving possible.
The Hidden Danger of Fatigue on America’s Highways
Every year, fatigue contributes to thousands of serious crashes involving commercial vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimates that nearly 13% of truck crashes involve a drowsy driver. When you combine long hours, irregular schedules, and a lack of secure parking, fatigue becomes a public safety crisis rather than just an occupational hazard.
Without proper rest stops, many drivers are forced to park on highway shoulders, exit ramps, or abandoned lots. These improvised rest areas create hazards for both truckers and motorists. As Pennsylvania State Police Major Robert Krol noted, “Too often, a significant contributing factor is fatigued drivers who fall asleep.”
Rest isn’t optional for drivers hauling up to 80,000 pounds of freight. It’s a matter of life and death.
Why Rest Stop Access Matters Nationwide
While Pennsylvania’s expansion is a positive step, the shortage extends across nearly every major freight corridor in the U.S. Industry data suggests that there is only one parking space for every 11 truck drivers. The shortage forces many drivers to exceed their legal driving hours, falsify logs, or take dangerous shortcuts just to comply with delivery schedules.
This lack of access has ripple effects:
- Increased Crash Risk: Fatigue reduces reaction time and decision-making, increasing the risk of rear-end collisions and lane departures.
- Higher Liability Exposure: Carriers that fail to plan for legal rest breaks may face liability if fatigue is found to be a contributing factor in a crash.
- Worse Working Conditions: The strain of unsafe parking options drives burnout and turnover across the trucking industry.
As the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association stated, this shortage “creates real safety risks” and puts drivers in untenable situations. Every parking space added represents one fewer driver forced into a dangerous compromise.
How Policy Reform and Legal Action Work Together
Real change in highway safety happens when infrastructure policy and legal accountability align. While states expand rest stop availability, trial lawyers continue to play a critical role in holding negligent carriers accountable for preventable crashes.
At Fried Goldberg LLC, our truck accident lawyers have seen time and time again how fatigue-related wrecks devastate families. In many of our cases, the chain of causation begins long before the crash inside dispatch offices that pressure drivers to stay on the road, or in companies that fail to plan routes with legal rest breaks in mind.
When investigating fatigue-related truck crashes, our firm often focuses on key forms of evidence, such as:
- Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Data: Reveals Hours-of-Service violations and driving time irregularities.
- Dispatch and Delivery Records: Show whether unrealistic schedules contributed to driver fatigue.
- Company Policies and Safety Audits: Identify systemic practices that encourage drivers to break rest rules.
- Driver Statements and Dashcam Footage: Provide context about fatigue warnings or unsafe working conditions.
Every case tells a larger story, one about the human cost of neglecting safety at the policy level.
A National Effort to Keep Drivers and Families Safe
The new PennDOT initiative is part of a broader shift toward proactive safety measures. The agency has partnered with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and state police to evaluate additional parking across turnpike ramps and weigh stations. The effort will add 600 more spaces in the coming years, with public tracking available through the 511PA app.
These reforms send a clear message: preventing fatigue saves lives. But the challenge remains nationwide. From the I-10 corridor in the Southeast to I-80 through the Midwest, the demand for freight transport continues to outpace infrastructure upgrades.
The lesson from Pennsylvania is simple: safe roads begin with safe rest. And while government agencies play a critical role, it’s often the work of dedicated trial lawyers that brings the true cost of these shortcomings into focus.
Driving Change Beyond the Courtroom
At Fried Goldberg LLC, our mission extends beyond winning cases. We are advocates for lasting safety reform, collaborating with policymakers, teaching attorneys nationwide, and helping law enforcement understand the root causes of truck crashes.
When tragedies occur because a fatigued driver didn’t have a safe place to rest, accountability matters. Litigation not only secures justice for victims but also pressures the trucking industry to address the conditions that make these devastating crashes predictable.
By combining education, advocacy, and litigation, our goal is to reduce preventable deaths and help shape a trucking industry where safety is built into every mile.
If you or someone you love was injured in a truck accident involving a fatigued driver, our attorneys can help you pursue justice and demand accountability. Contact us today to learn how we’re fighting for victims and helping to make America’s highways safer for everyone.
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