09/05/2025
Food for thought from Will Cook.
PAID TRUCK PARKING:
[ Safety vs. The Hustle ]
By Will Cook, A Driver’s Perspective
On September 2, 2025, Land Line Media’s Tyson Fisher dropped a bombshell article: Data or Delusion? Flimsy research tries to erase truck parking crisis. In it, Fisher dismantled a study funded by Truck Parking Club, a company branding itself as a tech solution to the very problem its study downplays. For drivers who have spent nights circling truck stops, parking illegally on ramps, or paying premium prices for unlit gravel lots, the claim that there’s no shortage is beyond insulting—it’s a direct attack on our reality.
A Crisis Drivers Don’t Need a Study to Prove
Any working driver knows truck parking isn’t just a shortage—it’s a crisis. We don’t need data models to prove what we live every night. Fisher highlights that Truck Parking Club’s commissioned report claims there are 23.4 million “legal” truck parking spaces, supposedly enough to meet demand. Yet even their own numbers show a 1.7 million–space shortage.
Those “extra” millions of spots? They’re supposedly retail parking lots, industrial yards, and private facilities—spaces inaccessible to us because of liability, zoning rules, or simple “NO TRUCK PARKING” signs. On paper, they exist. In reality, they’re useless.
The Business Model Behind the Messaging
Truck Parking Club is essentially an Airbnb for trucks, monetizing vacant land by renting it to drivers. That’s not inherently bad. But when a company that profits from scarcity funds a study to claim scarcity isn’t real, it becomes clear: this isn’t about solving the problem, it’s about owning the narrative.
The platform’s CEO, Evan Shelley, is a commercial real estate investor. The shortage was his business opportunity, not a personal struggle. Meanwhile, Mike Lombard, a Marine Corps veteran and driver, leads their Partner Program. Lombard’s story resonates more with drivers, and he’s done good work promoting health and fitness for truckers. But even his role is sales-driven—convincing property owners to join the platform and helping the company grow revenue.
Neither man is a villain. They’re just businessmen, proving once again that in trucking, pain points are profitable.
Are Paid Parking Apps a Solution—or Just a Symptom?
Let’s give credit where it’s due: apps like Truck Parking Club make finding parking easier and expand options in crowded areas. But they don’t solve the shortage. They exist because the system is broken.
What they do:
• Make private parking easier to book.
• Create options in cities with few legal truck stops.
• Monetize unused land for quick access.
What they don’t do:
• Build safe, free public parking.
• Guarantee bathrooms, food, or security.
• Challenge the zoning laws that push trucks out of urban and industrial zones.
Every time we pay for parking, we send a message that safe rest is a privilege, not a right. Tech apps can’t replace government-backed infrastructure, and that’s why the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act matters.
The Bigger Picture: Safety Over Hustle
Parking is not a convenience—it’s a safety issue. Every time a driver is forced onto an off-ramp or a dark side road, we increase the risk of theft, assault, or tragedy. Yet conversations about parking are dominated by startups, corporate press releases, and “solutions” that simply sell access to safety rather than fight for it.
The pattern is clear:
• The system creates a crisis.
• Entrepreneurs profit from the “fix.”
• Drivers pay the price—literally.
What We Actually Need
1. Federal and State Investment: Truck parking is infrastructure. Like highways and rest areas, it requires government funding.
2. Driver-Centered Facilities: Showers, lighting, security, and food are not extras—they’re basic needs.
3. Transparent, Honest Data: Research should reflect reality, not marketing agendas.
4. Partnership With Drivers: Companies like Truck Parking Club could earn respect if they collaborated with drivers rather than monetizing desperation.
Final Word
Tyson Fisher’s reporting is a reality check for the industry. He didn’t just fact-check a study; he exposed a growing disconnect between those profiting from this crisis and the drivers living it.
Evan Shelley is a savvy entrepreneur. Mike Lombard is a passionate advocate with a compelling story. But let’s not get it twisted: apps and monetized parking marketplaces aren’t fixing the problem—they’re proof of it.
Until America invests in safe, free, accessible truck parking, every solution pitched to us should be met with one hard question:
Are we solving the shortage—or just selling it back to the drivers?
Will Cook— A Driver’s Perspective
( FightingForTruckers.Com )
