Trucker Blames Parking Shortage For I-77 Crash

by Jana Ritter - Published: 5/11/2016

The truck parking shortage has been an on-going issue for quite some time and even though Jason’s law was passed in 2013, specifically to give truck drivers better access to safe rest areas, the problem only seems to be getting worse.

                                                         

The most recent incident to bring this problem back into the light occurred around 2 a.m. last Friday morning in North Carolina. Last August, "Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey" found the state to already be one of the worst places to find legal rest stops and the problem has become that much worse since Gov. Pat McCrory implemented a crackdown specifically targeting truck drivers last year. The state justified the “no-parking” campaign with crash statistics that many say exaggerated the relation between parked vehicles and fatal accidents. Nevertheless, NC Highway Patrol have been relentlessly cracking down on truckers parking to rest beside exit ramps, specifically I-77 where there is the highest documented shortage of legal rest spots.

On Friday, Utah truck driver Glen Hamblin was driving through North Carolina I-77 and although he still hadn’t reached his HOS limit and wasn’t far from his destination, he was struggling to stay awake in the wee morning hours. Sometimes your body speaks louder than all the Federal regulations, state laws and job expectations and Hamblin knew he was tired and needed to rest. “E-logs do not work,” Hamblin said. “The company wants you to get your miles in. So when the e-log says you can drive, then you drive. Maybe your body doesn’t say it’s time to drive. With electronic logs, you drive tired.” He was hauling 50,000 pounds of potatoes he had picked up in Michigan the day before and was delivering them to the Frito-Lay plant in Charlotte, just past the South Carolina state line. Sleep kept trying to set in and he continued fighting if off as he rolled down I-77, searching for a safe, legal place to stop.

                                                         

“Every exit, I was looking and hoping to find a sign that said ‘Rest Area,’ ” said Hamblin. Unfamiliar with the area, he didn’t realize that they simply didn’t exist and he didn’t want to pull over on the shoulder of an exit ramp knowing he couldn’t afford the typically $600 ticket. Hamblin continued driving, searching and fighting off sleep for about half an hour, until Mother Nature finally won the battle. “I dozed off for a second and woke up just in time to see the cement barrier in front of my truck,” he recalled. Hamblin crashed into the barrier near Exit 9 and the impact sent the 50,000 pounds of potatoes hurling all over the road and his truck to overturn and the engine to fly out, erupting into flames. The truck driver has no idea how he survived the incident but is thankful he only suffered minor scrapes and bruises.

However, he now regrets his decision for obeying the laws because it cost him his livelihood instead of a parking ticket. “In hindsight, I should have pulled off,” Hamblin said. “A ticket would obviously be better than a wrecked vehicle. It cost me my whole rig, and my way of making a livelihood.” Hamblin is speaking publicly about the incident to try and implore upon the industry and regulators the urgent need to solve the parking shortage. “There’s not enough rest areas. Even if you do find a truck stop or a rest area, they’re full, and you still have to drive tired.”

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