WASHINGTON — Support for Trucker Bathroom Access Act is growing.
On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Reps. Brian Babin, R-Texas, and Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J., said they were on board with helping to ensure the measure passes through Congress and on to the president’s desk for final approval.
The bipartisan bill, HR3869, would ensure truckers have access to restroom facilities when they are picking up or delivering cargo is receiving strong support from some members of the industry.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said it “strongly supports” the proposal.
“Over 70% of America’s freight is exclusively carried by trucks, yet every single day men and women truck drivers are forced to ‘hold it’ because they aren’t allowed access to the restroom when picking up or delivering freight,” said Todd Spencer, president and CEO of OOIDA. “OOIDA and our 150,000 members thank Representatives Nehls and Houlahan for showing tremendous leadership on this issue and we look forward to working with them and our coalition partners to get this commonsense, bipartisan legislation signed into law.”
Ellen Voie, founder of the Women In Trucking Association, is also lending support.
“As more women enter the trucking industry, the need for restroom access increases while access to facilities has decreased,” she said. “We applaud Rep. Nehls’ support to require shippers and receivers to offer our drivers this very basic need.”
Nehls said he is “proud to reintroduce legislation that supports our nation’s truckers.”
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, facilities across the country have shut down their bathrooms which have caused essential employees, like our truckers, not to have access to use the restroom at work,” Nehls added. “Truckers are this nation’s backbone, and we owe them for the tireless contributions they continue to make to keep our country moving. I am glad to once again partner with Congresswoman Houlahan on this commonsense legislation to allow our nation’s truckers access to bathrooms while they are transporting goods on the road.”
The legislation would:
- Require retailers, warehouses and other businesses to give truckers access to bathroom facilities when they are picking up cargo or making deliveries
- Not require businesses to construct new restrooms. It only requires that if a business has a restroom available to their customers or employees, truckers should have the same access
- Require the operators of ports and terminals to provide bathroom access to drayage drivers
“Our economy depends on truck drivers, but we face perpetual challenges with recruitment and retention. One unique and unnecessary challenge these drivers face is lack of restroom access at delivery points while on the road. This is especially difficult for female drivers, which are a growing demographic of truckers who helped power our economic recovery from the pandemic,” said Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa. “I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure every truck driver has the certainty that a restroom is accessible as they do their jobs. There’s no reason truckers shouldn’t have the same rights that other employees experience in their own workplaces.”
Born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and raised in East Texas, John Worthen returned to his home state to attend college in 1998 and decided to make his life in The Natural State. Worthen is a 20-year veteran of the journalism industry and has covered just about every topic there is. He has a passion for writing and telling stories. He has worked as a beat reporter and bureau chief for a statewide newspaper and as managing editor of a regional newspaper in Arkansas. Additionally, Worthen has been a prolific freelance journalist for two decades, and has been published in several travel magazines and on travel websites.
about time only been complaining about this for over 30 years
It’s the only decent thing to do. You shouldn’t have to wait for the bill to pass. If truckers deliver or pick up from you, do the right thing.
A very small step towards the humane treatment of truckers!!! Come on Congress! I think way more should be done. Driving regulations, pay, parking, showers ect. ect. ect. All modern convienentces that you take for granted that we struggle to get provided. And if we don’t adhere? Well then we get labeled trucker scum and get ticketed for doing our damn jobs!!!!
I often question what kind of person wouldn’t allow another human being a restroom?
I remember delivering once and begging to use their restroom, finally one employee was compassionate enough to let me use the employee restroom.
I now understand when my Dr. says, “you’re dehydrated” all the time, I tell him, “Don’t drink – don’t have to use restroom.”
about time.
I am a female driver, although, all of us should have rights to use all distribution centers’ restroom facilities, just as any other employee has.
Many of these D.C.s hold us up for hours, they want their product orders and yet we are treated as lesser beings, like dogs.
Having restroom facilities available to us is one of our basic human rights, yet we are denied.
Portapottys are NOT bathroom facilities and should not be set up in place of standard toilets and sink rooms to wash our hands.
The major food chains are the cruelest of all, since they are often poorly managed, holding drivers up for 4 to 8 hours, and refuse to let us use the bathrooms!
I cannot even believe we have to beg for this basic human right!
Please make the use of bathrooms for drivers, with a lockable door, a mandatory law a.s.a.p.
Thank you.
Dedicated, hard working, over the road driver.
I agree with this.. potty are not acceptable either.
At the risk of sounding contrarian, I hesitate to endorse this bill. Government should not mandate that shippers and consignees provide these services. Government is not as nimble in such matters and risk complicating the problem. Carriers should lean heavily on these companies and make them regret that they denied “the backbone” of our transportation system such a basic need. I am more in line with Hal says: these “customers“ shouldn’t wait to be forced by law; they should understand drivers’ needs and/or be pressed by stakeholders to do the right thing.