St. Paul restricts semi parking on streets

Semi-tractor trailers have long been fixtures in Midway’s industrial areas, transporting goods and services across the nation. But as more people become independent truck drivers, the big rigs are popping up everywhere. Trucks line stretches of Concordia and St. Anthony avenues. They fill West Midway industrial area streets, especially streets close to the Minneapolis border.

City officials put up “no parking” signs, which simply prompt the drivers to move trucks from one area to another. One example is Hunting Valley Road, which for several weeks earlier this winter and spring was lined with big rigs.

Randy Newton of St. Paul Public Works compares the situation to a game of “whack a mole.” Trucks gets banned in one spot and pop up in another. But before the vehicles move on, some drivers leave piles of trash along the streets.

Streets lined with semi tractor-trailers provide a hazard to pedestrians, bicyclist and motorists, blocking sight lines and signage. That situation is changing this summer.

The St. Paul City Council May 24 adopted parking restrictions intended to keep the vehicles off of most city streets. Those take effect this summer, with restrictions and fines phased in gradually. While the changes are supported by people whose streets have become clogged with big rigs, independent truck drivers and trucking groups are objecting.

Ann Verme and Andrew Martin live on the Minneapolis side of Emerald Street, near an area transformed into space for a park and three apartment buildings.

A  growing number of residents drive trucks for a living. Between 2020 and 2023 Verme has called parking enforcement almost 150 times to report illegally parked trucks. Some drivers will leave flashers on for an hour or more while they go into their homes.

Verme told City Council members of her frustration. She said she was called racist by one driver, who told her, “I can park wherever I want.”

“Based on my own experience with some of the drivers, I believe that many are now operating on a ‘we don’t care, we don’t have to’ basis . . . Signage doesn’t matter, tickets and other enforcement don’t matter. Only their convenience matters . . . “

Jill Pavlak of Urban Growler reports the same problems. While her West Midway brewery and restaurant amicably shared the streets with larger trucks, the flood of new vehicles changed that. Many vehicles appear to be from out of state, or even lack license plates.

But there are economic considerations. St. Paul city officials believe the city has a few hundred independent truckers, with their own vehicles. Many are immigrants or BIPOC, so leaders are sensitive to not impacting family-supporting jobs and the desire to be one’s own boss.

The Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA) strongly opposed the ban. MTA President John Hausladen said, “The economy is struggling, small trucking companies are closing their doors, and the trucking industry is facing a shortage of qualified drivers. At a time when we should be removing barriers, this ordinance erects new ones.”

He said the ordinance will reduce overall efficiency and cut into precious available driving hours for truck drivers forced to park outside of St. Paul. “It is a simple fact that to meet narrow pick-up and delivery windows, trucks need to park close to their St. Paul customers. When Minneapolis passed a similar ordinance some drivers were forced to park in remote fee-based lots as far away as St. Cloud.”

“Many of the trucks parked overnight are owned by independent contractors who live within St. Paul. These small businesses, many of whom are owned by people of color, have no viable overnight parking alternative. This ban could effectively force these residents to cease operations and lose their livelihood,” Hausladen said.

MTA noted that according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), 98 percent of truck drivers regularly experience difficulties finding safe parking – a sharp uptick from the 75 percent figure reported just four years earlier. USDOT also found that the truck parking shortage exists in every state and region.

Council members said they will work with truck drivers and their organizations to find a place or places in the city where trucks can legally park. City Council President Amy Brendmoen said the timeline for enforcement allows time for city officials to seek a solution.

A St. Paul city staff working group took on the parking issue last year and brought forward recommendations similar to those passed in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis fine schedule took effect Jan. 1. Minneapolis sanctions have resulted in some trucks moving to St. Paul streets.

The largest trucks and trailers were banned from residential streets, but allowed to park in industrial areas. The trucks are now banned from all city streets. Drivers could still do deliveries such as furniture, supplies to a business or household goods when someone is moving. Business owners can request that large trucks be allowed to park near their properties.

The parking fines increase from $40 to $150 starting in January 2024, and then to $250 starting in July 2024.

Two truck owners addressed the council in May and spoke against the proposal, saying that they have no place to park their vehicles.

Muhuyadin Farah is a Minneapolis based trucker. He asked the council to set aside the regulations. “There are no places that people can park,” Farah said.

He admitted that the Minneapolis sanctions have driven more truckers to park in St. Paul. Drivers often have to park their rigs many miles from their homes.

There may be help coming from the federal government, which sees truck parking as a nationwide problem. The bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act could bring $755 million in grant funds to expand truck parking capacity nationwide over the next four years.