In The News

Family Dollar posts ‘no hours, no parking’ policy

Out of hours and needing to take his 10-hour break, one OOIDA member arrived early with his load, hopeful that he could either deliver early or park for the night.

But a sign posted at the Family Dollar distribution center in Duncan, OK, quickly answered his question.

“In accordance with Family Dollar policy, drivers are not allowed to take mandatory DOT breaks on Family Dollar property.”

The driver told Land Line Tuesday that even though the site has parking for about 50 trucks in its staging area, he had to park on the side of the road outside Family Dollar’s facility.

“Because my company has electronic logs, I could go only a mile-and-a-half before it starts my clock and there was nothing nearby for me to park at, so I was just parking on the side of the road,” he said.

OOIDA Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz said Family Dollar’s no parking policy is an “outrageous example of why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration needs to have expanded authority over shippers and receivers.”

“Anybody in the supply chain who touches the transportation cycle must shoulder responsibility for a driver’s hours of service compliance,” Rajkovacz said. “This sign exposes the dark, unseen reality, which most drivers are keenly aware exists.”

As for the OOIDA member, he decided to snap the picture and forward it on to his lawmakers in Washington, DC, with a note urging them to support the two Jason’s Law bills in the U.S. House and Senate for safe parking.

The bills are named for truck driver Jason Rivenburg, who was fatally shot in his truck after parking in an unlit gas station. He parked there after he was turned away from the Food Lion distribution center in Elloree, SC, because he arrived too early with his load of milk and was turned away until his appointment time.

“I see these types of signs a lot out on the road,” said the OOIDA member about the Family Dollar sign. “This is an opportunity to show lawmakers that these places don’t appreciate us as human beings. We are just deliveries.”

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