Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 28, 2021:
Minneapolis bans truck parking beginning in 2022
The Minneapolis City Council voted Friday, July 23, to enact a ban on truck parking within the city limits. The ordinance passed by a 12-1 vote.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, any vehicle weighing more than 26,000 pounds or with a registered gross weight over 26,000 pounds will not be allowed to “stop, stand or park on any street” in the city unless the vehicles meet the following conditions:
- The truck is “actually and expeditiously engaged in the loading or unloading” of people or materials.
- The truck is stopped or parked at the direction of a police officer or traffic control agent.
- The truck is in a zone with signage authorizing parking of vehicles of increased weights.
Violations of the ordinance will result in a $100 fine during 2022; a $150 fine during 2023; and a $250 fine beyond 2023.
The ordinance also directs city staff to look for sites zoned appropriately for the development of commercial truck parking facilities in the city; engage with the League of Minnesota Cities, metro cities and regional partners to discuss truck parking challenges in Minneapolis-St. Paul and to consider potential policy recommendations; and to deliver a report to the Minneapolis City Council in the fourth quarter of 2022 on developer feedback in attempting to build truck parking in the city, the first year’s experience with enforcement, and the results of efforts to find regional solutions to truck parking.
John Hausladen, President and CEO of the Minnesota Trucking Association, expressed disappointment in the council's decision and emphasized the need for bringing more safe parking to the city, rather than taking it away.
"The Minnesota Trucking Association is extremely disappointed with the action of the Minneapolis City Council [Friday]," he said. "It not only bans on-street parking for commercial trucks, but it provides no meaningful city resources to address the need for safe truck parking. We should be looking for ways to provide more safe parking for truck drivers, instead of pursuing a policy that would diminish an essential industry and do real economic harm to the city."
3PLs Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz set to merge
Ridgemont Equity Partners, a buyout and growth equity investor, announced its investment in the combination of third-party logistics providers Worldwide Express and GlobalTranz Enterprises. Ridgemont in 2015 invested in Unishippers Global Logistics and subsequently led a transaction in 2017 in partnership with Worldwide Express management to merge Unishippers into Worldwide Express.
Going forward, Ridgemont will retain a meaningful stake in the combined company formed by the combination of Worldwide and GlobalTraz. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The combined company will have offerings in parcel, less-than-truckload, full truckload and managed transportation delivered through proprietary technology. It will continue to go to market both directly and indirectly via franchisees and independent freight agents and serve a customer landscape that spans from small and medium sized businesses to larger enterprises. Together, it will also have unique data assets and business intelligence capabilities to provide its customers with visibility and analytics to drive competitive advantages.
