The Trucker Bathroom Accessibility Act would require businesses with a restroom for either employees or customers to be open to delivery or pick-up drivers.
Should the bill be passed, it would require retailers, warehouses, and other businesses to give truckers access to bathroom facilities when they are picking up cargo or making deliveries.
Additionally, if a business has a restroom available to their customers or employees, truckers should have the same access. Lastly, it would require the operators of ports and terminals to provide bathroom access to drayage drivers.
Originally introduced by the U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-P.A.) in December 2022, the bill received support from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, as well as the Women In Trucking Association.
“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.
“We’ve heard from countless drivers who have been forced to ‘hold it’ because they were not allowed to access the bathroom when they were picking up or delivering freight. We thank Representatives Nehls and Houlahan for showing tremendous leadership on this issue, and we look forward to continue working with [them] and our coalition partners to get this legislation signed into law,” said Spencer.
“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 has been very vocal about her support toward the legislation.
“As more women enter the trucking industry, the need for restroom access increases while access to facilities has decreased. 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.”
Rep. Houlahand (D-P.A.), one of the representatives who introduced the bill, has noted that bills like this make the industry much safer for women.
“Time and again, we’ve seen that when we include more women in our workforce, our economy prospers—that’s true for the trucking industry, too,” Houlahan said. “But restricted access to bathrooms is putting that progress in jeopardy. In response, our new bipartisan legislation will give all truckers, and female drivers in particular, the confidence of having access to a restroom when they deliver goods to businesses and American families.”
“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-P.A.).
“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.”
