Beginning today (September 7th) Maryland State Police are beginning a zero-tolerance policy to issue tickets amounting to $60 
to truckers parking on the shoulder of Interstate 83. The police say commercial truck drivers should plan in advance where they ant to park when they need a break — and not park on the shoulder of Interstate 83.
There has been an increase in tractor-trailers parked on the side of the highway between Interstate 695 in Towson, MD and the Pennsylvania state line, the police claim. Police say the parked trucks lead to “extremely dangerous conditions.”
Fact is, there simply are not enough parking spaces available for the trucking industry, not only on I-83, but the entire state of Maryland. There are not any truck stops along I-83 in Maryland, which runs from Baltimore to Harrisburg, Pa.
“For the Maryland State Police to take the position that drivers needs need to adequately plan routes to make sure they can stop at a parking facility represents a fundamental misunderstanding of what these drivers face every day — weather, congestion, available hours to drive — without providing them with adequate parking. What other option do they have? Drive tired? No one wants to see them to do that,” a spokesman for the Maryland Trucking Association told The Trucker.
Truckers can’t be forced to move because most stop only because they are out of hours. Truck drivers are urged to stop at rest areas, welcome centers or weigh stations.
The state police said electronic highway signs will also be used to remind drivers about the increased enforcement..