CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many truck drivers say finding a parking spot to rest can be a hassle.
"It's tough, that's the biggest problem we face," Malick Barrie, a truck driver, said.
Truck drivers WCNC Charlotte spoke to said if you can't find a rest stop or a truck stop, you may just end up on the side of a road.
"Sometimes you get so confused you just want to find a spot," Barrie said.
"I start about an hour ahead to look for parking and if I cant find anything, I have to make a parking spot," Loraine Boezem, another truck driver, said.
North Carolina Representative Nasif Majeed said this continues to be a problem for truck drivers passing through.
He said a couple of days ago, he saw about 20 trucks lined up along the side of the road due to limited space at rest stops.
"There is not enough room -- that's why they're parked here in these dangerous areas which are meant for emergency stops," Majeed said.
Many truck drivers previously would line up along interstate ramps, but for safety reasons, signs were put up prohibiting drivers from parking there.
Now driver are finding other areas to park to avoid getting violations.
"You can work up to 14 hours but you can only drive up to 11 hours, so you have to park before you run out of time," Boezem said.
Majeed said to combat the issue, he’s hoping to create long-term solutions like expanding existing rest stops.
"In the short term session I'm looking to work with some of the people on the other side of the aisle and access some of these stations," Majeed said. "We can also expand some of the different rest stops, we have the capacity."
He said the goal is to eliminate safety hazards and bring relief for truck drivers stopping through statewide.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.