On February 24, 2025 at PMTA's urging and strong support, House Republican Transportation Committee Chairman Kerry Benninghoff introduced House 709 (HB 709). This important legislation is designed to address the problem of limited truck parking spaces in the Commonwealth and help provide an incentive to increase the number of parking spaces. PMTA members and drivers are well aware of the problems/situations causing a shortage of truck parking spaces.

HB 709 will provide a tax credit of $5,000 annually to each publicly available and free of charge truck parking space created in Pennsylvania. A minimum of five new spaces would be required to qualify for this tax credit, with $100,000 being the maximum amount that could be claimed by a taxpayer. Should businesses not maintain or keep the truck parking, they would have to refund the full amount of the tax credits granted by the Commonwealth.

Under HB 709 the PA Department of Revenue would be granted a total of $10,000,000 worth of tax credits in the first year of this program with a $1,000,000 increase yearly when the tax credit gets capped at $20,000,000 annually.

Eligible businesses would be limited to those within the Tier 1 or Tier 2 corridors as defined in the Expanding Truck Parking in PA study, done by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) in late 2023. A study required by HB 709 to be completed by the PA Department of General Services aims to create a list of properties owned by the Commonwealth that could be sold off for the purpose of creating truck parking.

PMTA is advocating for the passage of this important legislation. 

A legislative panel discussion is scheduled at PMTA's Annual Membership Conference in Erie, PA on Monday, May 19^th with three of the four PA Transportation Committee Chairmen and one Committee's Executive Director. Please plan to attend this important panel discussion to discuss this and other legislation of interest to Pennsylvania's trucking community.