San Joaquin County ordinance may put brakes on long-term truck parking

A group of trucks are parked off Jahant Road and Highway 99 on Wednesday afternoon. Richard Parker, owner of Rockin' Robin's Diner, said that he had problems with truckers who parked for days at a time, but it isn't a problem any more. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)

San Joaquin County ordinance may put brakes on long-term truck parking

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thursday, October 8, 2009 9:18 AM PDT

Comments (5 comment(s))

Truckers will not be allowed to park in one place for more than 10 hours in San Joaquin County if the Board of Supervisors adopts an ordinance restricting their use.

The ordinance proposed by the county Sheriff's Office goes after truckers who park for several days at a time in unincorporated areas of the county.

"As long as they're within their cab, it's OK," sheriff's spokesman Les Garcia said.

Truckers can continue to take much-needed naps and take care of mechanical problems under the proposed ordinance, Garcia said. The problem stems from truckers who live in the area, leave their truck unattended and go home for a few days, he added.

The Sheriff's Office has received several complaints about truckers obscuring the vision of other drivers, oil leaks and the spilling of hazardous materials, Garcia said.

The Sheriff's Office, county Public Works Department and California Highway Patrol will have public meetings in late October in Stockton, Thornton and Tracy to explain the proposal and listen to concerns by residents and truckers, Garcia said. They are willing to amend the ordinance based on public comments, he added.

The issue came up because the Sheriff's Office has received complaints about truckers parking in such locations as Jahant Road and Highway 99 in Acampo, on Thornton Road north of Highway 12 in Flag City and on Thornton Road at Walnut Grove Road in Thornton.

"When we first opened (three months ago), we had a problem," said Richard Parker, owner of Rockin' Robin's Diner off Highway 99 and Jahant Road. "If you fill up my parking lot with people who leave their trucks, there's no room for someone to come in here (to eat)."

Parker said there hasn't been a problem lately with long-term parking. In Thornton, the Municipal Advisory Council has discussed the issue. Some residents driving south on Thornton Road can't see when they reach the Walnut Grove Road intersection, MAC chairman Robert Jones said.

However, the problem diminished after the county enacted a red no-parking zone at the intersection a few months ago, Jones said.

Frank Alegre, who owns a Lodi trucking company, doesn't have any sympathy for many of the truckers.

"The truckers are their own worst enemy," Alegre said. "There's a lot of parking along the roads."

Worse yet, truckers park for hours at a time on freeway on-ramps and off-ramps, especially on Interstate 5, Alegre said.

Mike Mello, a trucker who also has a cattle and sheep ranch in Ione, said he wonders what county officials offer as an alternative.

"If you come here on a Friday and you have a delivery in Sacramento on Monday, what are you going to do?" Mello said over a burger and fries at Rockin' Robin's Diner.

Public meetings on truck parking

Monday, Oct. 26: Garden Acres Community Center, 607 S. Bird Ave., Stockton.
Tuesday, Oct. 27: New Hope School, 26675 N. Sacramento Blvd., Thornton.
Wednesday, Oct. 28: Larch Clover Community Center, 1003 Larch Road, Tracy.
Source: San Joaquin County

Garcia has a ready answer — go to a designated truck stop and pay for rental parking, much like people with boats and recreational vehicles do. Two options are the Flying J truck stops in Flag City and Ripon, he said.

Another option is the industrial area within the Lodi city limits, city spokesman Jeff Hood said. Some areas in the city east of Highway 99 allow all-day parking, but for no more than 72 hours, the same as any other vehicle, Hood said. The city allows parking in other parts of the industrial zone between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Aaron Smith, a trucker from Riverbank, said there is no place he can park close to home since Riverbank doesn't allow any big rigs to park in its city limits.

"You can park at a truck stop, but they're usually not where you want to be," Smith said.

The three community meetings on the last week of October are intended to strike a balance between the needs of local residents, truck drivers and drivers of other vehicles, said Dodgie Vidad, a traffic engineer for the county Public Works Department.

"We want to make sure the trucking community knows about (the meetings)," Vidad said. "We don't want to drive our truckers out of here because they are important to our economy."

A final recommendation will be sent to the Board of Supervisors for its consideration.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

max stanfield wrote on Oct 8, 2009 3:50 PM:

" Smart Idea. Hound them till they go to a friendlier county to spend their money. If you ate or wore clothes today, a truck brought it. Find a better compromise. "

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Robb wrote on Oct 8, 2009 2:52 PM:

" I give a ratt's ass about making life easier for some lazy truck driver...

Not all.., most are courteous.. "

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Gator wrote on Oct 8, 2009 2:45 PM:

" Every thing you have in life comes by truck. Make it hard on the trucking companies up goes the price of fright. There are sections of towns suitable
for truck parking in every community. Say that would encompass the entire
City of Stockton….. "

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Robb wrote on Oct 8, 2009 11:22 AM:

" Just ticket the trucks, starting @ 100.00
it will change quick, offering parking is NOT the city's problem or responsibility.. "

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GetUrHeadOut wrote on Oct 8, 2009 6:52 AM:

" You open a Diner in a truck stop parking lot and don't want trucks to park there? HELLO! "

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