Citing concerns for public safety and road maintenance, Warrenton aldermen last week said they intend prohibit parking of tractor-trailers, or any other vehicle, on the city’s Interstate 70 exit ramps.

The issue of truck parking along I-70 was discussed during the board of aldermen’s public meeting March 2. Aldermen directed the city attorney to draft a no-parking ordinance that will be brought up for a future vote.

Commercial truck drivers park on interstate exit ramps when they need to stop driving and have nowhere else to go, explained Ward 3 Alderman Bob Delaloye, who is a former truck driver. Commercial drivers operate under safety regulations that limit the number of hours they can be on the road. When it’s time to stop, they need to find a place to park or risk getting arrested, Delaloye said.

Mayor Eric Schleuter, who is a law enforcement officer by trade, said trucks parked along the exit ramps become hazards for other drivers who are sleepy or intoxicated.

“We’ve worked too many (fatal crashes) like that. It wasn’t the truck driver’s fault, but it caused traumatic issues for the truck driver who was parked and sleeping,” Schleuter commented.

Ward 1 Alderman Cheryl Dyer observed that several designated truck parking venues are available a short drive from Warrenton.

“We have viable truck stops close by where they can get off, so they don’t need to be parking on our off ramps,” Dyer said. “Now you have a huge truck plaza at (New Florence). There’s one at Pendleton. There’s enough truck plazas, I think.”

Delaloye, despite supporting the parking ban, said there actually isn’t adequate truck parking in the area, even with all the different venues. They’re regularly filled to their capacity.

“Being an ex-truck driver, I know what them guys are up against. A lot of times, in the middle of the night you’re out of hours and there’s no place to park. These places are loaded full,” Delaloye said. “I just wish they had more places for them to park. There’s so many trucks out there now.”

City Administrator Terri Thorn said that if parking is banned on the I-70 off ramps, it will be the Missouri Department of Transportation’s job to install and maintain signage. Warrenton police and the Missouri Highway Patrol would enforce the ban.

“We’ve been talking about this for a very long period of time. In fact, shortly after the new interchange was completed, we recognized this was a problem,” Thorn commented.

She said the only potential enforcement issue is that MoDOT warned that truck drivers often ignore and run over the no parking signs. MoDOT might decide that frequently replacing the signs is too much of a headache, or ask Warrenton to pay for new signs if it becomes an issue, Thorn speculated.