Truck driver Jason Rivenburg, kissed his 2-year old son and pregnant wife good-bye on 
Wednesday, March 4, 2009. He dropped a load in Virginia and then headed off to his second delivery in South Carolina. He was 12 miles away from his destination when he needed to pull off the road. He was ahead of schedule and trucks are not allowed to show up at delivery sites early. The only place he had to park was an abandoned gas station – he’d heard through the grapevine it was safe.
The grapevine was wrong. Jason was murdered in his truck that night. His killer stole $7.00. Thirteen days later, his wife Hope gave birth to twins.
Safe on the Road: Jason’s Law
Though truck drivers are mandated by federal law to pull off the road after 11 hours of driving, places for them park overnight are few and far between. That’s how drivers like Jason end up in abandoned gas stations.
Virtually, everything that we need to maintain our daily lives has been on a truck. Truck drivers provide an essential service to this country. The least we can do is provide safe, accessible rest areas where they can park overnight without risking their lives.
Jason’s Law has received bi-partisan support in both the Senate and the House. H.R. 1803 is sponsored by U.S. Reps Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Erik Paulsen (R-MN), with signatures from 26 supporting congressman. In the Senate, Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of NY brought forth S 1187.
Now we need your support to turn these bills into law. Jason’s Law.
Let’s all get on this wagon and ride until they do something…! Prayers to Jason’s family..!
JASON’S LAW IS AN AWESOME LAW & ONE OF THE GREATES I’VE SEEN TO BE PROPOSED!.Rules need to be changed on these loading & unloading sites & with thess companies!..I know 1st hand as a driver & a person with family truck drivers. These companies sure want their loades there on time & they complain when they’re late,But could care less when they are early! There’s no reason that there should not be safe & adequet parking for drivers everywhere! These drivers bring ALL OUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS OF LIVING TO US! Provide these “Men & Women”..Not “Drivers” cause they are PEOPLE..Human Beings! with safe parking areas!..Sometimes when they get tired,they can’t park for fear of fines to pay or being robbed..or not having a safe place to park their loads. Companies need to change their policies on parking & have places for the drivers to park their loads no matter what time they get there.. if they want there loads there & for the safety of these Human beings! God Bless & Think about these “Drivers” when you lay down to sleep on your beds & eat your foods & wear your clothes & drive your cars & sit on your furniture & have all your medications & daily everyday living essentials! God Bless!
This is not a convenience but necessity
In our family we have a number of truck drivers, both long haul and short. This story made a big impact on both of us. The laws today governing trucking regulations need to be looked at. This has to be one of the saddest stories we have heard in a long time. Every day our family members go out on the road ,we hope they are safe and ,if they have to , they can pull into a place that’s a secure area. God Bless Jason and Hope Rivenburg and their family and may Jason rest in peace. Let’s work to provide a safe place for Truckers to rest . It’s the least we can do for these folks who travel the highways on a daily basis and who sometimes spend days and weeks away from their own families.
.that is just sad that we allow this to happen to the ppl that keep our country going…my prayers are to his family and all the others that have to live there lives in this way aswell. lets stand up for them cause if we dont then who will
Laws are made to be changed or broken.
I AGREE WE NEED SAFE PLACES TO PARK WITH FACILITIES,SHOWERS INCLUDED!!! THERE IS NO REASON WE DONT HAVE THEM!!!
We should at least be able to provide that for them,we do need the products they deliver. I feel all the politcians should take paycuts or start a fund for that for them,being that they have more money than all of us ,and pay high prices for coffee,muffins and other everyday needs of the commen people.
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Hope, you are in my families hearts and prayers, We are very sorry for your loss. I am a truck driver and I know all to well about the lack of parking. I wish you all the luck in the world and please send me information on how i can help get this law or bill passed. God bless you.
you now how many times i see no parking and no where to park dallas texas is bad i am a truck driver we need more safe parking places
My brother was a truck driver, along with other family members . I support this Jason’s Law. Keep them safe……
Thank you for what you are doing. We will always remember Jason.
I agree 100% with this my husband and I have been trucking for over 25 yrs each. And we have a noticeable decrease in parking for us in general, let alone SAFE!!!!! We need safe well lit parking on the road and in cities and towns also.
I’m totaly for Jason’s law. It’s a crying shame it’s taken something like this to happen to open the eyes of congress.
In Memory of Jason, Pass this Bill into Law.
Truck drivers provide an essential services to this country. The least we can do is provide safe, accessible rest areas where they can park overnight without risking their lives.
i certainly hope that ths law is made a law. Our Truck Drivers def. need more places, that are SAFE for them to pull over and sleep. Can you imagine how hard it is to sleep with one eye open to make sure noone breaks into your rig and tries to rob or kill you? You dont get much sleep. and sleep is required for a truck driver.to drive SAFELY down the road. its a vicious cycle. and the truck driver loses. it isnt fair and certainly isnt safe for anyone… and needs to be changed. effective immediatley.
And shippers n recivers let us park there petsmarthas plenty but will not let us park there just crazy rules then this terrible tradgedy may never have happened !
R.I.P. Jason you are in our thoughts and prayers today. God Bless his Family.
I made the mistake of reading this while getting ready for bed. I became so involved in this that I was up longer than usual.
In California especially, there are hardly any places for trucks to stop and get off of the road…The latest laws restricting operating hours of truck drivers and a God-send which keeps companies from ‘pushing’ drivers to go ‘a little bit further’ and killing them…The need for safe places for trucks to park and let the driver rest in safety is paramount….Please get this law and mandate passed!!!!!
Thanks for providing this valuable and quality content. Your writing style is impressive and unique. I enjoyed reading your article and agree on many points.
Behind Jason’s Law 1,000%!!!