How do I park a moving truck in Chicago?

September 5, 2007 1:19 PM

Parking-in-Chicago-Filter: Is a permit required to park an 18 wheel moving truck? If so, where does one obtain that permit?

The City of Chicago's websites have been less than helpful regarding this circumstance. The truck will be there two hours or less. The top of this page says that all 18 wheelers are forbidden, but lower on the page states that an exception is made for "expeditious unloading", which is what we're doing. The lower reference makes no mention of having a special permit.

I imagine that we can't double park in the street while unloading, no matter how fast we unload. In that case, we would need to have at least 4 adjacent parking spaces reserved for the truck to park in so as not to block the flow of traffic. But who do we contact in the city to block those spaces out?

Any help on this matter, personal anecdotes about moving to Chicago or general Chicago moving tips would be appreciated greatly.

posted by bryanzera to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

The alderman's office can issue 2 "no parking" signs to you, which you can then post on the street where you want to park the truck. You have to ask 48hrs in advance, with proof of identity and proof of address.

...then, if anyone parks there, call 311 and have them towed.

If you're on a street that has parking meters, you have to contact the Office of Emergency Management and Communication (OEMC) at 312-744-4655.
posted by aramaic at 1:23 PM on September 5, 2007

A lot will depend on:
1) Where you are parking the truck
2) When you are parking the truck (day and time)
3) Your ability to smooth-talk an alderman.

If the answers to 1) and 2) are "in the Loop" and "from 8:00-11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning" the answer's probably no.

On the other hand, if the answers are "in a residential neighborhood" and "from 12:00-3:00 p.m. or after 5:00 p.m. on a weekday or on a weekend" the answer could be yes.

Figure out who the alderman is in your new neighborhood and call their office. They'll know the answer.
posted by BuddhaBelly at 1:25 PM on September 5, 2007

Oh yeah: the No Parking signs I mentioned above are valid for one day only, between 6am and 6pm only.

If you don't think the truck will fit, you may want to have your stuff moved from the interstate truck on to something smaller. The shipping company can do that out at their freight terminal, unless they're unusually incompetent.

Also, I've seen lots of trucks double-park during unloading. Lots and lots. The truck driver will, of course, have to be prepared to move the truck at any moment and more movers = better. Even if you've hired a crew, if you're double-parked you should still help manhandle boxes yourself.
posted by aramaic at 1:32 PM on September 5, 2007

Regarding BuddhaBelly's point #3: There's nothing smoother than "accidentally" leaving a neat stack of $20's on your alderman's desk.
posted by aladfar at 4:36 PM on September 5, 2007

aladfar, does that really work? In 2007?
posted by who squared at 4:52 PM on September 5, 2007

In Chicago, probably.
posted by rhoticity at 8:49 PM on September 5, 2007

No, I completely agree that Chicago is corrupt. I'm wondering if your average joe can still be that blatant with a bribe.
posted by who squared at 11:20 PM on September 5, 2007