The growing scarcity of available truck parking creates a dangerous situation for truck drivers who are often forced to drive beyond allowable HOS rules or park in undesignated and, in many cases, unsafe locations.
In response to a congressional requirement, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released its Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey Results and Comparative Analysis in August 2015 which confirmed that truck parking continues to be a major issue in the United States. As such, this issue climbed one position to number four overall from last year.
Similarly, ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee selected Truck Parking as the most critical research need for the industry in 2015. In response, ATRI released the first of a series of technical memoranda on the topic of truck parking in September 2015 highlighting driver perceptions and valuations for locating available parking.
The second Tech Memo to be released in October 2016 analyzes detailed information on over 2,000 days of truck parking activity recorded by commercial drivers in ATRI’s “Truck Parking Diary.” ATRI is also involved as a core team member in the Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials- (MAASTO) sponsored Truck Parking Information Management Systems (TPIMS) development, funded through a $25 million TIGER grant.
When fully deployed, the TPIMS will deliver real-time truck parking availability information to commercial drivers in eight Midwest states. ATRI is also part of a national partnership including the National Association of Truck Stop Operators (NATSO) to develop the Park My Truck app for drivers, providing real-time information on parking availability nationwide.