U.S. Offers Just One Parking Spot for Every 11 Truck Drivers

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has released new research that documents the ongoing shortage of truck parking and suggests strategies for expanding parking at public rest areas. The lack of safe and cost-effective truck parking is a perennial industry problem and one that truck drivers cite year after year as a critical issue.

ATRI collaborated with an organization representing the 50 state Departments of Transportation, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The research included a joint survey of the 50 state DOTs to document the extent of the shortage. Forty-seven states submitted data to show that, nationally, the average rest area has 19 truck parking spaces. Southern states offer an average of 25 truck parking spaces per rest area while states in the Northeast have an average of 15 spaces per rest area.

The research also delved into the costs and components of public truck parking spaces provided by state governments, including issues and costs of land acquisition, construction, maintenance and necessary amenities drivers need, such as clean restrooms. The research also features case studies on truck parking topics of interest, and highlights states that are going above and beyond to provide truck parking, with accompanying feedback on those efforts from a truck driver survey of over 500 drivers. Case study topics include truck parking information systems, repurposing state-owned facilities for truck parking, and truck parking provision in the event of severe weather conditions.

ATRI used findings from the state DOT survey to generate a public truck parking dashboard that features each state’s public truck parking capacity and a listing of amenities and safety features at rest areas. The metrics evaluated in the dashboard consider differences in state size, road mileage and proximity to major freight routes. Parking data from the participating state DOTS is available through an online dashboard on ATRI’s website.

Don’t just take our word for it. Download your own copy of the full report and state truck parking assessment dashboard on ATRI’s website here.