The truck industry keeps the American economy moving and it is expected that heavy good vehicles will be tasked with moving 2.4 billion more tons of freight than they do today over the next decade. Despite this, one of the biggest roadblocks facing professional drivers isn’t traffic – it’s finding a safe place to park.
The shortage of parking for truck drivers has been a recurring issue in the industry for decades, but the problem has reached crisis proportions in the US. For the second year in a row, truck parking ranked as the top concern among professional drivers and the second issue overall in the 2024 report by ATRI (American Transportation Research Institute).
Data are impressive. According to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, there is only 1 parking spot available for every 11 trucks on the road, and a nationwide shortage of more than 40,000 parking spaces. ATRI reports truck drivers spend an average of 56 minutes a day looking for a free spot to stop and rest, amounting to a $5,600 annual pay cut.
The lack of truck parking isn’t just an inconvenience for drivers: it’s a serious safety issue. When drivers are near to their service maximums, they may be forced to park on the shoulders of freeways, along the side of suburban roads, in abandoned lots, or in other unsafe locations. There are no official estimates of accidents and crashes relatable to bad truck parking, but it’s easy to understand that tired and stressed drivers are not in ideal working conditions.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is taking action and awarded $292 million to expand truck parking in key states and implement real-time parking availability systems. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act has been proposed to allocate $755 million for more parking nationwide. Meanwhile, truck stops and logistics hubs are expanding paid parking options to help meet demand, and more fleet operators are partnering with truck parking facilities for dedicated spaces.
Smart technologies can also help. Our Smart Parking Sensors can be installed to detect vehicle occupancy and enable the remote monitoring of truck parking along highways, in logistics and shipping facilities, as well as in coach and bus areas. Data are sent to our Smart CMS and can be seamlessly shared with third-party applications to feed variable message panels, onboard truck infotainment systems or dedicated mobile apps to inform drivers about real-time parking availability and direct them to the nearest free spots.
Need more information about our Smart Truck Parking solution? Contact us to have insights and support!