New research from the American Transportation Research Institute sheds some light on the state of truck parking at state-provided rest areas and other public facilities — and where and how states can improve.

It is estimated that for every 11 truck drivers in the U.S., there is one truck parking space, resulting in a well-documented truck parking shortage.

Truck parking in the U.S. is predominantly located at private truck stop facilities, ATRI notes, but truck parking at public rest facilities plays an important role in trucking operations, and increasing public truck parking spaces could help improve the truck parking shortage. 

ATRI's new research highlights insights and strategies for expanding truck parking at public rest areas. 

The research was a collaborative effort between ATRI and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, representing the 50 state Departments of Transportation, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The research included a joint ATRI / AASHTO survey of the 50 state DOTs to understand the costs and components of state provision of public truck parking spaces. 47 states responded.

In addition to creating an inventory of truck parking spaces, the research collected data on issues and costs associated with land acquisition, parking space construction, maintenance budgets, and amenities offered to truck drivers. The report offers some strategies to address some of these challenges.

Rest Area Truck Parking Findings

Across the 47 state respondents, there were 1,784 rest areas, and 90% of those rest areas have at least one truck parking space.

The average rest area has 19 truck parking spaces, with states in the South having an average of 25, while states in the Northeast have an average of 15.

However, when you look at the number of truck parking spaces per 100 Miles of NHS Roadway, the Northeast has the most.

The state with the most truck parking spaces is Florida with 2,100, while Alaska has the fewest with 70 truck parking spaces.

Although 79% of truck parking spaces provided by the public sector are at formal rest areas, some states provide additional truck parking spaces at locations such as weigh stations, state welcome centers, and unstriped lots near major highways. 

On a national level, public truck parking spaces outside of rest areas make up 21% of all truck parking spaces, yet this percentage varies considerably by state. 

In Alaska, non-rest-area parking makes up 95% of the state’s 1,320 total spaces; in Wyoming it’s 84%. ATRI noted that one problem with these truck parking spaces is they are often located at weigh stations or old welcome centers and former rest areas that are unlikely to give drivers access to amenities or safety features.

The majority of truck parking is provided by private entities such as truck stops and travel plazas, which offer more desired truck driver amenities such as fueling, food, and showers.

A common measure for public / private truck parking ratio is 1:4. From the ATRI sample of 47 states, 37 states have a public / private truck parking ratio above 1:4.

In found that the five states with the highest opportunity for public truck parking expansion based on public / private truck parking ratio are: 

• Louisiana 

• Oklahoma 

• Arkansas 

• Texas

• Colorado 

ATRI's Rest Area Truck Parking Dashboard

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 amenities and safety features at rest areas. The metrics in the dashboard consider differences in state size, road mileage, and proximity to major freight routes. 

The sortable table available through the dashboard includes:

• Total number of truck parking spaces at public rest areas.

• Public rest area truck parking spaces per 1 million truck VMT.

• Public rest area truck parking spaces per 100 miles of NHS roadway.

• Annual rest area service and maintenance budget per parking space.

• Amenities and safety features offered at rest areas (as identified by states).

• Public to private truck parking space ratio.

The amenities and safety features were based on truck drivers’ priorities identified across multiple ATRI truck parking studies:

Parking Amenities

• Restrooms

• Lighting

• Pet relief areas

• Trash receptacles

• Dump stations

• Vending machines

• Walking trails 

• 24-hour security

Parking Safety Features

• Lighting

• Fencing

• Cameras

• Regular patrols

• Emergency call buttons

ATRI found the three most common of these desired amenities at rest areas are trash receptacles (100%), restrooms (98%), and lighted parking areas (98%).

The three least common are walking trails (58%), dump stations (35%), and 24-hour security (19%).

“Increased adoption of the least common amenity, 24-hour security, could help address one of drivers’ top concerns: safety,” ATRI said in its report.

ATRI’s 2016 truck parking research found that security was the sixth most important factor for truck drivers when considering where to park, with 20% of respondents citing safety as a crucial consideration. And a 2015 survey conducted as part of the Jason’s Law program revealed that 88% of drivers reported feeling unsafe while parked over the last year.

States Going Above and Beyond on Truck Parking

The research also features select case studies on truck parking topics of interest, and which states are going above and beyond in their provision of 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. 

When it comes to truck parking information systems, ATRI research found truck driver utilization is mixed. 52% of drivers said they have seen TPIMS in states where it exists, but only 34% of drivers have used it to find parking. Furthermore, only 25% of drivers believe that parking availability information from TPIMS is reliable.

A copy of the full report and state truck parking assessment dashboard is available on ATRI's website.