The West Coast's Interstate 5 and the East Coast's Interstate 95 will receive more than $5 million each in federal support for innovative strategies to reduce the frustration of truckers looking for parking on congested routes.


ParkingCarma, a Flint-based company, developed the Smart Parking system that will be implemented on California's congested Interstate 5, which connects the country's second largest border crossing to the bay ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. ParkingCarma's information network makes driving safer, improves fuel efficiency and air quality by identifying and reserving nearby available truck parking.

I-5 is one of two interstates selected under the Corridors of the Future Program, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's national congestion initiative. California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was awarded the I-5 contract for its innovative uses of intelligent transportation systems technology to provide truckers with real-time information on available parking. As part of the program, Caltrans - in partnership with ParkingCarma, Navteq, and University of California, Berkeley/TSRC - will monitor parking availability and transmit the updates to truckers. As a result of the contract, ParkingCarma plans to add Michigan employees to support the three-year California contract.

"We are excited to use our unique parking information network to be part of this public/private partnership designed to improve road safety and goods movement efficiency, while reducing emissions of Class 8 trucks," said Rick Warner, CEO, ParkingCarma. "Through our Smart Parking information network, truckers will be able to access data about available parking spaces, via cell phone, the Internet, or an onboard computer."

Together with Navteq's customized truck parking mapping and routing services, ParkingCarma can identify the nearest available truck parking spot and allow reservation, improve driving time, and alleviate illegal parking and sleep-deprived driving.

More info: www.parkingcarma.com