New statistics show that there is only one parking space for every 11 trucks on the road – which has resulted in deadly consequences for road users across the United States. In July 2023, on Interstate 70 near St. Louis, MO, a professional truck driver had to stop for the night or risk violating federal Hours of Service (HOS) regulations. Since the Illinois rest area he was at was full, he parked on the wide shoulder of the exit ramp leading to it – a common practice for truck drivers. Just before 2am the driver was awakened to a frightening jolt that sent him airborne into his dash. He got out and saw the horror: A burning Greyhound bus rammed into his trailer, with passengers pushing and kicking at windows trying to escape. The accident caused the death of three of the 22 bus passengers and left 14 other injured.
While the national truck parking shortage in long-haul trucking can increase safety risks like this, it also can create additional challenges on many levels. The lack of truck parking can decrease productivity and increase fuel usage because a lack of parking forces drivers to waste time and burn fuel as they seek legitimate parking.
HOS violations can result in hefty fines, sometimes reaching thousands of dollars. Certainly for women professional truck drivers, not being able to find parking in legitimate, well-lit parking areas also can pose additional personal safety concerns.
Truck Stops: Part of the Solution
“Lack of parking at truck stops forces drivers to park on highways or unauthorized lots, leading to tickets, accidents, and safety risks,” according to Tara O’Banion, Account Executive with Camargo Insurance, which offers specialized commercial trucking insurance. “Female drivers face heightened dangers, often attracting unwanted attention. They have to be constantly alert, carry self-defense tools, and keep doors locked. The risks are significantly higher when they can’t find a spot at a truck stop.”
One of the largest truck stop chains, TravelCenters of America (TA), is a full-service travel center network operating 300 locations in 44 states.
“We see the need for truck parking as an opportunity to further demonstrate that we are a home on the road for professional drivers,” says Debi Boffa, CEO of TA. “We aim to provide services and amenities that they need to refresh, refuel and repair (both their trucks and their mental health and well-being.)”
Boffa says her organization continues to grow its network of travel centers, adding ample truck parking spaces with each new opening: “As of mid-year 2024, we added over 1,100 new truck parking spaces to our network. Additionally, we provide services like our Reserve-IT! Parking program which allows drivers to plan ahead and reserve a parking spot, similar to reserving a hotel room. Having this option available provides peace of mind for a professional driver – they know there is a parking spot waiting for them when they get to a location. Also, we have gated parking lots in busier suburban areas where truck parking may not be as accessible.”
Boffa emphasizes that TA operates with safety as a top priority. For example, parking lot layout is critical to accommodate turning radiuses and parking angles and provide appropriate signage and lighting. “These are key for avoiding safety problems, from fender benders to security events,” says Boffa. “By the end of 2024, TA will have reengineered and updated all of our lots based on a safety traffic management plan, to include re-striping – painting – and new signage. A lighting survey of all locations is also occurring to help identify those sites that need to be upgraded. This year, we have assessed 50 sites and made the determination to relight 18 locations this year.” She adds that TA also formed a Women’s Safety Advisory Panel earlier this year to better understand the needs of professional drivers – including the issue of truck parking.
Additional Solutions to the Lack of Truck Parking
But solutions don’t just start and end at truck stops. Because the current infrastructure supporting the trucking industry remains insufficient to address the shortage of temporary truck parking, many new private companies are emerging to meet the need.
One such company is Truck Parking Club, a network of instantly reservable hourly, daily, weekly and monthly truck parking locations throughout the United States comprised of property owners with locations adequate for truck parking.
“The lack of truck parking impacts our customers every single day,” says Evan Shelley, Co-Founder and CEO of Truck Parking Club. “We have 24/7 customer service and frequently get calls at night with drivers needing a place to park at the very last minute, oftentimes in areas they aren’t always familiar with. Whether it’s a place to park for a night, or a place to drop a trailer or leave their truck for a few days, our customers are frequently left scrambling looking for solutions that aren’t easy to find.”
“We believe the solution to the truck parking crisis has 3 components: public investment in new construction, private investment in new construction, and better utilizing existing space,” continues Shelley. “The first two involve new construction which takes considerable time and money. Better utilizing existing space means we can bring new parking spaces onto our marketplace very quickly and cheaply and drivers can oftentimes start parking in these spaces same day.”
According to Shelley, Truck Parking Club focuses on the third component by using technology to connect truckers looking for parking with properties suitable for truck parking. Oftentimes these are trucking companies, tow truck companies, truck repair shops, or truck parking operators.
Truck Parking Club has made available more than 2,000 never before publicly available truck parking spaces so far in 2024 alone, according to Shelley. “We are adding two to three locations a day as of June and are only speeding up.”
Another company tackling the truck parking shortage issue head-on is Truck Park Management. “TPM is the intersection of the trucking, real estate, and tech sectors – working tirelessly to address the urgent needs of truck parking,” says Danny Loe, CEO and Co-Founder of Truck Park Management. “Our mission is to provide dependable, reservable, and safe state-of-the-art facilities for the trucking community.”
“Finding safe, reservable truck parking should be available for all drivers at all times,” continues Loe. “Drivers need to be able to plan, reserve, and rely on knowing that they have a parking spot ready for them. At TPM, we are building technology through our TruckLots app and software to not only provide a nationwide map of reservable parking locations but also to provide lot management software for the parking lot owners so that they can ensure that they can keep and honor the driver’s reservation.”
However, the focus needs to be on the specific needs of the professional truck driver, says Joey Goodman, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of TRUX Parking, which is a platform in this niche real estate business. “We have a trucker-first mentality,” says Goodman. “We’re on the phone listening to drivers to better understand their needs for safe, secure, easily accessible parking.”
There also is increased momentum for increased truck parking and road safety through the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act – bipartisan legislation which would dedicate U.S. $755 million to increase safe parking for commercial trucks, which ultimately increases roadway safety.
“When truck drivers don’t have a safe place to park, they end up parking on the side of the road, near exit ramps, or elsewhere,” says Todd Spender, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), which has led the way in creating the Safety Improvement Act.
“As an organization committed to promoting truck safety, we support the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act,” adds Harry Adler, Principal of the Institute for Safer Trucking. “If we are going to improve safety throughout the trucking industry, it is essential to prioritize the safety and well-being of commercial truck drivers. By providing safe and accessible truck parking facilities, we can help ensure that drivers are well rested.”
Part of the solution is to continuously educate legislators, the general population, and the industry at-large about the importance of resolving this issue – and WIT is doing its part. Discussions on potential solutions continue to be facilitated at its annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo and in the members-only Engage discussion platform. Redefining the Road magazine continues to publish its ongoing series of articles on the issue and potential solutions, and will be publishing a Truck Parking Solutions Guide this fall. WIT also is a supporter of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.
A version of this article is featured in Edition 2 of 2024 in our official magazine, Redefining The Road. Download the latest edition here.
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“Lack of parking at truck stops forces drivers to park on highways or unauthorized lots, leading to tickets, accidents, and safety risks,” according to Tara O’Banion, Account Executive with Camargo Insurance, which offers specialized commercial trucking insurance. “Female drivers face heightened dangers, often attracting unwanted attention. They have to be constantly alert, carry self-defense tools, and keep doors locked. The risks are significantly higher when they can’t find a spot at a truck stop.”
“We see the need for truck parking as an opportunity to further demonstrate that we are a home on the road for professional drivers,” says Debi Boffa, CEO of TA. “We aim to provide services and amenities that they need to refresh, refuel and repair (both their trucks and their mental health and well-being.)”
“The lack of truck parking impacts our customers every single day,” says Evan Shelley, Co-Founder and CEO of Truck Parking Club. “We have 24/7 customer service and frequently get calls at night with drivers needing a place to park at the very last minute, oftentimes in areas they aren’t always familiar with. Whether it’s a place to park for a night, or a place to drop a trailer or leave their truck for a few days, our customers are frequently left scrambling looking for solutions that aren’t easy to find.”
Another company tackling the truck parking shortage issue head-on is Truck Park Management. “TPM is the intersection of the trucking, real estate, and tech sectors – working tirelessly to address the urgent needs of truck parking,” says Danny Loe, CEO and Co-Founder of Truck Park Management. “Our mission is to provide dependable, reservable, and safe state-of-the-art facilities for the trucking community.”
Part of the solution is to continuously educate legislators, the general population, and the industry at-large about the importance of resolving this issue – and WIT is doing its part. Discussions on potential solutions continue to be facilitated at its annual Accelerate! Conference & Expo and in the members-only Engage discussion platform. Redefining the Road magazine continues to publish its ongoing series of articles on the issue and potential solutions, and will be publishing a Truck Parking Solutions Guide this fall. WIT also is a supporter of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act.
