The problem with truck parking
America’s long-haul freight network moves 72 % of all domestic goods, yet the truckers at its heart spend up to an hour a day hunting for a legal place to sleep.
When most people think of trucking’s big challenges, they imagine fuel prices or highway congestion. But industry insiders know the truth: parking is the silent crisis throttling productivity and safety across the country.
With only one legal parking spot for every 11 trucks on the road, drivers face an impossible puzzle: where to safely stop when their legally mandated hours run out. Since the introduction of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate, this has become even more punishing. Roughly 80% of drivers report that ELD rules make finding parking harder, because they can’t legally drive even a few extra minutes to reach a safe lot.
The stakes are high. Unsafe parking not only triggers citations and compliance headaches but also endangers lives — as tragically demonstrated by the 2023 Greyhound crash linked to trucks parked on highway ramps.
The article below provides a proposed solution, at large. Before we get into, let's go deeper into the problem...
Parking Woes & ELD Rules: A Systemic Issue
One of the most critical but under-discussed bottlenecks in trucking isn’t highway capacity — it’s parking.
- Chronic shortage: Professional drivers report that lack of safe parking is the #1 operational challenge today. Moreover, analysts estimate a deficit of 40,000 – 60,000 safe spaces nationwide.
- Severe scarcity: There’s only one legal truck parking spot for every ~11 trucks on the road. That means drivers routinely face the stressful choice of driving illegally past their legal hours or parking in dangerous or unauthorized locations.
- ELD complications: Since the introduction of Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandates in 2017, these problems have worsened. About 80% of drivers say ELD rules make parking harder, because drivers are forced to stop wherever they are once their hours-of-service (HOS) clock runs out.
- Safety risks: The consequences are dire. In 2023, a tragic Greyhound bus crash was linked to semi-trucks parked on highway ramps due to lack of legal parking, underscoring just how high the stakes are.
This is not a small problem — it is a structural barrier to efficiency, safety, and profitability in long-haul trucking.
Below is a roadmap that marries policy, real-estate tactics and technology to close that gap.
A proposed solution to truck parking
1. Lock in Dedicated Federal & State Funding
| Tool | Why It Matters | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act | Directs USDOT to fund new public truck lots on or near the Interstate system. | Re-introduced in both the 118th (2023-24) and 119th (2025-26) Congresses with bipartisan backing congress.govcongress.govsafetyandhealthmagazine.com |
| IIJA / RAISE & INFRA Grants | Allows states to fold parking into broader freight or safety projects. | $30 million awarded in the latest tranche for Ohio, Wisconsin & Nevada rest-area expansions ccjdigital.comtrucking.org |
| FHWA Freight Formula Funds | Gives states predictable money for rest-area retrofits. | Policy guidance issued late 2024; several DOTs have shovel-ready plans fmcsa.dot.gov |
Action: Treat parking as critical freight infrastructure in state freight plans; bundle lot construction with bridge upgrades or port connectors to score higher in grant competitions.
2. Repurpose Under-Used Public Assets
Weigh-Stations & Closed Rest Areas
Many weigh-in-motion sites run only part-time. Converting those pull-offs into 20-30 all-weather stalls can add thousands of spots nationwide at a fraction of green-field cost.
“Last-Mile” Interchanges
Medians and clover-leaf excess land (often owned by DOTs) can host modular parking pads. Quick-build technology (pervious concrete, solar lighting) keeps costs below $15k per space versus $45k for full truck plazas.
Municipal Brownfields
Cities like San Antonio are tightening street-side truck bans because rigs spill into neighborhoods expressnews.com. Offering tax-forfeited parcels near beltways to private truck-stop operators—at $1 leases with build requirements—turns an enforcement headache into revenue.
3. Public–Private Partnerships & Shared-Use Lots
- Retail After-Hours Programs: Superstore chains already allow overnight RV parking. Local ordinances can create “commercial motor-vehicle hospitality” permits: insurance plus light security in exchange for a nightly fee.
- Port/Distribution Center Back-Hauls: DC yards sit half-empty between waves. A digital brokerage (think Airbnb for yard slots) can monetize that idle pavement.
Charlotte, NC’s new Commercial Truck Parking Tool shows the concept works: drivers can view legal lots and owners can list surplus spaces in real time the-sun.com.
4. Deploy Smart-Parking Technology
| Capability | Benefit | Vendors / Case Studies |
|---|---|---|
| Roadside IoT sensors | Verifies stall occupancy, feeds availability apps. | ParkingLogix, Cleverciti roll-outs at Midwestern rest areas parkinglogix.comcleverciti.com |
| Reservation & Dynamic Pricing Platforms | Lets drivers pre-book, reduces “spot cruising.” Raises capital for maintenance. | Early pilots linked to Tennessee DOT cameras; Charlotte tool example the-sun.com |
| Data-Driven Enforcement | Guides police to real violations, not safe sleepers. | Kansas Turnpike KPMS program (FHWA test bed, 2024) |
Action: Require any lot receiving federal parking grants to publish open-API occupancy data, seeding a nationwide marketplace that navigation providers (Google, Trimble, Platform Science) can tap.
5. Update Zoning & Incentives
- Freight-Oriented Development Codes: Mandate one truck stall per X square feet in new warehouses abutting Interstates.
- Tax-increment Financing: Allow jurisdictions to capture increased sales-tax from adjacent truck-stop retail (restaurants, showers) to pay parking bonds.
- Insurance & Security Credits: Create FMCSA-approved “safe lot” designations (lighting, fencing, cameras). Carriers that use certified lots earn lower liability premiums, driving voluntary adoption.
6. Improve Driver Amenities & Safety
Parking isn’t just asphalt. Surveys show drivers will bypass a closer lot for one with:
- 24/7 restrooms and hot food
- Good lighting / CCTV
- Wi-Fi & reliable cellular
Bundling basic services lifts utilization, which in turn improves investors’ ROI and justifies more spaces.
7. Roadmap & Metrics
| Phase | Milestone | KPI |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 (Pilot) | Convert 15 weigh-stations & award first USDOT parking grants | +2,500 new spaces |
| 2027-29 (Scale-up) | All states adopt open-API occupancy feeds; 50 % of public rest areas sensor-equipped | 25 % reduction in illegal roadside parking citations |
| 2030+ (Sustain) | Tiered insurance discounts tied to safe-lot usage | 40 % drop in fatigue-related shoulder crashes |
The Payoff
A nationwide network of 50,000 new, digitally connected, amenity-rich truck spaces would:
- Save each driver ~40 minutes/day, equating to $5,000 + in annual productivity.
- Cut shoulder-park fatalities, improving public safety and carrier liability.
- Boost rural economies by anchoring new service plazas and logistics businesses.
Most critically, it would treat drivers with the professionalism the supply chain depends on.
Bottom line: Solving long-haul parking is neither glamorous nor simple, but it is achievable through a mix of targeted federal dollars, smart-asset reuse, real-time tech, and incentives that align every stakeholder—from truckers to towns to taxpayers.