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Truck Parking

Truck parking shortages are a national safety concern. Commercial truck drivers need access to safe, secure, and accessible truck parking.  With the projected growth of truck traffic, the demand for truck parking will continue to outpace the supply of public and private parking facilities and will only exacerbate the truck parking problems experienced in many regions.

An inadequate supply of truck parking spaces can result in negative consequences. Tired truck drivers may continue to drive because they have difficulty finding a place to park for rest. Truck drivers may choose to park at unsafe locations, such as on the shoulder of the road, exit ramps, or vacant lots, if they are unable to locate official, available parking.

Numerous public, private, academic and non-profit studies have been completed on the adequacy of truck parking, and these studies have some common findings including an expected growth in truck activity, severe shortages of parking for trucks, lack of information on truck parking opportunities, and challenges due to limited delivery windows and specific rest requirements. The links below provide information to the programs and activities authorized that support truck parking, as well as the reports, surveys and historical information for truck parking.

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21)

Tractor trailer at sunset. Rest Area Truck Parking
Source: Jeffy Purdy - FHWA

MAP-21 is the most recent transportation authorization, and truck parking activities are authorized under MAP-21 as eligible activities for various funding programs. Additionally, MAP-21 required Jason's Law, a survey of state capability to provide truck parking, an assessment of truck volumes in each state and the development of a system of metrics to evaluate parking.

  • Truck Parking
  • Jason's Law
    • Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey
    • Facilities and Spaces Shape-file (Zip File, 494KB) - Download this file for use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) programs to illustrate public and private truck parking locations. The shape-file provides the same information used in the maps included in the Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey report. The metadata includes limited information on location and number of spaces at each facility. The public facility data source is FHWA collected data for 2013. The private facility data source is Trucker's Friend, 2013.
  • Eligibility of Title 23 Funds for Truck Parking

National Coalition on Truck Parking

The National Coalition for Truck Parking brings together stakeholders from transportation organizations, the freight industry, and other groups to advance safe truck parking, including:

  • Collaborate nationally and among regions to identify opportunities and solutions for truck parking needs;
  • Share information on data and new analyses developed by stakeholders to understand needs and trends in truck parking;
  • Encourage partnerships among stakeholders to implement solutions, and;
  • Identify opportunities to use existing and new programs to support truck parking implementation.
  • Report from the National Coalition on Truck Parking [HTML, PDF 2.2MB]

Reports to Congress

  • Commercial Motor Vehicle Parking Shortage [HTML, PDF 700KB]
  • SAFETEA-LU Section 1305: Truck Parking Facilities Report to Congress [HTML, PDF 7KB]

Related Information

The following information is provided for historical research purposes.

Staff Contact

Jeff Purdy
202-366-6993
Jeff Purdy

Thomas Kearney
518-431-8890
Tom.Kearney@dot.gov

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