Understanding Truck Parking Behavior and Choice of Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators: Impacts on Roadway Safety

Hernandez, Salvador; Al-Bdairi, Nabeel Saleem Saad · 2018 · ROSA P / Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans) (UTC)

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Summary

This study investigates the factors influencing commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators’ parking behavior and choices, specifically focusing on the challenges of finding safe and adequate parking in the Pacific Northwest. The research was motivated by widespread national truck parking shortages, which are particularly acute in this region due to high demand exceeding capacity at rest areas and private truck stops. These shortages force drivers to park in unsafe locations, such as roadway shoulders and ramps, or drive past hours-of-service limits, increasing crash risks. The study aimed to identify specific variables affecting drivers' perceptions of parking availability to help safety planners and the trucking industry mitigate crash severity and frequency. The researchers employed a discrete choice modeling approach, specifically a random parameters binary logit model, to analyze data from a stated-preference survey of 201 large truck drivers operating in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The survey, conducted between August and September 2017, collected data on driver demographics, business characteristics, driving habits, and opinions on parking issues and potential improvements. From 134 generated indicator variables, 11 were found to be statistically significant. The model accounted for unobserved heterogeneity by allowing certain parameters to vary across observations, providing a more robust estimation of how different factors influence the likelihood of encountering parking difficulties. The results identified three primary characteristics directly affecting the likelihood of finding safe and adequate parking: shipment type, driver age, and day of the week. Drivers transporting less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments had a 0.32 lower probability of encountering parking issues, likely due to shorter haul distances that fit within hours-of-service regulations. Older drivers, specifically those aged 60 to 69, also reported fewer challenges (0.29 lower probability), potentially because they perceive alternative spaces, such as shoulders, as adequate based on long-term experience. Conversely, drivers were 0.50 more likely to encounter parking problems on weekdays, reflecting higher traffic volumes and demand. Additionally, drivers who believed the lack of nearby facilities justified parking on ramps were less likely to report parking issues, indicating a subjective perception of safety. The findings provide actionable insights for prioritizing infrastructure improvements and safety measures. By understanding that weekday demand and specific shipment types drive parking scarcity, stakeholders can better target interventions. The study suggests that addressing these specific behavioral and operational factors can help mitigate the number and severity of crashes associated with unsafe truck parking practices. The results support the need for region-specific planning and highlight the importance of considering driver perceptions and heterogeneity in transportation safety modeling.

Key finding

Drivers of less-than-truckload shipments, weekend shipments, and older drivers (ages 60-69) reported significantly fewer challenges finding safe and adequate parking compared to other groups.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 201

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

Topics

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• truck driver fatigue