Intelligent Transportation Systems and Truck Parking

Smith, Scott; Baron, William; Gay, Kevin; Ritter, Gary · 2005 · ROSA P / United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

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Summary

This report, prepared by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), addresses the critical issue of truck driver fatigue caused by a lack of safe, available parking. The study was motivated by findings that fatigue contributes to a significant percentage of heavy truck crashes, with drivers often forced to drive beyond safe limits or park illegally on road shoulders due to parking shortages. The report serves as background material for a Broad Agency Announcement seeking proposals to demonstrate Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies that convey real-time parking availability to truckers. The analysis relies on existing data, including a 2002 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study involving 2,046 long-haul driver surveys, National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) synthesis reports, and recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The report investigates four primary questions: whether a parking shortage exists, if it is likely to worsen, what potential solutions exist, and how ITS can better match supply and demand. It examines driver preferences, regional supply-demand imbalances, and the technical feasibility of various ITS detection and communication methods. The findings indicate that while the national aggregate supply of truck parking appears sufficient, severe regional and temporal shortages exist, particularly in the Northeast, Northwest, and Southern California. Drivers overwhelmingly prefer private truck stops for overnight rest but frequently resort to illegal roadside parking when legal spaces are unavailable. The report projects that demand will increase due to growth in the truckload segment of the industry and the adoption of just-in-time delivery practices. Regarding solutions, the report identifies three approaches: making underutilized spaces more attractive, increasing physical supply, and better matching supply and demand through technology. It concludes that better matching via ITS is the most practical and cost-effective solution, as expanding physical infrastructure is capital-intensive and often faces local resistance. The significance of the report lies in its detailed framework for implementing ITS-based parking management systems. It outlines technical requirements for detecting vehicle presence (using inductive loops, magnetometers, or video) and communicating availability to drivers. The authors emphasize that effective systems must address data accuracy, forecasting space availability based on historical trends, and preventing information overload that could cause drivers to converge on limited spaces. The report provides the necessary technical and operational context for developing systems that help drivers locate available parking, thereby reducing fatigue-related crashes and improving safety and productivity in the commercial trucking sector.

Key finding

Only 34% of surveyed truck drivers reported almost always or frequently finding available parking at truck stops, while 48% rarely or never found parking at public rest areas.

Methodology

survey

Sample size: 2046

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