TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Synthesis 317: Dealing with Truck Parking Demands identifies successful and innovative strategies that have been implemented by transportation agencies, as well as potential strategies yet to be deployed in order to meet the increasing demand for truck parking. The report examines the legislative authority governing the provision of truck parking by state transportation agencies, including federal requirements and selected state laws. An analysis is provided of the demand for truck parking.
This report documents a study of truck parking issues along the major state highways in Wisconsin. The effort builds upon another project at the National Center for Freight and Infrastructure Research and Education (CFIRE) funded by the Mississippi Valley Freight Coalition to study the truck parking issues on Interstate highways in the ten-state AASHTO Mississippi Valley Region. This study also inventories both public and private parking facilities along a select number of state highways. A web geographic information system (GIS) tool was developed for continuous survey and public participation. The study surveyed highway patrol officers, public freight planners, and truckers to identify parking facilities incommensurate with truck parking needs. It proposes a method for ranking parking facilities identified as having the most need of additional truck parking capacity. Building on a review of previous studies and face-to-face interviews with carriers, the report contains a discussion of why existing parking facilities do not meet needs and describes a set of low cost strategies for addressing truckers' parking needs.
The steady growth of commercial truck travel has led to an increasing demand for truck parking spaces at public rest areas and private truck stops on interstate highways in Virginia. This study developed a methodology to determine the supply and demand for commercial truck parking along these corridors. Supply was defined as the number of parking spaces available for commercial truck parking, and demand was defined as the sum of the parking accumulation and illegal parking at a given time. Phase I of this study developed a methodology to determine the supply and demand for commercial truck parking using I-81 in Virginia as a case study. This Phase II study expanded the study to other interstate highways in Virginia, checked the applicability of the parking demand model developed in Phase I, and developed new models when necessary. Extensive data on the characteristics of commercial truck parking and the characteristics of each truck stop and rest area were collected. In addition, truck drivers and truck stop owners/operators were surveyed. The data collected were used to develop models to describe the relationship between parking accumulation and independent variables such as traffic volume on the highway, truck percentage, parking duration, and the distance from a highway to a truck stop. After the applicability of the models was tested, they were used to estimate commercial truck parking demand in 2010 and 2020. Deficiencies of parking spaces with respect to estimated demand were then determined for each truck stop and the entire Virginia interstate highway system. The results indicate that the demand for commercial truck parking at individual truck stops on I-95 exceeds the supply by 10 to 22 percent and that there is no commercial parking shortfall at truck stops along I-64, 1-77, and I-85. However, there are shortfalls at rest areas on I-66, I-77, I-85, and I-95, varying from about 6 percent on I-85 to about 32 percent on I-95. If no new parking spaces are provided and a 5 percent increase in truck travel is assumed, the demand/supply ratio in 2010 for large truck parking on all interstate highways in Virginia will exceed 1.00. This deficiency could be as high as 40 percent on I-95.
The increasing number of trucks traveling on Virginia highways has led to a growing demand for public rest areas and private truck stops. This study developed a methodology to determine the supply and demand for commercial heavy truck parking using I-81 in Virginia as a case study. In this study, supply was defined as the number of parking spaces available for large truck parking, and demand at a given time was defined as the sum of the parking accumulation and the illegal parking. Extensive data on the characteristics of large truck parking including parking duration and accumulation for different times of day were obtained. Data were obtained at 14 public rest areas and 29 private truck stops. Detailed information was also obtained on the characteristics of each truck stop and rest area, including the location; number and types of parking spaces; and availability of other facilities, such as restaurants and showers. Two types of questionnaire surveys were conducted. The first involved truck drivers, and the second involved truck stop managers/owners. The data collected were used to develop models to describe the relationship between parking accumulation and independent variables such as traffic volume on the highway, truck percentage, parking duration, and the distance of a truck stop from the interstate. The models developed were then used to estimate demand in 10 and 20 years. Any shortfall in supply with respect to the estimated demand was then determined for each truck stop and the entire highway. The results indicated that the existing maximum demand is 2,947 parking spaces, which exceeds the supply by 309 spaces. This deficiency will increase to 1,193 and 1,463 spaces in 2010 and 2020, respectively, if the number of parking spaces for large trucks does not increase.
"This report documents a study of truck parking issues along the major freight corridors in the 10-state MVFC region. An online GIS instrument was developed to administer surveys and allow for continuous public participation. The study surveyed highway patrol officers, public freight planners and truckers to identify parking facilities incommensurate with truck parking needs. It proposes a method to cluster marked spots for identifying areas with the most need for additional truck parking capacity. In-person carrier interviews were also conducted to further clarify truck parking problem causes and solutions. A set of low cost strategies are finally proposed to policy makers. This study also inventories both public and private parking facilities along the region's freight corridors and provides a review of previous studies"--Technical report documentation page.
"This report documents the findings of a study to investigate the adequacy of commercial truck parking facilities serving the National Highway System (NHS). The study involved: 1) a national assessment of the extent and geographic distribution of parking shortages, 2) research to clarify drivers' parking-related needs and decision-making, and 3) development of a technical guidance document to be used by partnerships of public- and private-sector stakeholders in 49 States (excluding Hawaii) for inventorying current facilities serving the NHS, analyzing current and projected shortages in commercial truck parking at public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas, and developing plans for action at the appropriate jurisdictional levels. The process involved: 1) the development of an inventory of public and commercial truck spaces serving the NHS, 2) development, calibration, and application of a truck parking demand model, 3) a national survey of truck drivers to determine how drivers plan for and address their parking needs, how truck drivers select when, where, and at which facilities they park, and what truck drivers think of the adequacy of current parking facilities, 4) an estimate of parking demand using a modeling approach, 5) identification of parking deficiencies at the State and corridor level by comparing supply and demand, and 6) identification of improvements that were recommended by State partnerships to mitigate any existing or future problems identified."--Technical report documentation p.
