Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/472327
78 | Overdrive | March 2015 Logbook (Continued from Page 23) Southern Pride_OVD0914_PG.indd 1 8/28/14 9:05 AM Feds test 'smart parking' tech U.S. officials are testing SmartPark in Tennessee in hopes of expanding the real-time parking data and reserva- tion system to other freight corridors. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month began a six-month feasibility test at the Interstate 75 northbound rest area near Athens. Truckers now can access real-time parking information before reaching the site at mile marker 45. Also, Tennessee Department of Transportation crews are adding parking spaces to the old state highway patrol's truck inspection station, located near Cleveland at northbound mile marker 23. After SmartPark becomes operational there, troopers also will continue using it as an inspection station at their discretion. FMCSA initially tested the concept using video imaging and a magnetometer in Mas- sachusetts before succeeding with a combination of Dop- pler radar and laser scanning in Tennessee. One way SmartPark dis- seminates real-time parking data is through dynamic or variable electronic message signs. These interstate signs indicate if parking is avail- able, limited or unavailable. When both sites are opera- tional, these signs will be seen before the entrance ramps at mile markers 23 and 45, as well as at mile markers 18 and 42. Truckers may hold up to five spaces each at the 39-slot Athens lot and at the 26-space Cleveland lot. Reservations hold a space for two hours of use at Athens, but permit parking for 11-hour periods at Cleveland. More information is avail- able by: • Downloading the Smart- ParkUSA mobile app, opera- tional on iOS and Android; • Calling the voice response system at 1-844-SMARTPK; and • Visiting www. smartparkingusa.com. – Jill Dunn