Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/58364
Smart Driving Parking pinch Federal, state governments seek ways to provide parking availability info by MAX KVIDERA T ruck parking remains a hot topic for drivers. Since the 1990s, the federal government and some states have launched studies and financed projects to address truck-parking availability. While most federally funded programs aren't adding parking spaces, they are focusing on using Internet and electronic media to provide parking availability infor- mation to truckers. A few states have restored rest area parking that had been closed, but little new capacity has been added. Truckstop chains, however, are opening new facili- ties. Among the major truckstop chains, Pilot Flying J's network numbers more than 550 facilities with more than 50,000 park- ing spaces. The company plans to open an unspecified number of new locations or acquired facilities in the future, a company spokesperson says. TA Petro has more than 44,000 spaces at 230 sites, after add- ing about 2,000 spaces through PAY TO PARK acquisition and new sites last year. To its network of more than 17,200 spaces, Love's plans to add as many as 1,000 parking spaces this year. Truckers' personal safety as it relates to parking figured into the death of Jason Rivenburg. The New York trucker was murdered three years ago while he was parked in an abandoned gas station after he was turned away from a warehouse because he was early for a delivery. A Congressional bill known as Jason's Law that ensued provides $20 million annually for develop- ing truck parking. Truck parking is a nationwide problem, but the severity may depend on where you are. A 2005 FMCSA study measured the daily parking demand at 287,000 spaces compared with the daily supply at 309,000 spaces. This suggests less a parking shortage than an allocation issue in some areas. STATE INITIATIVES California | The Golden State is An alternative to parking at truckstops and rest areas is parking in private lots that offer security for a price. Many carriers maintain their own yards and make parking available, while private owners run lots in major markets. In Phoenix, Security Truck Park offers more than 250 spaces for tractors and trailers in a secure lot fitted with cameras and patrolled by a guard. Delta Truck Parking 14 | TRUCKERS NEWS | APRIL 2012 in Otay Mesa, Calif., near San Diego has 110 spaces for truck and trailer parking for $10 a day just a mile from the Mexican border. Customers are long-haul and local operators. TXS Secure Trailer Parking provides a network of more than 170 truck and trailer parking facilities around the country. Plans are to have as many as 300 facilities by the end of this year. The facilities are private lots and fleet yards that offer space to outside operators. Rates vary from $85 to $350 a month. Parking in an industrial area is a "last resort" for owner-operator Bryan Piersol. Since he often pulls oversize loads, he's required to get off the road before dusk. He usually starts looking for parking spaces by mid-afternoon. developing a system that would pro- vide a space reservation system and real-time information about parking availability. The initial phase of the five-year pilot program covers two test sites on Interstate 5. A second phase will add two public and four private sites to the program. Florida | The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded $1 million to Florida to add 90 parking spaces at the Florida 595 Truck Stop in Davie. The goal is to add the spaces to the facility's exist- ing 35 paved spots by early 2013. Michigan | The state plans to focus an effort to develop an intel- ligent transportation system to deliver parking availability infor- mation on Interstate 94 from the Indiana state line to the Interstate 69 interchange. Enabled in part by a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. DOT, initially the project will wire five state facilities — four rest areas and a welcome center. Later, 15 truckstops will be outfitted with instruments. Minnesota | The state received its own U.S. DOT grant of $2 mil- lion to help it target 100 miles of I-94 west of the Twin Cities for its project, aimed at mitigating driver fatigue with parking info. The state is preparing to install equipment at three rest areas and a Pilot truck- stop. The state DOT and University of Minnesota will set up highway electronic message signs and a MAX KVIDERA