The report highlights the gap between what drivers need and what is actually available. Across the country, truckers require about 2.4 million parking spaces to meet rest requirements. Today, only 697,000 spots are accessible.

The study did find that 23.4 million heavy-duty truck spaces exist nationwide, but 98 percent of those are reserved privately for company fleets. That leaves the majority of drivers scrambling.

Perry explained how drivers are forced to adapt: truckers “make the best of a bad situation” by using “a combination of off-highway and informal on-highway spaces to get their required rest.” But those workarounds come with real costs.

“Fifteen miles of ‘circuity,’” Perry noted, “costs the driver $59 between the operating costs and lost time. If a driver stops an hour early to snag an available space, it costs them $110.”

The Bigger Picture

Beyond what it costs individual drivers, the shortage is draining the industry at scale. The study estimates $37.7 billion is lost each year from wasted miles while searching for parking. Another $82 billion is lost when drivers are stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time, unable to fully use their federally allowed driving hours.

Recommendations from the Study

The report doesn’t just size up the issue; it also lays out solutions that could ease the burden on drivers:

• Expand the number of dedicated truck parking areas, though this is costly and slow to implement.
• Open up legal parking opportunities at restaurants, retail lots, carriers’ yards, and shippers’ facilities.
• Provide truckers with real-time data on parking availability.
• Offer reservation systems for legal spaces.
• Encourage shippers and carriers to factor parking into their planning and scheduling.
• Coordinate supply chain timing to reduce unnecessary wait times.

While truck stop expansions and state investments, like Ohio’s recent plan to add 1,400 spaces, help, Perry’s findings show the problem is systemic and much larger than piecemeal fixes.

The full study can be downloaded here.

Source: Overdrive

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“By expanding safe, accessible places for drivers to rest, we’re supporting the people who keep our economy moving and making it safer for everyone on our roads,” DeWine remarked.
“As Ohio’s economy continues to grow, so does the number of trucks traveling on Ohio’s network of interstates and state routes.”

This effort was unveiled alongside Pamela Boratyn, Director of ODOT, and backed by the Ohio Trucking Association.

“This initiative addresses a chronic, nationwide issue,” OHTA CEO Thomas Balzer emphasized.
“A recent survey found that 98% of commercial drivers struggle to find safe parking, with 70% admitting to violating hours-of-service regulations in search of a spot. This puts everyone on the road at risk. We applaud Gov. DeWine’s commitment to improving driver safety and freight mobility in Ohio.”

Each new rest area will have security lighting and restroom facilities. Construction is slated to begin next year and finish by the end of 2027.

“Once complete, the American Transportation Research Institute projects that Ohio will lead the nation in the total number of long-term truck parking spaces available on state-owned property,” according to the Governor’s office.

Why This Matters to Drivers

• From 2015 to 2019, Ohio recorded 106 crashes involving improperly parked trucks, resulting in 5 deaths, 11 serious injuries, and 36 minor injuries—mainly around urban centers like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Akron, and Columbus.
• During just four months, GPS data revealed over 100 clusters where drivers parked off-designation—at rest areas, ramps, last-mile roads, and near truck stops.

The ODOT Truck Parking Study states:
“From 2015 to 2019, over 460 truck crashes happened due to fatigued driving, leading to six deaths, 50 serious injuries, and more than 400 minor or possible injuries.”

Ohio currently offers around 14,200 public truck parking spaces across 98 locations, with just 16 spots each. Over half are along the Ohio Turnpike; the rest are at private truck stops or businesses.

“Ohio’s new truck parking plan is a major step forward in improving safety for truck drivers and everyone on the road,” Boratyn said.
“These projects will make our state a national leader in total truck parking capacity — setting the standard for safety and service.”

The project is supported by a $150 million allocation in Ohio’s transportation budget this year.

Bigger Picture

Ohio handles over 1 billion tons of freight annually, valued at around $1.2 trillion, with trucking mileage topping 27.5 million miles in 2023. With freight volume expected to climb 26% by 2045, the demand for safe parking isn’t just growing, it’s urgent.

Source: Transport Topics

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