A new truck parking availability system is being built along the I-10 corridor from California to Texas, but the coalition of state departments of transportation behind it needs input from truckers before moving forward.
Known as a truck parking availability system, the project will plant digital signs along the I-10 corridor in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to inform truck drivers of how many parking spaces are available at rest areas ahead.
To better understand what challenges or issues drivers may face when attempting to park at locations along the corridor, the I-10 Corridor Coalition is asking truck drivers and dispatchers to share their experiences by participating in a survey.
The survey asks general questions about truckers’ operations and their experiences parking along the I-10 corridor, including how full rest areas typically get. All responses to this survey will be kept strictly confidential and individual responses will not be reported.
To take the I-10 corridor truck parking survey, click here.
Although the truck parking availability system will not add capacity, it is designed to improve efficiency when looking for parking. Benefits to drivers include safer, faster and easier parking, which means less time on the road. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, truckers spend about an hour a day looking for a parking spot, costing each driver $5,500 in lost compensation every year.
Truck parking availability system signage will be put up at 37 sites along the nearly 1,700-mile I-10 corridor. That includes six sites in California, eight in Arizona, five in New Mexico and 18 in Texas.
According to the I-10 Corridor Coalition website, the truck parking availability system could extend beyond signage along the interstate. Real-time parking information may also be integrated into existing smartphone apps.
The I-10 corridor truck parking availability system is essentially the same system being used in the Midwest.
In 2015, eight Midwest states were awarded a share of a $25 million TIGER grant for a regional Truck Parking Information Management System project. That system is being deployed along multiple interstates from Kansas to Ohio.
Truck parking availability systems, also known as variable message signs, have proved to be helpful to truck drivers. According to another ATRI survey, 70% of truck drivers surveyed found those signs useful. About two-thirds of long-haul truckers find that type of truck parking information system useful, compared with more than 70% of both inter-regional and regional truckers.
However, how useful truck parking information can be appears to be based on experience on the road. Less than half of respondents reported taking action based on those signs, with more than half saying they had not taken any action. In fact, the only group where more than half took action based on those signs were drivers with one to five years of experience. Most of those with more experience or less than one year behind the wheel took no action. LL
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