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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations

Report
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
Publication Number: FHWA-RD-01-158
Date: March 2002

Study of Adequacy of Commercial Truck Parking Facilities

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.0 INTRODUCTION

2.0 COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING DEMAND

3.0 COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING SUPPLY

4.0 COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING SUPPLY/DEMAND BALANCES

5.0 ACTIVITIES TO REDUCE SHORTAGES

6.0 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.Driver parking locations

Table 2. Demand model variables

Table 3. Demand model parameters

Table 4.Field survey results for model calibration

Table 5. Values of calibration parameters

Table 6. State survey results for model validation

Table 7. Commercial truck parking demand: Peak hour demand along interstates and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day, 2000

Table 8. Commercial truck parking demand: Comparison of state and demand model estimates

Table 9. Commercial truck parking inventory: Public rest area facilities along interstates and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day

Table 10. Parking capacity ranges from the Truck Stops Database

Table 11. Commercial truck parking inventory: Commercial truck stop and travel plaza facilities along interstates and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day

Table 12. Driver-reported usability characteristics in truck parking

Table 13. Driver-rated importance of features when parking

Table 14. Drivers’ parking facility preferences by purpose of stop

Table 15. Demand/supply ratio categories

Table 16. Parking space utilization: National summary of demand/supply ratio along interstates and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day

Table 17. Parking space utilization: Demand/supply ratio along interstates and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day

Table 18. Frequency with which drivers find available parking at public rest areas and commercial truck stops

Table 19. Summary of recent or current actions pursued by State partners

Table 20. Summary of future actions recommended by State partners

ACRONYMS

AADT Annual Average Daily Traffic
ART America’s Road Team
ATA American Trucking Association
CORBOR National Corridor Planning & Development Program and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Program
CVSA Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
DOT Department of Transportation
FHWA Federal Highway Administration
HOS Hours of Service
HPMS Highway Performance Monitoring System
IFTA International Fuel Tax Agreement
IRP International Registration Plan
ITS Intelligent Transportation System
MFCA Motor Freight Carriers Association
NATSO National Association of Truck Stop Operators
NHS National Highway System
NITL National Industrial Transportation League
NPTC National Private Truck Council
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board
OOIDA Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association
PATT Parents Against Tired Truckers
PMAA Petroleum Marketers Association of America
SH/LH Short-Haul/Long-Haul
TEA-21 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century
VMS Variable Message Sign

FOREWORD

This report provides technical documentation supporting the Report to Congress on the study called for in Section 4027 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to “determine the location and quantity of parking facilities as commercial truck stops and travel plazas and public rest areas that could be used by motor carriers to comply with Federal hours of service rules.”This report documents the analysis of commercial truck parking demand and supply and summarizes activities State partnership groups identified for addressing areas with parking shortages.

Janet A. Coleman

Director, Office of Safety Programs

Safety Core Business Unit

Michael F. Trentacoste

Director, Office of Safety

Research and Development

NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers.Trade and manufacturers’ names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document.

1. Report No.
FHWA-RD-01-158
2. Government Accession No.
3. Recipient’s Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle
STUDY OF ADEQUACY OF COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING FACILITIES TECHNICAL REPORT
5. Report Date
March 2002
6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s)
Stephen A. Fleger, Robert P. Haas, Jeffrey W. Trombly, Rice H. Cross III, Juan E. Noltenius, Kelley K. Pécheux, Kathryn J. Chen
8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Science Applications International Corporation
8301 Greensboro Drive
McLean, VA 22102
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No.
DTFH61-00-C-00014
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Safety Research and Development (HRDS)
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, Virginia 22101-2296
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
March 2000 to June 2001
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes
Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative: Raymond A. Krammes, HRDS
16. Abstract
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.

17. Key Word
Commercial Motor Vehicles, Truck Stop, Rest Area, Travel Plaza, Truck Parking, TEA-21 Section 4027 Study, Human Factors, Parking Studies, Parking Supply, Truck Driver Survey, Parking Demand Model
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161.
19. Security Classif. (of this report)
Unclassified
20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
21. No. of Pages
68
22. Price

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