Truck parking is essential to the movement of goods in our region, and commercial truck drivers need access to safe, secure, and accessible parking to take their federally required hours of service (HOS) breaks and to wait for shipper or receiver appointments.
An inadequate supply of overnight truck parking spaces can result in negative consequences. Tired truck drivers may continue to drive because they have difficulty finding a place to rest. Drivers may also choose to park at unsafe locations, such as on the shoulder of the road, on exit ramps, or in vacant lots, if they are unable to locate official, available parking within their HOS requirement. In addition, trucks making deliveries to local facilities may drive around or wait in undesirable locations, such as neighborhoods or road shoulders until their scheduled appointment or delivery time.
The New Jersey and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation (NJ DOT and PennDOT) are currently working on plans to address truck parking shortages in their respective states. DVRPC is working to identify where truck parking is occurring in the region in support of these efforts and to inform the Regional Freight Plan.
Please take the brief DVRPC Truck Parking Survey to help us identify where undesignated parking is occurring in your community and what challenges are presented by this parking. Undesignated truck parking refers to truck drivers parking where it is not legally permitted due to a lack of designated spaces, which can lead to issues like increased congestion, crashes, and damage to infrastructure.
The results of the survey will be used to inform the truck parking section of the DVRPC Regional Freight Plan to identify safety concerns and freight infrastructure investment needs.
Please take this survey to provide your input commercial truck parking in your community. Estimated completion time is less than five minutes.
Please contact Sean Greene at sgreene@dvrpc.org with any questions or requests for more information. Learn more about the Greater Philadelphia Regional Freight Planning process.