REPORT TO CONGRESS
Study of Adequacy of Parking Facilities

June 2002

Prepared by the:

Federal Highway Administration
Washington, DC 20590

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background
1.2 Problem Statement
1.3 Research Approach
1.4 Organization of Report

2.0 COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING DEMAND

2.1 Introduction
2.2 National Survey of Driver Needs and Preferences for Parking
2.3 National Commercial Vehicle Parking Demand Model
2.4 National Demand for Commercial Vehicle Parking
2.5 Summary and Conclusions

3.0 COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING SUPPLY

3.1 Introduction
3.2 Public Rest Area Parking Facilities
3.3 Commercial Truck Stop and Travel Plaza Parking Facilities
3.4 Driver's Assessment of Parking Facility Quality
3.5 Interchangeability of Public Rest Area and Commercial Truck Stop and Travel Plaza Parking
3.6 Summary and conclusions

4.0 ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL TRUCK PARKING SUPPLY AND DEMAND

4.1 Introduction
4.2 Determining Current Level of Overcrowding
4.3 National Summary of Overcrowding
4.4 Results from the Driver Survey
4.5 Summary and Conclusions

5.0 ACTIONS TO REDUCE SHORTAGES

5.1 Introduction
5.2 Rest Area Forum
5.3 Stakeholder Interviews
5.4 Actions Recommended by State Partner Groups
5.5 Actions to Expand or Improve Public Rest Areas
5.6 Actions to Expand or Improve Commercial Truck Stops
5.7 Actions to Encourage the Formation of Public-Private Partnerships
5.8 Actions to Educate or Inform Drivers About Available Spaces
5.9 Actions to Change Parking Enforcement Rules
5.10 Actions to Conduct Additional Studies
5.11 Summary and Conclusions

6.0 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

7.0 REFERENCES

TABLES

1. Peak hour demand for commercial vehicle parking along Interstate highways and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day, 2000
2. Commercial truck parking inventory along Interstate and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day
3. Driver-reported usability characteristics in truck parking
4. Driver-rated importance of features when parking
5. Drivers' parking facility preferences by purpose of stop
6. Facility most recently used for sleep
7. Threshold values used to classify parking space utilization
8. Evaluation of parking shortages: State-by-State analysis
9. Evaluation of current parking shortages: National summary
10. Frequency with which drivers find available parking at public rest areas and commercial truck stops
11. Summary of recent or current actions pursued by State partners
12. Summary of future actions recommended by State partners

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report documents the findings of a study undertaken to investigate the adequacy of commercial truck parking facilities serving the National Highway System (NHS) in response to Section 4027 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA-21). Section 4027 requires the following:

...a study to determine the location and quantity of parking facilities at 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. The study shall include an inventory of current facilities serving the National Highway System, analyze where shortages exist or are projected to exist, and propose a plan to reduce the shortages. The study may be carried out in cooperation with research entities representing motor carriers, the travel plaza industry, and commercial motor vehicle drivers.

To assist in the preparation of this report, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) encouraged the creation of partnerships of public and private sector stakeholders at the State level and provided a technical guidance document for their use in conducting an inventory of current facilities serving the NHS, analyzing current and projected shortages, and developing plans for action at the appropriate jurisdictional levels. The FHWA provided technical assistance to the partnerships to guide them in completing these activities. The FHWA division offices worked closely with the partners for approximately 1 year and provided guidance and advice on forming and structuring partnership membership, conducting partnership meetings to review inventory and analysis results, and preparing partnerships status reports that describe actions to mitigate any parking shortfalls identified. This report summarizes the results of this effort.

This study of parking facilities along the NHS is a follow-up to a previous study of the Interstate Highway System completed in 1996 and documented in Report No. FHWA-MC-96-0010 "Commercial Driver Rest and Parking Requirements: Making Space for Safety." Subsequent to this 1996 report, a number of States also conducted studies of truck rest parking needs and availability within their jurisdictions.

The FHWA solicited input on the truck rest parking issue through a Rest Area Forum, which FHWA hosted in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 29-30, 1999. Forum participants included more than 70 State Department of Transportation and enforcement officials, representatives of the motor carrier industry, private truck stop operators, commercial drivers, safety advocates, and other interested parties.⁽¹⁾

In addition, on May 21, 1999, FHWA issued a Request for Information (RFI-ST-001) to obtain feedback on how best to design, focus, and conduct the Section 4027 study. Five individuals or organizations responded. The results from the 1996 report and individual States' subsequent studies, the input from Rest Area Forum participants, and responses to the Request for Information can be summarized as follows:

• Many Rest Area Forum participants and respondents to the Request for Information voiced the sentiment that we now know the problem and, therefore, should focus on solutions rather than on more studies. One significant exception is a response to the Request for Information that recommends: "the TEA-21 study should count all private and public sector spaces to accurately assess the truck parking situation."
  
  
• Parking shortages are concentrated and solutions thereto should be targeted at a corridor or regional level; therefore, the analysis of shortages and development of solutions should be performed at the corridor, State, or sub-state, rather than National level.
  
  
• Satisfying drivers' rest parking needs in corridors or regions with either real or perceived shortages in parking supply is likely to require public, private, and public-private solutions. Identifying consensus solutions among parties with competing interests is likely to be easier and more successful at the corridor, State, or sub-state level.
  
  
• A major unknown and point of contention is whether, or, to what extent, public rest area and private truck stop parking are interchangeable. To supply parking where drivers need it, a better understanding of their parking-related needs and decision making is required.

In consideration of this input, FHWA undertook a two-pronged approach to the Section 4027 study. First, FHWA contracted research to clarify drivers' parking-related needs and decision making. Second, FHWA encouraged the creation of partnerships of public and private sector stakeholders in 49 States (excluding Hawaii) and provided a guidance document for their use in inventorying current facilities serving the NHS, analyzing current and projected shortages, and developing plans for action at the appropriate jurisdictional levels. These partnerships provided a forum for interested parties, including State and local agencies as well as the private sector, to examine the problem and formulate strategies to mitigate any problems identified.

This report, which summarizes the work completed by these partnerships, involved the following process:

• Estimate parking demand using a modeling approach.
• Inventory public and private truck spaces.
• Identify deficiencies by comparing supply and demand.
• Develop recommendations for improvements to mitigate any existing or future problems identified.

Estimate Parking Demand Using a Modeling Approach

A nationwide estimate of the peak hour demand for commercial truck parking facilities resulting from the need to comply with Federal hours-of-services rules was conducted. The approach relied on the development of an engineering model to estimate the demand for commercial vehicle parking at public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas. The model predicts commercial truck parking demand for a highway segment based on total truck-hours of travel and the time and duration of the stops. The model considers the effect of current Federal hours-of-service regulations on parking demand by using these regulations as part of the basis for estimating the average number of hours spent parking per hour spent driving. The study was restricted to current hours-of-service rules. If alternative rules are proposed, the model could be used to estimate their effect on parking demand.

A national survey of truck drivers' parking-related needs, preferences, and decision making was conducted as part of the modeling effort. Surveys were distributed to a national sample of more than 2,000 truck drivers through site visits and mailings to truck stops. Survey results were used to estimate the fraction of total parking demand that is for private and public parking spaces.

Following are highlights from these efforts:

• There is currently an estimated peak hour demand for approximately 287,000 truck parking spaces at commercial truck stops and travel plazas and public rest areas serving Interstate highways and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day.
  
  
• The percentages of total demand for parking spaces at public rest areas and commercial truck stops based on drivers' stated preferences were estimated as 23 and 77 percent, respectively.
  
  
• The 20-year forecasted annual increase in parking demand is estimated to be 2.7 percent.
  
  
• Drivers' responses to the survey demonstrated definite preferences and priorities when it comes to choosing where they will park. For long-term rest (more than
  2 hours), drivers overwhelmingly preferred commercial truck stops and travel plazas to public rest areas (79 percent to 6 percent, respectively). For short-term rest (less than 2 hours), drivers generally prefer public rest areas to commercial truck stops and travel plazas (45 percent to 19 percent, respectively). Short-haul driver preferences were the same as long-haul driver preferences, although short-haul drivers value parking facility features differently than long-haul drivers.

Additional details surrounding the national demand for commercial vehicle parking and the national survey of driver needs and preferences can be found in Section 2.0 of this report.

Inventory Public and Private Truck Spaces

An inventory of the number of public rest areas and commercial truck stops that could be used to comply with Federal hours-of-service rules was conducted as part of this study. The inventory included a survey of State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to quantify the location and number of public rest areas. A proprietary database developed by Interstate America served as the primary basis for determining the number of spaces available at commercial truck stops and travel plazas. The driver survey also addressed features that truck drivers value at parking facilities. Highlights from the commercial truck parking supply inventory and driver survey include the following:

• An estimated 315,850 parking spaces at public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas serve Interstate highways and other NHS routes carrying more than 1,000 trucks per day.
  
  
• Approximately 10 percent of truck parking spaces were in public rest areas and 90 percent in commercial truck stops and travel plazas.
  
  
• Expected growth of truck parking spaces at public rest areas is expected to be smaller (5.1 percent over the next 5 years) than growth in the private sector
  (estimated at 6.5 percent annually).
  
  
• Truck drivers value public rest areas primarily for ease of access and convenience, and value commercial truck stops and travel plazas for their amenities.
  
  
• A significant percentage (21 percent) of the parking supply used by drivers to comply with Federal hours-of-service rules appears to occur at loading docks, company terminals or other facilities (e.g., fast food restaurants, shopping plazas, and motels).
  
  
• Results from the driver survey and observational field studies suggest some, but not complete, interchangeability between parking spaces at public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas.

Refer to Section 3.0 of this report for additional information pertaining to the supply of commercial truck parking spaces, including drivers' assessment of parking facility quality and the interchangeability of public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas.

Identify Deficiencies by Comparing Supply and Demand

A four-step process was used to determine where shortages in truck parking exist or are expected to exist. First, estimates of parking demand over roadway segments were developed using a modeling approach (Section 2.0). Second, estimates of parking supply were gathered for each segment using available data sources (Section 3.0). Third, a summary of the supply and demand for each roadway segment was provided to partners for review, verification, and comment. In many cases, subsequent analyses were conducted to account for the local knowledge of partners in order to improve the estimates. Fourth, a final calibration of the model was completed, and the calibrated model was used to evaluate shortages (Section 4.0). Highlights from these analyses follow:

• A shortage of total parking (public and commercial combined) may exist in 12 States. There are additional 8 States currently have sufficient total parking. These States may experience shortages in the near future due to growth in truck volumes.
  
  
• Shortages of parking at commercial truck stops and travel plazas are less common and, to the extent that these spaces are interchangeable, may offset shortages in parking at public rest areas (in 35 States).
  
  
• Although the driver survey indicates that 23 percent of the demand for truck parking spaces is at public rest areas, only 10 percent of the supply is at that type of facility.
  
  
• This imbalance in parking availability is underscored by the results of the driver survey where 50 percent of the respondents indicated that parking is rarely or almost never available at public rest areas. Approximately 15 percent reported parking is rarely or almost never available at truck stops and travel plazas.
  
  
• The estimated growth rate of truck parking spaces at commercial truck stops and travel plazas (6.5 percent) will accommodate the expected growth in demand for these spaces (2.7 percent).
  
  
• The estimated growth rate of truck parking spaces at public rest areas (5.1 percent over the next 5 years, or 1.0 percent annually) is below the 20-year forecasted estimated growth in demand for these spaces (2.7 percent annually). The increased demand for public parking will exacerbate the supply shortages already apparent for public parking unless either additional public spaces are made available or steps are taken to encourage drivers to better utilize the existing supply of private spaces.

Additional findings stemming from the analysis of commercial truck parking supply and demand, including a national summary of overcrowding and a State-by-State analysis of parking shortages can be found in Section 4.0 of this report.

Recommendations for Improvements to Solve Parking

Plans for addressing parking shortages should match the geographic scale of the shortage, i.e., area-specific, Statewide, or regional. The commercial truck stop and travel plaza industry, State highway agencies, and turnpike authorities, should and will continue to be principal suppliers of parking facilities. Public rest areas along the NHS were never intended and will never be sufficient to accommodate truck-parking demand. The major responsibility for providing parking for commercial vehicles should remain with private industry. States should continue to provide public rest areas to address short-term rest needs. The recommendations which follow are categorized into four groups: Recommendations for States, Recommendations for the Federal Government, Technology Recommendations, and Recommendations for Federal Surface Transportation Reauthorization.

Recommendations for States

Individual State action plans are the core strategy for reducing shortages. During the course of this study, individual States drafted plans for addressing truck parking shortages. As detailed in Chapter 5 of this report, States' proposed actions fall into six broad categories:

• Expand or improve public rest areas.
• Expand or improve commercial truck stops and travel plazas.
• Encourage the formation of public-private partnerships.
• Educate or inform drivers about available spaces.
• Change parking enforcement rules.
• Conduct additional studies.

The FHWA, in cooperation with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), will work with their State partners to maintain, and refine where necessary, the State action plans, at a level appropriate to the current adequacy of available parking in the State, i.e.:

• In States where a surplus of parking is currently available at both public rest areas and commercial truck stops and travel plazas, FHWA and FMCSA will continue to work with the State to review and update as needed their Statewide Rest-Area Plan, consistent with AASHTO's 2001 Guide for Development of Rest Areas on Major Arterials and Freeways and corresponding sections of FHWA's Federal-Aid Program Guide.
  
  
• In States where a shortage of parking at public rest areas and/or commercial truck stops and travel plazas is currently estimated, FHWA and FMCSA will work with these States' partners to refine (where necessary), periodically update, and monitor implementation of the plan the State drafted as part of their Final Status Report under the Section 4027 study.

Recommendations for the Federal Government

Within current legislative authority, the appropriate role for the USDOT (FHWA and FMCSA) is to facilitate a continuing dialogue among and actions by parking suppliers, commercial vehicle drivers and the motor carrier industry, and other concerned stakeholders (States, local governments, and others), the goal of which is to foster appropriate cross-jurisdictional strategies and actions to reduce shortages.

The FHWA, in cooperation with FMCSA, will facilitate continuing a dialogue among parking stakeholders to address the adequacy of parking. In addition to the reports produced under this study, resource materials to stimulate the dialogue will include the synthesis on "Dealing with Truck Parking Demands" being prepared under NCHRP Project 20-5, Topic 32-01.

The FHWA, in cooperation with FMCSA, will hold regional meetings to discuss:

• The NHS corridors where regional (i.e., multi-State) strategies would be most effective.
  
  
• Development of multi-stakeholder strategies to make most effective use of existing parking supply and future investment in additional supply. Multi-stakeholder strategies may involve a wide range of possible public-private, public-public, and private-private relationships along with possible innovative financing.

The FMCSA should facilitate discussions with shipper/receiver facilities, and port and railroad terminals regarding their role in providing parking to meet the needs of truck drivers serving their facilities.

To facilitate State programs/projects that encourage drivers' use of private truck parking facilities serving the NHS, FHWA should issue guidance on, and as necessary change policy/program guidelines to permit/encourage Federal funding for projects that improve the operational and safety aspects of interchanges and cross roads and enhance access to private truck facilities.

Technology Recommendations

The FHWA and FMCSA should initiate actions to facilitate private-sector provision and truck-driver use of truck parking spaces at commercial truck stops and travel plazas serving the NHS, including improved information systems that facilitate truck drivers use of private truck stops for their long-term parking requirements.

On a national level, the FHWA and FMCSA should investigate the feasibility of using Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology in the development and promotion of technology-based solutions to provide traveler information to truck drivers on available parking and other relevant matters (location of truck stops, weather, and congestion and delays).

Consistent with the new Administration's National Energy Policy, FHWA and FMCSA should work with the EPA to promote the use of technology to provide more energy-efficient alternatives for truck parking.

Recommendations for Federal Surface Transportation Reauthorization

In developing its Federal Surface Transportation Reauthorization proposal, FHWA and FMCSA should consider a range of legislative and administrative policy/procedural changes including: permitting innovative financing (low-interest loans and grants); permitting commercialization/privatization of public rest areas on Interstate right of way and allowing States to use Federal-aid funds to operate and improve safety and security at public rest areas; allowing the development of an "oasis" signing standard for businesses along the NHS meeting appropriate criteria to be developed by FHWA, States and relevant stakeholders; permitting Federal-aid funds to be used for projects to build auxiliary public truck parking lots at private truck stops off the right of way; and prohibiting States from enacting or enforcing time restrictions on parking at public rest areas on Interstate/NHS right of way in the event drivers need to comply with Federal hours-of-service rules.