Safe & Secure Truck Parking: Addressing the 2025 Shortage and Finding Parking Solutions

Introduction to the 2025 Truck Parking Shortage

Driver time is money—and safety. Yet in 2025, the gap between legal rest requirements and actual places to stop remains painfully wide. Safe & Secure Truck Parking: Addressing the 2025 Shortage and Finding Parking Solutions isn’t just a catchy headline; it’s the day-to-day reality for dispatchers, fleet managers, and drivers hunting for compliant, guarded spaces along freight corridors. Multiple federal and state programs acknowledge the problem (via Jason’s Law and FHWA) and have funded expansions and real-time truck parking technology, but demand still outpaces supply in many metros and ports.

Current State of Truck Parking

It’s still a top industry issue. ATRI’s 2024 “Critical Issues in Trucking” shows truck parking among the most pressing driver concerns—again.
Federal attention & programs. The FHWA-led National Coalition on Truck Parking coordinates states, MPOs, and private operators; Jason’s Law continues to guide national surveys, funding, and best practices.
Real-time availability systems exist—and grow. Multi-state projects like MAASTO’s TPIMS and statewide deployments like FDOT’s TPAS now push live availability to roadside signs and apps.

Projected Growth and Challenges

Freight demand and longer urban dwell times keep pressure on truck parking availability.
Cargo theft keeps rising—adding urgency for gated truck parking with surveillance and 24 hour security. CargoNet logged a 27% YoY jump in 2024 incidents (3,625 cases) with average loss ~$202k per theft; NICB expects additional increases into 2025.
Data gaps. Facility owners and drivers are being surveyed for the third Jason’s Law assessment to refresh national truck parking statistics—data we need to target investments.

Impact on Drivers and the Industry

Economic Consequences

Lost drive time & fuel burn. Hunting for spaces erodes margins and can push drivers into HOS issues or out-of-route miles.
Cargo theft exposure. Each minute idling in low-visibility lots increases risk; industry reports estimate billions in annual losses as theft rings target parked freight.
Facility spillover. Overflows onto ramps/shoulders raise crash risks and enforcement exposure, adding costs for carriers and municipalities. FHWA and state partners repeatedly flag this as a safety and operations concern.

Safety Concerns

Night operations without lighting reduce lane visibility and increase assaults/theft.
Unsecured perimeters (no fencing/gates) correlate with higher incident rates in insurer and risk-advisory guidance.
Fraudulent pickups & identity scams (strategic theft) grew sharply in 2024—stronger surveillance coverage and license plate readers (LPR) help investigations.

Solutions and Initiatives

Expansion of Parking Facilities

Recent wins:

Corridor / Program	What’s funded	Why it matters	Source
I-4, Central Florida	~917 new spaces; part of an ~$180M grant package	High-demand lane, integrates with TPAS signs & apps
USDOT “pro-trucker” 2025 package	$275M+ nationwide for truck parking expansion	Signals truck parking as a national priority
Statewide TPAS (Florida)	Real-time space counts across interstates	Reduces search time, improves safety
MAASTO TPIMS (8 states)	Regional real-time system since 2019	Multi-state coverage & data sharing

Fresh state announcements (e.g., Florida’s Oct. 16, 2025 note on a “critical truck parking facility”) reinforce the direction of travel: more public capital for parking on freight corridors.

Technological Innovations

Digital parking maps & real-time availability. TPAS/TPIMS publish space counts via dynamic message signs, traveler info sites, and partner apps, using smart parking sensors and entry/exit counts.
Space reservation systems. Private platforms now offer truck parking reservations and remote gate control—cutting guesswork and unauthorized overnight stops.
Remote parking monitoring. Some operators bolt on low-cost LPR, mobile-activated gates, and camera towers to upgrade older lots quickly.

Security: What “Safe & Secure” Should Mean in 2025

Use this field-ready rubric when scoring truck parking facilities (public or private). The tiers are targets; mix and match based on risk, cargo value, and fleet compliance zones.

Security Feature Tiers (practical spec)

Control	Bronze (minimum)	Silver (preferred)	Gold (high-risk lanes)	Why it matters
Perimeter	Continuous security fence; single entry	Fence + gated truck parking	Gated w/ license plate readers (LPR)	Hardens perimeter; LPR aids investigations
Access control	Manual check-in	Badges / QR codes	Mobile-activated gates + audit trail	Cuts tailgating; clean logs for insurance claims
Lighting	Full cutoff LEDs at lanes	Meets IES RP-8 targets on aisles	Plus motion zones at driver safety zones	Improves lane visibility, deterrence
Surveillance	Cameras at entries	100% surveillance coverage of lanes	Redundant coverage + cloud retention	Supports theft prevention & post-incident review
Staffing	Periodic patrols	On site security overnight	24 hour security with hourly logs	Deters intrusion; speeds response
Design	Marked collision avoidance zones	One-way aisles & wide turns	Weather resistant lots; graded drainage	Avoids crashes; usable in storms
Amenities	Restrooms, Wi-Fi	Secure storage areas, power pedestals	Guarded fuel & repair partners	Reduces dwell in unsecure areas

Impact on Drivers and the Industry (Deep Dive)

Economic Consequences

Time lost searching = missed appointments + tighter HOS windows; the cost multiplies at congested hubs.
Insurance & claims. With theft rising (CargoNet 2024 record), insurers push for documented controls: LPR, CCTV, and guard logs. Expect better rates (or fewer surcharges) at tiered sites.

Safety Concerns

Fatigue risk rises when drivers can’t stage at compliant sites before their 14-hour window closes.
Fraud & “fictitious pickups.” 2024/2025 analysis notes sharp growth; guarded sites with ID verification, cameras, and logged access reduce exposure.

Solutions and Initiatives (How to Scale)

Expansion of Parking Facilities

Public-Private Partnerships: Blend federal grants (INFRA/MEGA/RAISE) with private operators to add rural truck parking and intermodal parking. Florida’s I-4 package is the current flagship.
Rest area partnerships: Where feasible, extend dwell time and add sensors to rest areas; TPAS/TPIMS show how to publish capacity safely.
Parking lot expansion: Focus on freight generators (ports, DC clusters) where staging demand remains chronically high.

Technological Innovations

Smart sensors (overhead cameras, in-ground loops) integrated to digital parking maps and roadside signs.
Remote parking monitoring: Cloud-hosted video and LPR with multi-year retention; privacy-compliant policies and security protocol guides for guards.
APIs/CSV: Standardize fields (see our CSV) so your truck parking resources can flow into TMS/ELD for real time availability.

Finding Safe and Secure Parking (Playbook)

Plan by corridor. Pre-assign safe stops with TPAS/TPIMS feeds on corridors where available. (FDOT’s TPAS, MAASTO TPIMS.)
Reserve ahead for hot lanes or late arrivals via truck parking services that support holds (e.g., Truck Parking Club; DAT One partners).
Filter for security. Prefer fenced, gated locations with on site security, lighting, and LPR.
Use etiquette & compliance:
- Park within marked bays; maintain collision avoidance zones.
- Kill headlights; don’t idle in driver safety zones.
- Follow compliant parking rules; respect max stays and truck parking reservations windows.
Document everything. Use the security checklist CSV to audit lots (lighting lux checks, patrol logs, camera uptime).

Field Tools You Can Use Today

A) Orbit DB CSV schema (excerpt)

Column	Meaning
spaces_total, spaces_heavy, spaces_refrigerated	Capacity and special bays (reefers)
gated_truck_parking, security_fence, on_site_security, 24_hour_security	Core security features
lighting_at_facilities, surveillance_coverage, license_plate_readers	Deterrence & evidence
driver_safety_zones, collision_avoidance_zones, weather_resistant_lots	Design & safety
reservation, fee_usd, max_stay_hours	Operations & policy
power_pedestals, dump_station, wi_fi	Amenities that reduce unsafe off-site dwell

B) Facility scoring card (quick math)

Start at 0.
+2 each for fence, gate, lighting, CCTV, recording retention ≥30 days.
+3 for on site security; +1 more if 24 hour security documented.
+1 for license plate readers; +1 for marked driver safety zones; +1 for weather resistant lots.
Target 8–10 points minimum for high-value loads.

Conclusion and Future Outlook

Where we are: 2025 is finally seeing money and momentum—major grants, multi-state real-time systems, and private platforms scaling truck parking expansion and visibility. But the driver experience remains mixed in urban clusters and at peak times.

Where we’re going:

More sensors and open data (truck parking maps, APIs, and sharable truck parking CSV data).
More secure parking options with standardized tiers (fence, gates, LPR, staffed overnight security).
Closer coordination among DOTs, MPOs, and private operators so truck parking planning fits actual truck parking trends.

What to do now:

Use TPAS/TPIMS feeds + apps to cut search time; reserve early on hot corridors.
Adopt the audit checklist to harden your go-to sites and build a private digital parking map for your fleet.
Prioritize Safe & Secure Truck Parking: Addressing the 2025 Shortage and Finding Parking Solutions within dispatch SOPs: pair HOS planning with security features (fence/gate/lighting/CCTV/LPR), and keep your CSV fresh so drivers aren’t guessing at midnight.

Further reading & references