It’s critical that drivers are provided the information they need to find safe, reliable parking spots. That’s why we’ve partnered with Truck Parking Club to bring their industry-leading parking data into the Trimble Places database that powers Trimble CoPilot commercial navigation application, Trimble PC*Miler mileage and rating solution, and our developer-focused web app, Content Tools.
Understanding the Challenge
A dire lack of parking for commercial vehicles across the United States has decreased driver safety, delayed deliveries and increased costs and regulatory violations. According to a recent American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) survey of the most critical issues facing the trucking industry throughout 2024, parking ranked second for companies and first for drivers. A shortage of viable parking spaces across the US for commercial vehicles causes a wide range of problems for drivers and transportation companies.
Because spaces are often difficult to find, drivers frequently violate Hours of Service restrictions trying to find a spot suitable to their vehicle or are forced to park in locations that could be unsafe for the driver or their load.
American Trucking Association reports, per US Department of Transportation data, that “98% of commercial drivers regularly experience problems finding safe parking” and that “70% of drivers have been forced to violate Hours of Service rules to find safe parking.” According to the American Transportation Research Institute, “56 minutes of drive time per day is sacrificed by drivers.” And the Transportation Research Record says that “more than $6,800 of a driver’s annual pay is lost looking for parking, amounting to a 12% pay cut.”
In addition, the parking search itself can lead to a driver performing numerous unnecessary and unsafe maneuvers within unfamiliar locations, resulting in more accidents and risks to the driver’s safety. The time wasted and increased risk not only have a severe impact on a driver’s quality of life, but they also increase a trucking company’s fuel costs as drivers are forced to circle or idle, and if accidents do occur, they threaten others, incur legal penalties, and impact the company’s reputation.
