Truck parking shortages have been identified as a safety concern locally and nationally, and FDOT has made resolving this issue in the state a priority. The Department is actively developing and deploying the Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS), an ITS initiative, to address the growing need for safe and accessible truck parking across the state.
According to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), truck drivers have ranked truck parking as a critical issue in the trucking industry in recent years. TPAS helps address the issue of a historical lack of identifiable parking locations – which affects Hours of Service (HOS) restrictions – by providing real-time information on truck parking availability at rest areas, weigh stations, and welcome centers throughout the state.
By helping truck drivers identify available parking spaces, TPAS improves safety by reducing the number of trucks parked along highway shoulders and ramps and also improves efficiency for route planning and delivery schedules. TPAS is now active at approximately 74 facilities statewide and is the first in the country to cover all interstates, as opposed to just specific corridors.
TPAS utilizes in-ground wireless sensors (WDS) in truck stalls and microwave vehicle detectors (MVDS) at facility entrances and exits to detect parking space occupancy. The system then alerts drivers of parking availability on the Florida 511 website and app as well as via dynamic message signs on highways approaching rest areas and weigh stations.
The TPAS program is being deployed in three stages: Implementation of the technology at state-owned facilities to accurately assess and disseminate the availability of truck parking, which is already operational and expanding, development of predictive analysis for future parking availability, and incorporation of private parking locations for systemwide resource utilization.