Truck Parking Data for State Freight Plan Updates

State Freight Plan Truck Parking Assessment Data Package

Trucking Lab provides verified truck parking inventory, availability data, and demand forecasting for State Freight Plan updates.

The evidence gap in most truck parking inventories

Trucking Lab data strengthens State DOT freight planning work by turning truck parking inventory, availability, shortage, and demand data into actionable planning insights.

  • Is the inventory up to date and accurate?
  • Where and when does parking fill up?
  • Where are recurring truck parking shortages?
  • How much will truck parking demand grow in this region?
Undesignated Truck Parking Location and Risk Map showing unmet demand and interstate corridors
Undesignated Truck Parking Location & Risk Map

Federal requirement

Under 49 U.S.C. § 70202, each State Freight Plan must include the most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessment. Trucking Lab provides the truck parking supply, demand, shortage locations, and planning insights needed to address these State Freight Plan requirements.

Beyond documenting the shortage: capacity alternatives

The § 70202 assessment documents where parking is short. The harder planning question comes next: expanding at a known hotspot is usually blocked — the federal ban on commercializing Interstate rest areas leaves no revenue model for M&O, right-of-way near saturated corridors is the most expensive land in the study area, and community opposition grows the closer a site sits to existing development. Because our demand model estimates parking demand independently of existing supply, it also identifies candidate zones: grid cells with expected truck parking demand and no official facility today — locations that can absorb overflow without the constraints that stall hotspot expansion. In Texas, 609 such grids; in Illinois, 220. Candidate zones are screening-level outputs; intersecting them with your state’s ROW inventory or surplus-property lists produces a parcel-level shortlist as a follow-on step.

What Trucking Lab delivers

Data products that help State DOT teams update the truck parking portion of a State Freight Plan.

1

Verified truck parking inventory

Current, geolocated public and private truck parking facilities organized for planning use.

2

Availability data

Observed parking availability patterns that help show where and when supply becomes limited.

3

Shortage analysis

Corridor and facility-level analysis to help identify locations with recurring parking pressure.

4

Demand forecasting

Forecast-based estimates of future truck parking demand, including candidate zones with expected demand and no existing facility.

5

GIS-ready maps and tables

Structured outputs that can support maps, tables, summaries, and internal planning review.

6

Methodology notes

Documentation of data sources, assumptions, and processing steps for planning use.

Static parking list vs. planning data support

Focus Manual / static inventory Trucking Lab data support
Facility data Names and addresses that may need additional review Geolocated truck parking inventory organized into structured planning data.
Availability context Static facility records do not show when parking becomes limited. Availability data helps describe where and when parking supply becomes limited.
Shortage identification Facility lists alone may not explain recurring shortage locations. Shortage analysis helps identify locations with recurring parking pressure.
Future demand Future parking need requires additional analysis beyond a facility list. Demand forecasting helps describe future truck parking demand.
Planning output Raw data may require extra GIS processing, review, and formatting. GIS-ready maps, tables, and methodology notes support planning workflows.

How it fits your State Freight Plan workflow

1

Inventory update

Use verified, geocoded truck parking inventory to update existing facility records.

2

Availability review

Use availability data to understand where and when parking supply becomes limited.

3

Shortage analysis

Identify locations that show recurring truck parking pressure.

4

Future demand

Use demand forecasting to support discussion of future truck parking needs.

5

Maps and tables

Use GIS-ready outputs and methodology notes for internal review and planning documentation.

Common questions from State DOT teams

What is the truck parking requirement in a State Freight Plan?

Under 49 U.S.C. § 70202, State Freight Plans must include the most recent commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessment conducted by the State.

What data can support a commercial motor vehicle parking facilities assessment?

Supporting data may include facility locations, capacity information, availability patterns, shortage locations, and demand forecasts.

How does Trucking Lab support State Freight Plan updates?

Trucking Lab provides verified truck parking inventory, availability data, shortage analysis, demand forecasting, GIS-ready maps and tables, and methodology notes.

Why is a static truck parking inventory limited?

A static inventory can show where parking facilities are located. It does not, by itself, explain when parking fills up, where recurring pressure appears, or how future truck parking demand will change.

Can the data identify new candidate locations, not just document shortages?

Yes. Because demand is modeled independently of existing supply, the analysis surfaces candidate zones — areas with expected truck parking demand and no official facility today. These zones show where overflow demand could be absorbed outside the saturated corridors where expansion is typically blocked by ROW cost, M&O burden, or community opposition.

Can the analysis be customized by state or corridor?

Yes. Trucking Lab can organize data and analysis at the statewide, corridor, regional, or facility level depending on the planning need.

Updating a State Freight Plan?

Contact Trucking Lab for truck parking inventory, availability data, and demand forecasting support.

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