The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) recently launched the Truck Parking Information Management System, a program to help truck drivers find convenient and safe parking at rest areas and weigh stations along the I-5 corridor.
The program equips truck drivers with real-time and predictive information on the available parking spaces up ahead. The technology, which is currently deployed at nine locations, can help drivers plan where to park up to four hours in advance.
Information, under the program, will be available by the end of the month, and two more locations are scheduled to be completed. Additional locations will be deployed through the end of the year.
Drivers are electronically monitored to ensure they do not exceed their driving hours which means they must search for truck parking before they actually need it. Many drivers report spending more than an hour looking for space.
In Washington, 75 percent drivers report problems at least once every week finding safe parking while nationwide there is just one parking space for every 11 trucks.
WSDOT encourages truck drivers to complete an online survey and provide feedback on how well the program is working. The agency will use the feedback to improve the program.