FDOT Truck Parking Availability System

In an effort to produce an innovative, intelligent mobility solution that would directly improve the safety and travel of truckers across the state, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) collaborated with HNTB on a statewide Truck Parking Availability System (TPAS). Providing truckers real-time information about available parking, the system is the first in the country to cover all interstates, as opposed to just specific corridors.

Comprised of 74 facilities on four major interstates, FDOT’s Truck Parking Availability System is in use at rest areas, welcome centers and weigh stations. The system utilizes sensors placed in parking spaces at both rest stops and welcome centers to detect whether parking spaces are open or occupied. At the program’s weigh stations, vehicle detection counts the in-and-out traffic. This data is then routed through a central server, which is then shared real-time to truckers via roadway signs, Florida’s 511 application and third-party navigation apps.

As system manager, HNTB oversaw procurement, design, construction, implementation and operation of the program. HNTB provided the continuity critical to a statewide program and helped gather input from in-house staff. The firm also continued support with the selection and oversight of seven independent design-build contracts. Additionally, teams representing the commercial vehicle industry, intermodal freight, engineering, operations and maintenance were brought to the table to fully address the initiative and deliver an effective solution.

With the completion of the FDOT’s Truck Parking Availability System project, truck drivers within the state of Florida ­— as well as across the nation — are experiencing safer, faster and more reliable travel. FDOT continues to invest in truck parking, with a 10-year plan that includes nearly $700 million in funding for expansion of facilities that will include TPAS technology. Additionally, the success of the program has elevated the visibility of the need for truck parking solutions, with private entities investing in further parking expansion. In coordination with other HNTB-led truck parking systems within the Midwest, FDOT’s project success will provide a critical link to proposed truck parking systems in other states across the country.