Iowa DOT will Install System to Help Drivers Parking Along I-80

The Iowa Department of Transportation announced that by 2019, rest areas along Iowa’s Interstate 80 freight route will include technology to assist truck drivers traveling the highway to track parking availability.

Iowa’s DOT July I-80 planning study includes a chapter on automated corridors and how vehicle technology can improve safety issues, with truck driver parking the biggest issue.

The state agency is working alongside some Midwestern states to develop a “smart” truck parking system along I-80, which is an east-west freight corridor that runs from San Francisco, CA to Teaneck, NJ.

The project includes the installation of devices in rest areas that scan for vacant spots for the 300-mile Iowa section. Drivers will also have mobile apps which can help them determine where and how many available spaces there are at a specific location.

The state’s plan is for the technology, including mobile apps to be used by 2019. This will allow drivers to understand the parking at public rest areas and private truck stops. Also, equpping rest areas with the technology for drivers is a goal of the plan.

Iowa DOT’s plan includes parking technology at 21 public rest areas and at at least 16 private truck stops along I-80. The state is at the point where it has submitted request for proposals to get the project off the ground, and gather initial feedback.

Private rest areas are perhaps the most important reason for adopting this technology. While public rest areas offer 100 truck spaces, private truck stops can have over 1,000 spaces.

Hands-free applications are encouraged by the Iowa DOT, including Iowa 511, which provides commercial drivers with traffic updates.

It is apparent that driver’s cannot open various apps due to safety concerns. And the overall objective is not for drivers to use phones while driving.

There are times during the week which I-80 is bumper-to-bumper with commercial trucks. Motorists and those in the trucking industry are all complaining, so this is the state’s biggest effort to show sympathy and effort to fix the problems.

The states – and any states – limited parking resources for commercial vehicles is a huge safety concern. According to the American Transportation Research Instittue, truck parking was the industry’s fourth most pressing issue in 2016.

ATRI President, Rebecca Brewster said the main concern is for a driver’s rest and there just aren’t enough places for them to do that at.