The Iowa DOT is beginning to implement a truck parking information management system that will give truckers information on available parking at public rest areas and private truck stops along I-80.The Iowa Department of Transportation is implementing the infrastructure necessary to launch a truck parking information management system along the Interstate 80 corridor.
The project is part of an eight-state initiative that will provide truckers will real-time, in-cab information on truck parking availability at public rest areas and private truck stops along the interstate.
The system will collect truck parking information using in-pavement and entrance/exit ramp sensors. Parking information will be available through Iowa’s 511 Traveler Information System, as well as in a data feed that can be used in existing and future in-cab routing systems, Iowa DOT says.
Having this system in place will help truck drivers better manage their hours of service and provide a safer, more efficient travel experience for motorists along I-80,” said Phil Mescher, an Iowa DOT transportation planner. “Availability and awareness of available truck parking is an ongoing national highway safety concern, which our system will address head-on.”
Iowa DOT says its portion of the system is expected to be fully operational by Jan. 4, 2019. Other states participating in the initiative are Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Each state is responsible for implementing its own system, and the states will eventually connect to create a regional system.
