The goal was to quantify truck parking performance nationwide and create a repeatable, evidence-based methodology for assessing availability, accessibility, and compliance with HOS regulations.

Our Approach:

• Identification of Stopped Locations – Processed GPS records to identify all stationary events for heavy vehicles across the US.
• Integration of HOS Data – Linked ELD logs to each stopped event to calculate remaining driver Hours of Service, identifying whether the stop was early, compliant, or in potential violation.
• Proximity Analysis – Calculated the distance from each stopped location to the nearest authorised parking facility, determining whether parking behaviour was influenced by infrastructure access.
• Detection of Unauthorised Parking – Flagged stops occurring outside recognised parking areas to measure the scale of informal or unsafe parking practices.
• Development of Parking Performance Index (PPI) – Combined compliance, proximity, and utilisation metrics into a single index for each US state, enabling comparison and tracking over time.
• Academic Collaboration – Partnered with the University of Arkansas to formalise the methodology and publish the findings in conference papers.

Key Findings:

• Comprehensive National Assessment – Produced county, state, and national-level PPI scores, revealing substantial regional disparities in truck parking performance.
• Identification of Shortage Areas – Highlighted specific states and corridors where unmet demand led to elevated unauthorised parking rates.
• HOS-Driven Risk Insights – Found that some parking shortages directly contributed to drivers exceeding HOS limits or stopping prematurely.
• Policy-Relevant Metrics – Provided a quantitative, comparable measure that can be used by state DOTs and federal agencies to prioritise investments.

Impact:

• Infrastructure Planning Support – Gave transportation agencies clear, data-backed evidence to guide truck parking expansion and upgrades.
• Safety and Compliance Benefits – Enabled proactive interventions to reduce unauthorised and unsafe parking behaviours.
• Academic and Industry Recognition – Research was presented at national conferences, positioning EROAD as a leader in applying big data analytics to freight infrastructure challenges.

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