The New Mexico Department of Transportation recently completed a $2.7 million commercial truck parking management initiative, unveiling the state’s first Truck Parking Availability System or TPAS to help truck drivers find parking slips along 164 miles of Interstate 10.
[Above photo by NMDOT]
The agency said truck drivers can now use electronic road signs and the state’s 511 system to locate available parking at all six rest areas along I-10 in New Mexico, including the east and westbound Lordsburg Welcome Centers, westbound Anthony and Gage rest areas, and the eastbound Yucca and Las Cruces rest areas.
The state also plans to work with private sector software developers to integrate its truck parking information system into various truck driver-focused mobile applications.
“We are excited to implement this first of its kind system in New Mexico and is committed to finding and implementing technology to support safety on our highways,” said NMDOT Secretary Ricky Serna in a statement.
The project is part of the I-10 TPAS initiative, partially funded by a $6.85 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant and matched by the I-10 Coalition states to provide truck drivers and dispatchers with real-time truck parking information on I-10 in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
When fully implemented in 2025, TPAS will provide truck drivers with information on more than 550 parking spots at 37 public rest areas along I-10 in all four states.
Similar truck parking systems are under development in other parts of the country as well, many supported by USDOT grants.
For example, the USDOT recently awarded a $12 million grant to Washington State, Oregon, and California to provide truck drivers with real-time truck parking availability data for approximately 54 truck parking facilities along the entire length of the Interstate 5 north/south corridor.
Those agencies expect this project to kick off in late 2024 or early 2025 with initial planning and outreach to trucking groups and other communities. It should be complete and serving truckers in 2027.
“[We] collaborated on this project to bring truck drivers the real-time information they have long sought on truck parking availability,” said Roger Millar, secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation, in a statement.
“Rather than guessing on what parking might be available up ahead and spending precious time seeking safe locations to park for mandated rest periods, truck drivers will soon be able to make informed plans using real-time information,” he noted. “Keeping truck drivers safe and productive is a win for all of us.”
“The real-time information offered by this project will be a game-changer for freight on I-5, providing truck drivers with parking information that not only enhances their health and safety but also reduces the environmental impact on communities surrounding the corridor,” added Tony Tavares, director of the California Department of Transportation.
“We want to thank Oregon and Washington for their collaborative partnership and look forward to working together to implement this transformative project,” he said.
“Our success with this grant is due to the strong partnership among the west coast states,” said Amy Ramsdell, administrator of the Commerce and Compliance Division within the Oregon Department of Transportation in a separate statement. “We are excited this grant will allow us to provide real-time information to truck drivers to help them find safe truck parking along the interstate.”
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