The Tennessee Department of Transportation recently finished implementing Truck Parking Availability System or TPAS technologies at its I-40 Welcome Center in Smith County; part of a pilot project coordinated effort with technology firm Stantec and funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s SMART Grants Program designed to help truck drivers find safe, reliable parking spaces.
[Above photo by Tennessee DOT]
Those TPAS technologies are also now fully integrated into Tennessee DOT’s SmartWay system and operational at the I-40 Welcome Center, meaning truck drivers can use QR codes displayed on the signage in the truck parking area to submit feedback on the technologies to help the agency determine the most reliable occupancy detection technology and overall systems standards.
The TPAS technologies will be evaluated over the coming months to determine the recommended technologies and standards for future statewide scaling across all truck parking facilities, the Tennessee DOT noted.
The agency noted that four different methods of monitoring technology have been deployed:
- Magnetometers to detect the number of trucks entering and exiting the Welcome Center’s eastbound lot.
- Radar-Camera Fusion Sensor to detect the number of trucks entering and exiting the Welcome Center’s eastbound lot, and to detect the number of available parking spaces in the Welcome Center’s westbound lot.
- Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to detect the number of available parking spaces in the Welcome Center’s westbound lot.
- Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to detect the number of available parking spaces in the Welcome Center’s westbound lot.
The agency said those technologies provide real-time availability information to commercial truck drivers through roadside signage and in-cab alerts via Electronic Logging Devices or ELDs. Similar to Tennessee DOT SmartWay cameras, any camera deployed at the I-40 Welcome Center to monitor parking will not be recorded or used for enforcement purposes, the agency added.
“By giving drivers early, reliable information through these innovative solutions, we help them make smarter decisions,” said Will Reid, Tennessee DOT commissioner, in a statement. “Our goal is simple: to support the men and women who keep our freight moving, while protecting everyone who uses Tennessee roadways.”
Other state departments of transportation have also deployed similar systems to aid truck drivers in their respective regions of the country.
For example, the Montana Department of Transportation deployed a Truck Parking Availability Information System or “TPAIS” in March 2026 to provide real-time information to truck drivers so they can locate safe parking when traveling on Montana’s I-90 corridor.
In June, the Florida Department of Transportation hosted the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration at a groundbreaking ceremony for five new truck parking expansion projects along I-4.
Construction began earlier this summer on the first three sites along I-4 in Seminole and Volusia counties, which are expected to be completed in mid-2027.
Construction on two additional sites along I-4, in Osceola and Orange counties, will begin in 2027, Florida DOT said.
And the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation noted that, in 2025, it built 339 more parking spaces for truck drivers traveling through the state as part of its commitment to adding at least 1,200 truck parking spaces by the end of 2026.
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