Project. Truck stop information    completed

Principal investigator: Dr. Nicholas J. Garber, University of Virginia, 804-924-6366, njg@virginia.edu

External contact. Wayne Ferguson, VTRC, 530 Edgemont Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22903, 804-293-1917

Project objective. To facilitate the provision of adequate truck rest areas along Virginia interstate highways in order to diminish a serious safety problem.

Project abstract. There is growing concern that crashes involving large trucks are partly attributed to fatigued truck drivers who cannot find space to rest at truck parking facilities of their choice. There is also concern that some truck drivers who cannot find parking at the specific rest area or truck stop of their choice, tend to park on ramps at nearby interchanges, resulting in the creation of hazardous conditions at these ramps and damage to the shoulders of these ramps. It is also likely that because most truck drivers tend to use specific rest areas and/or truck stops along a specific route, overcrowding occurs at these locations, while parking spaces may be available at other nearby locations. It is therefore probable that the available parking spaces for large trucks are not efficiently used, which may have significantly contributed to the perceived problem of inadequate parking spaces for large trucks on Interstate Routes.

In order to solve this perceived problem, it is not only necessary to provide adequate parking facilities for large trucks, but it is also necessary to provide real time information on the availability of parking spaces for large truck drivers along the Interstate Highways. This research project will investigate the feasibility of developing a system that will ensure efficient use of the available parking spaces on a selected number of interstate highways by providing real time information on parking availability on interstate highways.

Tasks. 1) Develop real time information system. 2) Prepare report explaining the system.

Milestones. The project will be completed by June 30, 2002.

Student involvement. From two to three full-effort GRAs will be used throughout the project.

Budget.  $360,000

Relationship to other research projects. No immediate relationship.

Technology transfer. Transmittal of findings to VDOT. Possible publication in professional journals.

Potential benefits. Truckers without adequate rest have been shown to be a high-risk category of drivers. Improvements in providing rest facilities may have a direct impact on reducing the number of drivers in this category.

TRB keywords. ITS, trucks