Report: Truck Parking Varies Widely State by State

Parking a commercial vehicle continues to be a crapshoot that depends largely on which state you’re in, recent data show.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released a report evaluating truck parking at rest stops in 47 of the 50 states (Alabama, Delaware and Rhode Island did not participate).

The report was culled from various states’ departments of transportation, and developed in conjunction with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, ATRI explained. Most of the data is from 2024, although national highway system data is from 2022.

Florida had the most truck parking spaces at rest stops with 2,100, while Illinois came in second with 1,449 spaces. Texas was a close third with 1,409. Hawaii, which doesn’t have traditional rest stops like other states, was listed as having zero truck parking spaces. Of those states that do have rest stops, Alaska had the lowest number with 70 spaces.

Indiana had the highest frequency of rest area truck spaces, with 37.5 for every 100 miles of roadway within the national highway system. Vermont posted second with 32.9 spaces, and West Virginia was third at 32. Hawaii continued to bring up the rear with zero spaces, while Alaska featured only 3.1 truck spaces per 100 miles of highway.

When it comes to rest area amenities, three states tied for first place, with West Virginia, Texas and Tennessee all posting eight out of eight types of amenities. These include restrooms, adequate lighting, trash receptacles, dumping stations, pet relief areas, vending machines, walking trails and 24-hour security. Oklahoma, New Jersey and Hawaii had none of those amenities.

Virginia led the states when it came to service and maintenance, spending over $32,900 per parking space. New York was also a big spender, averaging more than $28,000 per space. Indiana had the lowest recorded budget at $344 per space, although 12 states came in behind it with no listing for spending.