America's $100+ Billion Truck Parking Crisis

New research shows truck parking shortage creates inefficiencies that ripple across the supply chain—costing drivers, fleets, the industry, and American consumers alike

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Aug. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- America's truck parking shortage is imposing a staggering $100 billion annual burden on drivers, fleets, and the trucking industry, according to groundbreaking new truck parking research that reveals drivers waste 56 minutes and drive 15 extra miles daily searching for legal parking spaces—costs that ultimately ripple through supply chains and increase prices for consumers nationwide.

The research, commissioned by Truck Parking Club and conducted by transportation economist Noël Perry of Transport Futures, exposes a massive disconnect between America's truck parking needs and available infrastructure. With 2.4 million commercial trucks requiring daily parking for federally mandated rest breaks, the nation provides only 697,000 official parking spaces—creating a shortage of 1.7 million spaces, or roughly 70% of daily demand.

"The $100+ billion in annual costs from truck parking inefficiencies represents a hidden tax on every American consumer," said Perry. "When drivers spend an hour circling for parking instead of delivering goods, those costs inevitably show up in higher prices at checkout."

Direct Impact on American Families

The parking crisis creates a cascade of inefficiencies that directly impact households. Supply chain disruptions from parking shortages raise consumer goods prices by 2-3% nationwide—translating to $100-150 billion in additional costs annually on the $5 trillion Americans spend on consumer goods.

Individual drivers face $380 in daily costs from parking-related inefficiencies, including wasted fuel, extended search times, and suboptimal locations that prevent maximizing federally allowed driving hours. These accumulate to $37.7 billion annually in extra miles searching for parking and over $82 billion in lost productivity.

A Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight

Most striking is the research finding that America actually has abundant truck parking capacity—it's just not accessible. The study identified 23.4 million parking spaces nationwide that could accommodate heavy trucks. However, 98% are on private property not offered to the public, forcing the entire trucking industry to compete for just 2% of available capacity.

This forces drivers to park on highway shoulders or in abandoned lots, creating dangerous conditions. Cargo theft costs exceed $700 million annually, much attributed to unsafe parking, while driver turnover—partly from parking stress—costs the industry over $10 billion yearly.

The shortage isn't distributed evenly. The New York metropolitan area faces a deficit of 186,000 parking spaces—four times worse than the national average. The top ten affected states experience shortages more than double the national average. Meanwhile, western states like Oklahoma and Wyoming maintain surplus capacity, highlighting how capacity exists in the wrong places.

Technology-Driven Solutions Working

Despite the massive scale, innovative solutions are making a measurable impact. Digital marketplace platforms connecting drivers with property owners who have unused parking capacity have added over 44,000 new spaces—a 20% increase in available capacity—without constructing a single facility.

"We have a 1.7 million space shortage alongside 23 million unparked spaces," said Evan Shelley, Co-Founder & CEO of Truck Parking Club. "This isn't a capacity problem—it's an access problem that technology can solve. America doesn't need to build 1.7 million new parking spaces. We need to unlock existing capacity by connecting drivers with the millions of spaces at trucking companies, truck repair shops, self storage operators, tow truck companies, CDL Schools, truck stops, truck parking operators and more. These locations have suitable spaces but either aren't accessible to the public today or, when they are available, remain difficult for drivers to utilize."

Economic Opportunity in Crisis

The study positions the parking shortage as both a massive problem and economic opportunity. The $100+ billion in annual waste represents inefficiencies that could be eliminated through better resource allocation and technology deployment.

"The truck parking crisis represents both a massive problem and opportunity," Perry concluded. "The $100+ billion in annual costs represents waste that could be eliminated through better information, smarter technology, and more efficient use of existing resources."

For an economy dependent on trucks to move goods coast to coast, solving the parking crisis represents critical infrastructure investment that doesn't require massive government spending—just smarter use of resources that already exist.

Access the Full Research

The complete 31-page report provides detailed supply and demand analysis by state, comprehensive economic impact calculations, methodology, and strategic recommendations for all industry stakeholders.

Download the full research report at: truckparkingclub.com/research

About Truck Parking Club Truck Parking Club is a network of instantly reservable hourly, daily, weekly and monthly truck parking locations throughout the US. Truck Parking Club helps connect truckers to truck parking locations throughout the US via truckparkingclub.com and our mobile app. Our network is made up of property owners that have locations adequate for truck parking to list on the platform: this includes trucking companies, truck repair shops, tow truck companies, storage companies, CDL Schools, trailer leasing companies, real estate investors, truck stops, truck parking operators and more!

SOURCE Truck Parking Club