Appendix I Truck Parking Study - Virginia Department of ... · and avoid driving while fatigued, and when designated parking is not available, drivers are forced to either continue

Appendix I

Truck Parking Study

This appendix contains the Truck Park Study, which documents both private and public truck parking

supply and demand in the corridor. The report also identifies opportunities for integrating real-time truck

parking data with established tools. The report recommends the formation of the I -81 Truck Parking Task

Force aimed finding strategies to narrow the gap between the parking supply and demand throughout

the corridor.

DECEMBER 2018

I-81 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PLAN: APPENDIX I


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Truck Parking Studyfor Interstate 81

Prepared for the

Virginia Department of Transportation,

Office of Public-Private Partnerships

by H. W. Lochner Inc.

October 2018


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Executive Summary

Over the past few decades, increases in population, greater eco-nomic activity, deregulation of the trucking industry, and changes in supply logistics practices, have resulted in steady and dramatic growth in truck traffic on the Interstate Highway System and a wide-spread shortage of truck parking locations. With freight demand projected to grow at a rate of 1.7 percent annually, addressing the growing issue of truck parking shortages is a high priority for VDOT.

VDOT has examined the issue of truck parking shortages at a statewide level and is focusing on solutions in specific, high-de-mand corridors. One of those corridors is Interstate 81—a critical link in the national freight transportation system. One of the top trucking routes in the US, I-81 connects several other highway and rail facilities, with trucks accounting for 20 to 30 percent of traffic on some sections in Virginia. I-81 carries 42 percent of statewide truck vehicle-miles traveled.1

When compared against other interstates in the Virginia, I-81 has the highest percentage of lane-impacting tractor trailer incidents and second highest percentage of fatal incidents involving tractor trailers.

In general, while all other Virginia Interstates have 16 percent incident caused delays, I-81 has 51 percent of delays caused by

1 Transearch Insight and VDOT data for years 2012 - 2016.

incidents. In other words, I-81 has the lowest proportion of recur-ring delays (i.e. rush hours) and the highest proportion of incident delay.

Approximately 25 percent of all travel delay on I-81 is caused by tractor trailer incidents, which results in substantial economic costs. In 2016 and 2017 there were a total of150 tractor trailer incidents on I-81 that caused at least a thousand vehicle hours of delay, equating to about $30 million in economic cost in those two years alone.

The truck parking shortage is primarily a safety issue as well. Drivers must park their trucks in order to maintain adequate rest and avoid driving while fatigued, and when designated parking is not available, drivers are forced to either continue driving or park in non-designated areas (which itself creates a safety issue, both for drivers and area road users).

The current study was carried out to provide a better understand-ing of truck parking shortages along Interstate 81 in Virginia and to advance earlier work that was carried out by VDOT to examine truck parking problems at the statewide level.

The current effort included:

• reviewing previous studies of the truck parking problem nation-wide;


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• reviewing federal and state laws that regulate rest areas andother public parking areas;

• establishing where on I-81 the parking shortages are mostacute; and exploring ways these shortages could be lessenedthrough adding parking spaces or using technological applica-tions;

• conducting informal interviews with truck drivers and travelcenter representatives to gain their perspectives on the day-to-day realities of today’s long-haul truck driving environment.

As part of this study, all existing public rest areas were examined for possible expansions. In so doing, it was found that upwards of 700 spaces could be added at various locations along the I-81 corridor. Five rest areas were identified as having a particularly high potential for adding truck parking:

Bristol District1. Smyth Southbound Rest Area (mile marker 53)

Salem District

2. Radford Southbound Rest Area (mile marker 108)3. Ironto Northbound Rest Area (mile marker 129)4. Troutville Southbound Rest Area (mile marker 158).

Staunton District

5. New Market Northbound Rest Area (mile marker 262).

There is currently a 9:1 ratio of private truck parking spaces to public truck parking spaces along the length of the I-81 corridor in Virginia, meaning that private travel center operators will play an important role in meeting the demand for truck parking. The

current study is recommending VDOT explore a variety of strat-egies to assist the private sector in expanding its truck parking facilities, including:

• providing development grants,

• committing to targeted highway improvements,

• providing assistance to private operators to help expedite thedevelopment approval process, and

• exploring overall public-private development agreements.

In addition to providing more physical parking, mobile device appli-cations can assist truck drivers in finding and securing parking, allowing more efficient use of the parking that exists today. Rec-ommendations include exploring implementation of a real-time truck parking availability system at VDOT rest areas and integrating real-time truck parking data with established parking apps such as "Park My Truck" and "Trucker Path."

A recommendation that could help achieve each of the I-81 truck parking goals is the formation of an I-81 Truck Parking Task Force. Composed of private travel center owners, truck driver groups, and representatives from local and regional governments and VDOT, its purpose would be to help VDOT identify site-specific issues and overcome obstacles to parking development. Because the majority of truck parking is provided by the private sector, and because expansion of private facilities is often challenged by local communities, bringing together these categories of stakeholders to identify specific issues and solutions could ultimately be the most important factor in solving truck parking deficiencies.


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Contents

1 Summary and Recommendations

2 Current Conditions

6 Statutory and Regulatory Considerations

3 Truck Origins and Destinations

4 Opportunities to Increase Parking

5 Technology Applications

Appendices

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9

19

27

35

43

53


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Table 1 - Estimated Truck Parking Needs

Table 2 - Parking Needs, Deficits, and Locations

Exhibit 1 - Truck Accommodations on Interstate 81

Table 3 - Summary of Parking Needs,Deficits, and Locations

Table 4 - Effect of Operating Speed on Parking Needs

Exhibit 2 - Current Truck Parking Needs

Exhibit 3 - Truck Parking Decision Process

Exhibit 4 - Rest Areas Recommended for Additional Parking

Table 5 - Characteristics of Truck Parking Applications

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36

Tables, Figures, Maps


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INTRODUCTIONOver the past three decades the volume of trucks has increased significantly on our nation’s roadway network. At the same time, creation of truck parking has lagged. This imbalance between trucks and places for them to park has become a nationwide safety issue. To comply with federal Hours of Service regulations, truck drivers must park their vehicles and rest at certain intervals to ensure they are not driving while fatigued. When adequate truck parking is not available, drivers are forced to chose between vio-lating regulations by continuing to drive or parking in non-desig-nated and often unsafe areas such as highway shoulders, shop-ping centers, or vacant lots. None of these is a safe choice.

In 2015, VDOT conducted a general, statewide assessment of truck parking conditions and needs on Virginia's principal truck corridors and is now underway on more detailed assessments for specific corridors. This report presents the finding of one of those

assessments, focusing on the 325 mile long Interstate 81 through Virginia, from Tennessee to West Virginia. The purpose of the assessment was to gain a better understanding of truck parking needs on I-81 and then explore options for meeting those needs.

METHOD OF ANALYSISTo achieve the study’s purpose, it was necessary to first under-stand the demand for parking on I-81 and where those demands may be concentrated, then to check the demand against the parking supply that is currently available in the corridor. Once current or future deficits were assessed, it was then possible to explore opportunities that might exist to meet the demand.

Key steps included:

1. Reviewing previous studies of the truck parking problem nation-wide and federal and state laws that regulate public rest areas andother public parking areas.

1 Summary and Recommendations


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2. Conducting fieldwork to document existing conditions andinterview truck drivers and private travel center representatives.

3. Establishing locations along I-81 where truck drivers are mostlikely to seek parking to meet rest requirements.

4. Establishing where on I-81 the parking shortages are mostacute, based on the results of the previous step.

5. Assessing where parking spaces could be most effectivelyadded at public rest areas.

6. Assessing the ability for private travel centers to meet currentand future parking demands.

7. Assessing how technology could be applied to provide moreefficient and effective use of existing parking.

The forecast for locations where parking needs are, and will be, most concentrated were made though the use of a parking demand model. This model was based on one developed by the FHWA and was augmented with origin-destination data from Virginia’s State-wide Freight Traffic Model and private sector data.

The model results indicated that about half of the northbound and half of the southbound lengths of I-81 in Virginia appear to have an adequate number of parking spaces to meet today’s demand.

The other half of the northbound and southbound lanes need more parking, particularly in the southern half of the corridor in the southbound direction.

The model was created to allow truck parking needs to be assessed on a directional basis, differentiating between northbound and southbound needs. This is an important factor because while private truck parking facilities are located at interchanges (and thus can be accessed from either direction), public facilities (i.e., public rest areas) are located on either northbound or southbound sides of the interstate, meaning needs must be assessed sepa-rately for northbound and southbound traffic.

FINDINGSLiterature and Legislative Reviews—Reviews of previous studies and relevant legislation were conducted to gain a broader under-standing of truck parking issues and legislative opportunities and constraints. Key findings include: 1) the truck parking shortage is a serious safety problem in many parts of the country, including the Mid-Atlantic region; 2) a tragic incident involving a truck driver who lost his life because he could not find safe parking prompted Congress to include “Jason’s Law” in the 2012 federal funding legislation known as MAP-21. Jason's Law requires each state to examine and measure its truck parking conditions; 3) federal leg-


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islation prevents states from offering amenities beyond vending machines at public rest areas; and 4) technologies exist or are being developed that can help truck drivers make better use of existing parking opportunities.

Fieldwork—This past summer (2018), VDOT representatives con-ducted site visits of I-81 corridor to verify the locations of existing public and private parking areas and other truck-related facilities. It was found that there are 62 private travel centers, truck stops, and other facilities that provide parking or other truck driver services, and 17 public rest areas, truck parking areas, or weigh stations (this figure includes the welcome center just over the Tennessee state line, at Bristol). In total, there are currently 3,268 dedicated truck parking spaces along the I-81 corridor, 188 of which can be reserved in advance. These locations tend to be clustered near interchanges with other major highways (e.g., I-77, US 460, US 60, I-64, and I-66).

High Demand Locations—The truck parking model provided data required to estimate where parking will be most needed, and in which direction of travel. The highest demand location appears to be southbound, in the Bristol VDOT District.

Areas of Greatest Need—By comparing the field-verified inven-tory of available spaces with the model-generated high-demand

locations, it was possible to establish where there is a surplus or deficit of truck parking along the corridor. That information is sum-marized in Table 1, below.

Opportunities for Additional Public Truck Parking— Interviews with truck drivers and travel center operators supported earlier

Table 1Estimated Truck Parking Needs on I-81

(northbound and southbound, by VDOT district)

Currently Available Parking Spaces Additional

Spaces NeededPrivate

(NB and SB)Public

N O R T H B O U N D

Bristol District 1,310 60 180

Salem District 120 40 135

Staunton District 1,745 75 -15

S O U T H B O U N D

Staunton District 1,745 50 -15

Salem District 120 20 490

Bristol District 1,310 30 175


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studies’ findings that truck drivers prefer private travel centers for overnight parking because of the services and amenities they provide and because they are sometimes seen as being safer locations. Private travel centers are frequently overcapacity at

night, however, resulting in public rest areas also experiencing significant overnight truck parking. Adding amenities to public rest areas has been suggested over the years by various interests as a way of making them more attractive as first choice for overnight parking. Significant restrictions on such commercialization were put in place in the early days of the Interstate system, however, and these remain in force today. Regardless, if properly located, additional truck parking at public rest areas would not go unused.

As part of this study, all existing public rest areas were examined to assess the potential for expanding truck parking. In so doing, it was found that upwards of 700 spaces could be added at various locations along the I-81 corridor. Most of these would be at brown-field sites, with some greyfield opportunities identified and some greenfield expansions required.

Private Sector Contributions—There is an approximately 9-to-1 ratio of truck parking in private travel centers compared to public rest areas. In response to steady demand, private travel center operators have added several hundred spaces on I-81 in Virginia since 2015, either through new facilities or expansion at existing locations. Although operators generally prefer not to publicize the extent of their expansion plans, operator representatives have stated they are continually looking for expansion opportunities and use proprietary forecasting techniques to gauge demand. While the full picture is not known, indications are that at least 300 addi-

Land Development Categories

Brownfields, Greyfields, and Greenfields

When planning for land development, the site is often described as either a Brownfield, Grayfield, or Greenfield. For this Truck Parking Study, these are defined as follows:

Brownfield – Expansion on existing facilities (rest areas).

Greyfield – Locations that have been developed for other uses and are candidates for conversion to parking areas.

Greenfield – Vacant land, farmed fields, or otherwise undevel-oped parcels.

Brownfield sites typically provide the highest return on invest-ment. Greyfield sites are explored when available; greenfield sites are considered when other options are not available. Potential social and environmental impacts are also important considerations when determining optimal locations for addi-tional truck parking.


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tional spaces will be built in the I-81 corridor by the private sector in the next few years. The I-81 Truck Parking Task Force would greatly assist in identifying where spaces could or should be added.

Augmenting New Parking with Technology—In addition to pro-viding more physical parking, mobile device applications that provide real-time truck parking availability can assist truck drivers in finding and securing parking, allowing more efficient use of the parking that exists today. Devices that allow closer spacing of trucks at highway speeds is one example of how technology can be used to help vehicles move more efficiently, which in turn reduces parking demand. It appears these kinds of technologies are an under-utilized resource along the I-81 corridor.

This document reports on the general analyses conducted by VDOT as a beginning step towards specifically tailored parking solutions along the I-81 corridor. The findings and conclusions reported in this document are intended as a first step toward further evaluation and refinement.

Other findings—The independent analyses conducted for the current study resulted in confirmation of VDOT’s 2015 Truck Parking Study findings, which showed a parking deficit in the range of 400 to 1,000 spaces along the I-81 corridor. The current study also found that average truck operating speeds have an substan-

tial effect on parking demand, with increases in highway operating speeds reducing the demand for truck parking.

RECOMMENDATIONSThe I-81 study team offers the following recommendations, with the knowledge that site specific locations may be modified or another site selected based on future social and environmental impact assessments.

Public Rest Area Expansions

Of the fourteen public rest areas along the I-81 corridor, five have conditions conducive to adding truck parking. It is recommended that improvements be explored in more detail at these locations:

1. Smyth Southbound Public Rest Area (mile marker 53)—Thisfacility is in VDOT's Bristol District, where there is a significant needfor additional parking in the southbound direction. Preliminaryanalysis indicated that eight additional spaces could readily beadded, with larger expansions possible, depending on the extentof terrain constraints at the back of the site.

2. Radford Southbound Public Rest Area (mile marker 108)—Thispublic rest area is ideally located to address the substantial south-bound parking need in VDOT's Salem District. Preliminary analysisindicated that 26 new truck parking spaces could be added.


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3. Ironto Northbound Public Rest Area (mile marker 129)—Pre-liminary analysis indicated that 48 new truck parking spaces fornorthbound traffic could be added. This location is also in VDOT'sSalem District.

4. Troutville Southbound Public Rest Area (mile marker 158)—Thislocation provides another opportunity to address the southboundparking demand in VDOT's Salem District. Preliminary analysisindicated that at least 26 new spaces could be added. A lack ofadjacent development suggests larger expansions may be fea-sible.

5. New Market Northbound Public Rest Area (mile marker 262)—This northbound rest area is recommend for expansion. Analysisindicated that 23 spaces could be added. This would help addressthe localized northbound parking demand that exists in this portion of VDOT' Staunton District.

Details and assumptions used in developing these public rest area parking estimates can be found in Appendix 1.

New Greenfield Parking Areas

In addition to the brownfield locations noted above, greenfield sites will also need to be developed to meet the truck parking demand in the Bristol and Salem districts. Further analysis is recommended

to identify greenfield sites along the corridor that could be devel-oped with consideration given to socially and environmentally sensitive areas. A specific recommendation is to add a greenfield VDOT public rest area along Interstate 81 southbound in the Bristol District, which is an area of significant need.

Private Sector Incentives

It is recommended that VDOT explore ways to provide incentives for private operators to increase the parking supply. These could include providing development grants, committing to targeted highway improvements, providing assistance to private operators to help expedite the development approval process, and exploring overall public-private development agreements.

Technology Applications

In addition to the construction of new parking spaces, mobile device applications can help address truck parking shortages by providing drivers with information on parking availability and can assist truck drivers in finding and securing private and public truck parking, allowing more efficient use of the currently available facilities. Recommendations include: exploring implementation of a real-time truck parking availability system at VDOT public rest areas; integrating real-time truck parking data with established parking apps such as "Park My Truck" and "Trucker Path"; and


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possibly working with the private truck stop owners to install elec-tronic space detection technology, which would facilitate finding and reserving truck parking spots.

I-81 Truck Parking Task Force

One recommendation that could help achieve each of those pre-sented above is the formation of an I-81 corridor task force. The group would include members representing VDOT, private travel center owners, truck driver groups, and, importantly, represen-

tatives from local and regional governments and planning agen-cies. Its purpose would be to work together with VDOT to identify site-specific issues and overcome obstacles to parking develop-ment. Because the majority of truck parking is provided by the private sector, and because expansion of private facilities is often difficult, bringing together these categories of stakeholders to identify specific issues and solutions could ultimately be the most important factor in solving truck parking deficiencies.


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TRUCK PARKING AND SAFETYThe shortage of available parking for commercial heavy vehicles is a well-documented safety issue. Truck drivers are required to take breaks to avoid driving while fatigued, but lack of available parking often means drivers either cannot take those required breaks or must take them in unauthorized and unsafe locations. This problem has been studied extensively, particularly after the passage of the MAP-21 federal funding legislation, which required states to address the truck parking problem under a provision called “Jason’s Law.” As stated in the legislation: “It is the sense of Congress that it is a national priority to address projects under this section for the shortage of long-term parking for commercial motor vehicles on the National Highway System to improve the safety of motorized and non-motorized users and for commercial motor vehicle operators.” 1 (See Section 6 for more information on Jason's Law.)

1 The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21; P.L. 112-141). This legislation became effective on October 1, 2012.

VDOT has examined the issue of truck parking shortages at a state-wide level and is focusing on solutions in specific, high-demand corridors. One of those corridors is Interstate 81. Running from Tennessee to West Virginia, parallel to Virginia's western border, I-81 is a critical link in the national freight transportation system,connecting to several other highway and rail facilities. It is also oneof the top trucking routes in the US, due in part to the choices truckdrivers make to avoid congestion along I-95 to the east. Trucksaccount for 20 to 30 percent of traffic on some sections of I-81 inVirginia.2 I-81 also carries 42 percent of statewide truck traffic.3

When compared against other interstates in the Virginia, I-81 has the highest percentage of lane-impacting tractor trailer inci-dents and second highest percentage of fatal accidents involving tractor trailers (see Table 2 on the following page). Approximately 25 percent of all travel delay on I-81 is caused by tractor trailer

2 Virginia Statewide Multimodal Freight Study, Final Report, 2010.3 www.freightwaves.com/news/researcher-delver-deeper-into-truckings-parking-

problem

2 Current Conditions


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incidents, which results in substantial economic costs. Any inci-dent that creates 1,000 vehicle hours of delay equates to approx-imately $40,000 in costs to the motorists. In 2016 and 2017 there were a total of 150 tractor trailer incidents on I-81 that caused at least a thousand vehicle hours of delay. Overall, the cost of con-gestion due to tractor trailer incidents on I-81 was about $30 million in those two years alone.4

Given that its location is approximately a day's drive from several major freight terminals in the eastern and southeastern US, I-81 in

4 Source: VaTraffic for incidents data and RITIS’s User Delay Cost module for delay. 25% tractor trailer traffic is assumed for user delay costs. Delay caused by incidents is estimated using the time and location of the incident. Only tractor trailer incidents that blocked lanes for at least 1 hour were considered for the delay estimation.

Virginia is a prime location for truck drivers who need to park over-night to comply with Hours of Service regulations. As a result, I-81 is one of many corridors in the US experiencing a truck parking shortage and safety concerns associated with such parking short-ages.

VDOT's I-81 Corridor Improvement Plan is exploring network enhancements and operational improvements to improve travel times and increase safety. The findings of the study indicate that approximately 51 percent of the delays experienced along the I-81 corridor are due to vehicular incidents, compared to 16 percent on Virginia's other interstate highways.

The study also found that between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and mid-night, approximately 63 percent of truck drivers spend more than fifteen minutes looking for parking.5 The inability to find parking at the end of their allowable driving time forces drivers to con-tinue driving while tired, sometimes in violation of Hours of Service regulations, which were specifically established to prevent truck drivers from driving while fatigued.6 The study also found that truck drivers may cut their allowable driving times by as much as an

5 www.freightwaves.com/news/researcher-delver-deeper-into-truckings-parking-problem

6 According to VDOT safety statistics,13 percent of all truck crashes in Virginia are caused by driver fatigue.

Table 2Percentage of Incidents and Fatalities

Involving Tractor Trailers on I-81 in Virginia2015-2017

I-64 I-66 I-77 I-81 I-85 I-95All Lane-Impacting

Incidents 5% 5% 25% 26% 13% 11%

Fatal Incidents 16% 0% 57% 30% 22% 28%

Source: VaTraffic, 2015-2017.


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Field interviews indicated trucker drivers prefer to use private travel centers for overnight parking, as opposed to public rest areas, because of the amenities they offer, which public rest areas cannot provide. In addition, rest areas are sometimes perceived as being less safe than travel centers.


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hour simply to avoid searching for parking, which, when com-pounded by the number of trucks in this situation, results in signif-icant economic loss. According to the study, one individual truck driver can lose as much as 9,300 revenue-earning miles a year as a result of cutting their routes short.7 At average pay rates, this equates to $4,600 annually in lost wages for an individual driver. With freight demand projected to grow at a rate of 1.7 percent annually, addressing the growing issue of truck parking shortages is a high priority for VDOT.

THE CURRENT I-81 TRUCK PARKING STUDYVDOT is currently conducting a study to identify and address truck parking deficiencies in the I-81 corridor, as documented in this report. The key tasks in the study included: 1) updating the inven-tory of truck parking opportunities that was originally developed in 2015 as part of a statewide study; 2) augmenting the inventory with details about the type and location of parking opportunities, and the technology being used to assist truck drivers find and use them; 3) examining the potential for VDOT to work with owners of

7 www.freightwaves.com/news/researcher-delver-deeper-into-truckings-parking-problem

private truck parking facilities to help meet the need for additional truck parking; 4) examining the opportunities VDOT may have for creating new parking areas or enhancing existing areas, includ-ing the potential for brownfield, greyfield, and greenfield devel-opment; and 5) reviewing technologies that VDOT may be able to implement that allow truck drivers to locate and reserve parking spaces, and to benefit drivers during rest periods.

In June 2015, VDOT completed a study of truck parking shortages on Virginia’s Corridors of Statewide Significance. The purposes of the study included establishing an inventory of existing public and private truck parking spaces; gaining an understanding of the extent to which rest areas, welcome centers, and unauthorized and unsafe locations are being used for truck parking; and esti-mating locations where truck parking is most needed.

One of the first steps in the current analysis of the I-81 corridor was to verify and update the data in the June 2015 report. Based on field visits and review of aerial photography, VDOT representa-tives have documented the number, size, and location of private truck parking accommodations and verified the number of avail-able public parking spaces. With the exception of a recently built modern facility near Abingdon, public rest areas and other truck


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parking accommodations along I-81 have not kept up with demand. Today’s heavy commercial trucks (i.e., semi tractor-trailers) are often substantially larger than those in operation at the time when many of the I-81 public facilities were built, meaning most of the existing public truck parking spaces are undersized.

Longer trucks require not only longer parking spaces but wider turning angles. Evidence of undersized facilities, in the form of damaged shoulders, broken curbs, and damaged light poles, is common at existing rest areas. In addition to this kind of damage, truck drivers will often park wherever they can fit their truck, strad-

dling parking lot stripes and parking at shallower angles than intended in the parking design. Increasing the length of the spaces is often not possible within the existing rest area footprints; restrip-ing to provide wider turning angles reduces the total number of spaces available.

The fieldwork conducted for this report is summarized on the maps on the following pages and in the multi-page matrix included in Appendix 2.


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Exhibit 1

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Exhibit 1a

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Exhibit 1b

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Exhibit 1c

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As important as it is to increase the number of truck parking spaces to meet the demand in the I-81 corridor, not all locations are in equal need of additional parking. Some areas have adequate supply, while others are substantially deficient. This situation was identified in general terms in a 2015 VDOT-sponsored report that examined each of the state’s Corridors of Statewide Significance. In conducting the current study, a more tailored method was used to assess where along I-81 the demand for parking is the great-est and thus where it is most important to seek opportunities for parking expansion.

The method VDOT used in 2015 was based on one used by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in its “Model Develop-ment for National Assessment of Commercial Vehicle Parking.” This method provides general data on locations where it is likely that relatively large percentages of truck drivers will be seeking parking. For the current study, this model was augmented with ori-gin-destination data from the Statewide Freight Traffic Model and

from a private sector data (developed by StreetLight Data, Inc.). The results provided a snapshot of current truck parking demand and availability.

Because route length along the corridor is an important factor in determining the length of time a driver will need to spend resting, VDOT developed a detailed freight origin-destination matrix for each ramp movement along I-81 in Virginia to identify route length (as opposed to artificially dividing the corridor into segments under the FHWA method).

Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes for the I-81 mainline and ramps were calculated based on VDOT’s 2017 traffic inventory data. Truck percentages were then applied to the ADT data. To determine truck trip distribution along the corridor, origin-desti-nation (O-D) relationships were established between ramps using the Virginia statewide travel demand modeling framework. The model was run specifically for the I-81 corridor to establish base-

3 Truck Origins and Destinations


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line O-D relationships along the corridor. These relationships could then be used to calculate trip lengths, trip durations, and, based on Hours of Service regulations, when truck drivers would need to stop for rest periods. A detailed description of the method used is presented in Appendix 3.

The results of the analysis is summarized in Table 3; the locations with the greatest and least need for increased truck parking are illustrated on the following page. Overall, the I-81 corridor has an existing demand for approximately 4,400 spaces during peak periods and a supply of roughly 3,450 total spaces between public and private lots leaving a deficit of 950 total spaces. While par-ticular focus should be placed on the southbound supply, which represents 63 percent of the total deficit, shortages seem to fall toward the Tennessee and West Virginia state lines. While this could theoretically be seen as an indication of demand for services in the adjacent states, the current study limited the model results

to within the state of Virginia and did not attempt to calculate the distance traveled once a truck traveled outside of Virginia.

Because truck travel times and distances are a function of speed, truck parking demand is highly sensitive to operating speed. As indicated by Table 4, as average operating speeds increase, the demand for parking is reduced. Therefore, if design and safety improvements raise operating speeds, the overall deficit in avail-able parking would be reduced.

Another consideration is growth in traffic over time. Earlier VDOT studies have indicated that truck volume on I-81 will grow at a rate of approximately 1.7 percent per year through 2050, with truck parking demand increasing proportionately, unless technological advances that alter the parameters for parking demands become a reality.


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Table 3Summary of Truck Parking Needs, Deficits, and Locations

(including VDOT District figures)

Current Supply*

Estimated Current

Need

Total Deficit

Deficit by VDOT DistrictLocation of Greatest Need,

by Mile Marker (MM)Bristol Salem Staunton

Northbound 1,550 1,900 350 175 175 0MM 120 to 160,

MM 280 to W V border

Southbound 1,900 2,500 600 135 465 0MM 160 to 80

MM 40 to TN border

Totals 3,450 4,400 950 310 640 0

*Includes both public and private spaces.

Table 4Effect of Operating Speed on Truck Parking Needs

Overall Parking Need Existing Parking Deficit

North-bound

South-bound Total North-

boundSouth-bound Total

Current Average Speed (55 mph)* 1,900 2,500 4,400 350 600 950Increased by 5% 1,800 2,400 4,200 250 500 750

Increased by 10% 1,750 2,300 4,050 200 400 600Increased by 15% 1,650 2,200 3,850 100 300 400

*Average I-81 freight operating speed. Obtained from FHWA, Freight Facts and Figures (2012).


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Note: There are no southbound public rest areas in the red-shaded (high demand) area near Bristol. Although the rest area shown here is in a green-shaded area (adequate truck parking), it is in the southbound direction, near the high demand area just to the south.


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Note: There are no southbound public rest areas in the red-shaded (high demand) area near Bristol. Although the rest area shown here is in a green-shaded area (adequate truck parking), it is in the southbound direction, near the high demand area just to the south.


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There are several options to be examined when seeking opportu-nities to lessen the truck parking deficiencies. First, a distinction must be made between opportunities in the public and private sectors. Both provide parking, but each operates under a differ-ent set of constraints. Land can generally be acquired to build or expand public truck parking areas under federal and state right-of-way regulations, while private interests must always have a willing seller. Private facilities must also comply with all applicable zoning and other local government requirements. Construction or expansion of parking areas, whether public or private,can be met with resistance from neighboring property owners.

Second, enhancement or expansion of public and private facilities can occur on properties described as either brownfield, greenfield, or greyfield, with different advantages and disadvantages for each. For truck parking, brownfield development refers to expansions of existing facilities. Greenfield development refers to new facilities on previously undeveloped property. Greyfield development per-tains to the conversion of an existing parcel or structure for use as a parking facility. Typically, brownfield or greyfield parcels are

preferred over greenfield parcels because they typically have less impact to the environment or communities.

And finally, both the public and private sectors can take advantage of various technologies to enhance the ability of truck drivers to find parking in advance and reserve that space so it is available upon arrival.

Exhibit 3, on the following page, illustrates how parking expansion opportunities are typically identified by a combination of need and facility type.

PUBLIC REST AREASWhile the VDOT facilities are used for some overnight parking, truck drivers greatly prefer the accommodations and amenities available at private travel centers. Because federal law restricts development of such amenities at public rest areas, these tend to be used for short-term parking (although given the chronic parking shortage, it is not uncommon for drivers to park overnight at rest areas). Opportunities that do exist to improve VDOT rest areas

4 Opportunities to Increase Parking


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include adding parking and implementing technology to increase awareness of parking availability and reservations. These have been categorized in terms of the land uses described previously.

Public Brownfield Improvements

Brownfield improvements refer to the expansion of existing VDOT rest areas. These areas have existing utility connections and have direct access to the interstate. Their locations are already known to truck drivers, making brownfield improvements particularly advan-tageous and the least expensive of the three types of expansion. A good example is the Interstate 81 Northbound Truck Parking rest area in Abingdon, Virginia. The facility is for trucks only. It was designed to allow trucks to decelerate safely, and to easily maneuver in and out of parking spaces. In addition, its lighting was designed to help drivers to find open parking spots at night.

With or without adding parking spaces, public truck parking can be enhanced by adding real-time truck parking information and reservation system technology. Such technology can increase the usage at under-used facilities and reduce the uncertainty drivers face looking for adequate parking. A good example of the use of technology is the I-66 Eastbound Truck Rest Area (Front Royal) near I-81. It provides an advanced dynamic truck parking sign and accurate information via VDOT’s 511 Virginia mobile app. While VDOT has made truck parking data available through the www.

smarterroads.org cloud data portal, integrating this information into the "Park My Truck" and "Trucker Path" apps would be advan-tageous, given that these are the current market leaders for truck parking apps. Doing so would avoid duplication and improve accu-racy of parking space information provided at VDOT rest areas, which would further increase truck utilization. The Technology Applications Chapter 5 describes the kinds of technology most applicable to VDOT Rest Areas.

Another factor that can increase usage at public facilities is ensur-ing that adequate security measures are in place. Security cameras can be installed at rest areas to provide a deterrent to any unsafe or illegal behavior and can be used in criminal investigations by law enforcement.1 A determination of how the security cameras would be monitored would need to be made during the facility’s design phase, in coordination with local law enforcement or Virginia State Police.

While federal law allows only very limited commercial activities at public rest areas (e.g., vending machines), there are some addi-tional amenities that VDOT could evaluate during the design of any rest area expansion, including items such as adding vending

1 There are many options for assigning responsibility for monitoring security cameras: VDOT TOC, VDOT Security Office, the Virginia State Police, local city/county sheriff staff, rest area contractors, and toll operations contractors.


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machines that dispense hands-free headsets, smart phone char-gers, hot and cold pre-packaged food, sunglasses, and other items to encourage drivers to safely operate a truck. Another useful amenity is free WiFi, which could be sponsored by a vendor and made available, with signage, at all rest area facilities.

An important consideration for brownfield expansion or improve-ments is funding. If federal dollars are used, the entire rest area must be brought up to current standards, including providing enough parking spaces to meet a 20 year forecast. Therefore, any rest area improvements that would not meet these requirements would need to be funded exclusively from non-federal sources. Exhibit 4 shows the general locations of five existing rest areas that may be good candidates for adding truck parking.

Public Greyfield Improvements

Greyfield land uses can be advantageous because they may be less likely to trigger local concerns and, because they have pre-viously been developed, there is often less potential for environ-mental impact. Unfortunately, very few such sites that could be converted to truck parking uses are present in the I-81 corridor.

Public Greenfield Improvements

Providing new or expanded public truck parking on vacant land has several advantages, particularly given that there is an abun-

dance of undeveloped property adjacent to I-81 throughout Vir-ginia. Greenfield development allows facilities to be placed at or near where they are needed most and designed with fewer geo-metric constraints. And they can be located such that they do not compete with private truck stops.

Not surprisingly, greenfield development can be relatively expen-sive, given the requirements for right of way acquisition, environ-mental analysis, mitigation and permitting, siting and local land use coordination, utility extensions, site work, and traffic analyses. Considering this mix of advantages and disadvantages, truck-only facilities, such as the existing facility at Abington, would minimize the unit cost per truck parking space in greenfield developments. Including real-time truck parking and reservation system technol-ogies would help maximize use of the facility, as would including the kinds of amenities described above.

PRIVATE TRAVEL CENTERSWhile VDOT’s ability to increase or enhance truck parking at private facilities is limited, there are opportunities to encourage or provide incentives for owners to add new parking or maximize the use of existing parking areas. Owners often face opposition or other discouragement due to the local political environment. VDOT may be able to function as a liaison between private operators and local governments, or may provide data to local governments to augment or enhance their land use planning with respect to truck


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parking issues. Other opportunities, for greenfield, brownfield, and greyfield development are discussed below.

Private Brownfield Improvements

As with public facilities, private owners who expand existing facil-ities can expect the highest return on investment. The existing private truck stops already have the infrastructure (utilities, restau-rants, convenience stores, fuel island, and truck repair facilities), their locations are well known to truck drivers, and land use rela-tionships have already been established. Interviews conducted with private travel center representatives have indicated that such owners are continually seeking to expand and have established methods for siting new facilities in advantageous locations. Such expansions have taken place recently, and some owners have indi-cated they have plans to bring more on line along the I-81 corridor in the near future.

VDOT could encourage private brownfield expansion in a variety of ways:

• Providing direct grants for truck stop expansion using existingindustrial access grant programs or using funding establishedin Jason's Law. Similar programs could be created for privatetruck stop expansions.

• Upgrading interchanges, roadways or operations to improveaccess to private truck stops. Examples include ensuring that

roadways between the interstate and private truck stops have adequate traffic capacity to safely and efficiently handle truck traffic. This may require interchange improvements, roadway widening, traffic signal installation, improving pavement con-ditions, and assisting private owners in creating truck only entrances and exits. VDOT could fund these improvements exclusively or in partnership with private truck stop owners.

• Assistance in achieving expedited review of land use permitsand other required coordination with local governments. Onesuch technique is ensuring such reviews are conducted bysenior staff who have extensive experience in processingpermits. As mentioned earlier, VDOT can facilitate discussionswith local municipalities to encourage effective working rela-tionships between the municipality, VDOT, and private truckstop owners, to expand existing facilities.

• Install or agree to pay for the installation of real-time truckparking systems for short-term parking spaces installed atprivate truck stops. Private truck stops typically offer onlyreserved parking spaces or spaces otherwise designated forovernight parking, with few or no spaces specifically intendedfor short-term parking. Adding designated short-term parkingcould help VDOT avoid or minimize the need to expand publicrest areas, or could augment any VDOT expansions.

• Provide grants for private truck stop owners to install real-timetruck parking systems for long-term parking spaces. VDOT


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could agree to install a dynamic truck parking system on Inter-state 81 with the facility logo as part of the grant. Such grants would help increase the use of existing facilities in areas where parking is most needed.

Private Greyfield Improvements

Few sites are available that would easily accommodate private conversion to truck parking. Still, it is possible that VDOT could facilitate discussion between private truck stop owners and owners of distribution centers or shopping malls about designating excess parking areas for use as truck parking. Designated time periods could be established to minimize disruptions to distribution center traffic or mall traffic. This is considered feasible because the great-est demand for long-term truck parking is typically from 10 PM to 6 AM, when these other facilities are not heavily used.

Private Greenfield Improvements

While the advantages of using greenfield development for public facilities also apply to private owners, private owners face more

disadvantages in greenfield expansion. Whereas governments can acquire property under federal and state property laws specific to transportation improvements, private owners must seek willing sellers. The other disadvantages of greenfield development men-tioned previously also apply to the private sector.

One opportunity for VDOT to help encourage private greenfield development is to provide infrastructure in support of truck parking expansion, provided the infrastructure project had a parallel public use. For example, at I-81 exit 205 there are two private facilities that together include more than 700 truck parking spaces. With the existing single lane underpass nearing capacity, public investment in a new or upgraded interchange could be constructed under a memorandum of understanding with private owners to ensure new private parking is developed concurrent with the public invest-ment. The new private truck parking facility could be built to take advantage of this new interchange and would serve both truck parking and general public access.


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A wide variety of apps have been developed to help truck drivers find rest stops and travel centers and to provide drivers with information about amenities and services available.


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Meeting the need for increased truck parking is not only a matter of adding parking spaces; truck drivers need to know where spaces are located and if they are available. The ability to reserve spaces in advance can also help truck drivers park where and when they need to. Part of the current study was to examine the kinds of tech-nologies that exist or are being developed to provide truck drivers with this kind of information, or that can otherwise improve the truck parking situation.

The technology for locating and reserving parking spaces is mostly in the form of computer applications (“apps”) for personal electronic devices. Other forms of technology include roadside message signs that give up-to-date information on available parking and weigh-in-motion facilities that reduce the delays associated with traditional weigh stations.

SURVEY OF TRUCK PARKING APPSVDOT’s survey of applications available online revealed that although there are many apps that provide information about the location of truck stop facilities, far fewer provide information on the availability of truck parking (see Table 5 on the following page). Of the few that do, the app "Trucker Path" appears to be

the most widely used according to truck drivers and travel center owners. This app reports available parking within a generalized range (many, some, and few/none available) as reported by truck drivers. Other similar apps based on self-reported data include "Gas Buddy" and "Waze." The app "Park My Truck" reports parking availability based on information gathered several times each day from private truck stop operators. While some apps allow truck drivers to directly reserve parking spots within the app, these are exclusive to large commercial truck stop facilities (Pilot/Flying J, Love’s and Travel America). Other private facilities require a phone call to reserve a parking space.

No apps were found that provide real-time and accurate truck parking information for private facilities. While VDOT and I-95 Cor-ridor Coalition provide real-time and accurate truck parking infor-mation for public rest areas, these are available only for certain locations. None of those locations are on Interstate 81 except for the Front Royal truck parking rest area located on I-66 Eastbound, at I-81.

Currently, no private truck stops provide real-time truck parking information. Private owners have indicated that such technologies currently would not provide enough return on investment, although

5 Technology Applications


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Table 5Characteristics of Truck Parking Applications

(based on online survey of apps -August 2018)


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options continue to be explored. It is possible that VDOT could help facilitate development of this technology.

CURRENT TRUCK PARKING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONSThe ability to provide information on the availability of truck parking in real time requires technology that can give an accurate, con-tinuous reading of available parking spaces. These technologies typically rely on one of two basic counting systems. One counts the number of trucks entering a lot and exiting a lot (the “in-and-out ” method); the other counts the number of trucks parked in designated spaces (“space occupancy” method). These methods each have advantages and disadvantages.

A technical memorandum published in 2016 by the Mid-Amer-ica Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) doc-umented various technologies and deployment approaches for keeping an accurate count of available parking in real time. As noted in the memo, the in-and-out method was found to be the least expensive approach for parking areas with a large number of spaces (such as at private truck stops) because it does not require individual sensors at each parking space. This method does require good channelization at the entrance and exit locations, to ensure the equipment can take an accurate count. This method also has

relatively higher operational costs because manual observation and re-adjustment of the number of vehicles in the facility must be performed at least daily or every other day, unless multiple sensors are deployed at the entrance and exit locations.

The space occupancy method was found to be the most cost effective and accurate solution for parking areas with a lower number of spaces (15-20 or fewer), such as those typically found at VDOT rest areas and some smaller private truck stops. The ten-dency for inaccuracies with the in-and-out method is amplified at smaller facilities, where an error of two or three vehicles represents a substantial percentage of available parking. Given that VDOT rest areas are often used for short-term truck parking, it is more important to ensure the count is correct over a shorter time period (i.e., 5-30 minutes). The in-and-out method would also result in high operational costs because individuals would need to monitor the lots in real-time and adjust counts every few hours. The space occupancy method has higher capital costs, but it has lower oper-ational cost over time. This approach only counts parking where sensors have been installed, so trucks parked in undesignated spaces would not be counted unless sensors were placed in those locations.

Under either the in-and-out or space occupancy methods, actual trucks need to be counted, and there are several types of tech-


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nology for doing this. These include counting sensors, which can be in-pavement or flush mounted; wireless magnetometers; a laser-based vehicle detection systems; and video analytics detection technology. According to information contained in the 2016 MAASTO memorandum, wireless magnetometers are the least expensive reliable solution for the space occupancy method and typically will include a minimum of two sensors per space for redundancy and to account for driver error. Video analytics detec-tion technology is the least expensive for the in-and-out method. Often, a second suite of sensors is added to help improve accu-racy. The second sensor can be laser, magnetometer, license plate readers, or sensors based on bluetooth technology.

The following provides additional details on approach and detec-tion methods for different types of truck parking lots.

Parking Area with a Large Number of Parking Spaces (as with private truck stops) – The in-and-out counting method was found to be the most cost effective approach. Well defined driveways providing access to the truck parking area were found best suited for using the magnetometer, laser, or video analytics detection technology. Wireless magnetometer technology was recom-

mended because of its lower cost. For a non-invasive solution, video detection technology was recommended.

Parking Area with a Limited Number of Spaces (less than15) that are Striped – Using the space occupancy method was shown to be cost effective, but there is no real ability to accommodate informal parking (parking in undesignated spaces). Because the configuration of spaces can also affect whether trucks regularly park in marked spaces, space occupancy detection is less effec-tive with parallel parking configurations.

Parking Area with a Limited Number of Spaces (less than15) that are NOT Striped – If parking spaces are not delineated (or designated) there is no way to detect where in the lot vehicles have parked and the amount of space available for additional vehicles. As a result, the in-and-out counting methodology must be used. Parking lots with well-defined lanes for trucks only may use mag-netometers, as noted above for large facilities.

Parking Area with Combined and Irregular Entrance and Exit Roadways – To accommodate varying paths of trucks, trucks entering and exiting, and automobile traffic, video analytic tech-nology was recommended.


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INDIVIDUAL TECHNOLOGIES AND VENDORS/SPONSORSMichigan Department of Transportation – The Michigan DOT is underway on a pilot system to monitor and report on available truck parking on Interstate 94 in real time. This program uses an in-and-out detection method and license plate reader technology. MDOT Traffic Operations staff update the truck count daily, and reports that the system works well, except at times when license plates are covered by dirt, snow, etc.

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Truck_Parking_Project_Report_528340_7.pdf

Florida Department of Transportation – The University of Flori-da‘s Transportation Institute conducted an evaluation for FDOT of three different vehicle detection technologies for commercial truck parking at interstate rest areas. In general, the three technologies (SENSIT, Sensys, and CivicSmart) each predicted truck parking turnover and parking space occupancies with accuracies between 95 and 99 percent.

www.fdot.gov/research/Completed_Proj/Summary.../FDOT-BDV31-977-56-rpt.pdf

I-95 Corridor Coalition – The I-95 Corridor Coalition is a partner-ship of transportation agencies, toll authorities, public safety, andrelated organizations along the length of Interstate 95. The Coa-lition provides a forum for decision makers to address transpor-tation management and operations issues of common interest.The Coalition maintains a website that includes information onavailable truck parking along the I-95 corridor. The Coalition usesthe space occupancy method, based on a hybrid in-pavementradar/magnetometer unit. Dome cameras are also used to monitor truck parking lots and make adjustments in the count. The Coali-tion provides truck parking data in an XML feed and provides APIdocumentation for developers to integrate data.

http://i95coalition.org/projects/truck -parking/

Bosch – The Bosch corporation provides a wide variety of truck parking services for dispatchers, drivers, and logistics planners.

https://www.bosch.com/explore-and-experience/secure-truck-parking/

Siemens – The Siemens corporation produces a platform called Sitraffic Conduct+, which reports both real time space occupancy status and scheduled departure times of the individual trucks into


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the system. This system uses only the entrance/exit detection method, using a combination of in-pavement sensors and laser scanners. In Germany, Siemens has developed a system to stack trucks back to back based on when they plan to leave, so they can maximize facility space. While innovative from an infrastructure perspective, this system require additional technology infrastruc-ture to sort trucks as they enter a facility.

https://www.siemens.com/global/en/home.html

Trucker Path – This company offers an app to help drivers navi-gate and find available truck parking, based on driver-reported information. This company has done extensive research on ways of predicting where parking is needed and available. The Trucker Path app is, according to interviews with industry representatives, one of the most popular parking apps currently in use.

https://truckerpath.com/

Freight Waves – According to its website, Freight Waves is a data and content forum that provides market participants with near-time analytics on the state of the freight market and tools that provide actionable outcomes. As part of these services, this start-up company provides information on where truck drivers prefer to park.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/driver-issues/truck-parking-problem-trucker-path

European Commission – The European Commission helps to shape the European Union’s overall strategy. As part of its mission, the EC plays a significant role in supporting international devel-opment. In this role, the EC has developed a policy that all public and private parking facility operators in the EU must share and exchange data related to safe and secure parking areas through a national or international access point.

https://ec.europa.eu/transport/themes/its/road/action_plan/intelligent-truck-parking_en

Truck Parking Europe – This company provides operator, planner/dispatcher, and driver parking services throughout Europe. While their focus is on parking reservations, they also offer other features not found in US companies. Examples include location-based advertising for truck stop operators and security cameras to monitor the security of loads and to identify criminal activity.

https://www.truckparkingeurope.com/


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Surveys conducted by various agencies and non-governmen-tal organizations indicate that truck drivers in need of overnight parking often prefer private travel centers (i.e., “truck stops”) over public rest areas because private facilities typically provide a wide array of services and amenities that public facilities cannot offer. Public rest areas, on the other hand, are often used by truck drivers for shorter breaks, given the relative ease of exiting and entering the highway, but will be also be used for longer or over-night parking, if necessary.

Since the inception of the interstate highway system, in 1956, federal law has prohibited states from offering commercial ser-vices or amenities (other than vending machines) at interstate rest areas. This prohibition is intended to avoid public competition with local private business interests. While some commercialization is present across the US, it occurs on toll highways or highways that were in operation before 1960 (as established by law).

Easing the restrictions on commercialization of public rest areas has been suggested as a way of both providing a source of funding for highway projects and encouraging truck drivers to use public

facilities for long-duration rest periods. These suggestions have been strongly opposed by organizations representing private truck stop operators.

While the wholesale conversion of public rest areas into full-service travel centers appears highly unlikely, there is uncertainty about whether certain commercial technologies intended to benefit truck drivers could be installed at rest areas as “vending,” which is currently allowed, with restrictions.

Presented below are selected (verbatim) sections of relevant leg-islation.

REST AREA COMMERCIAL USES DEFINED

USC 23, Chapter I, Subchapter H, PART 752: Landscape and Roadside Development

Excerpts:

The State may permit the placement of vending machines in exist-ing or new safety rest areas located on the rights-of-way of the

6 Statutory and Regulatory Considerations


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Interstate system for the purpose of dispensing such food, drink, or other articles as the State determines are appropriate and desirable, except that the dispensing by any means, of petroleum products or motor vehicle replacement parts shall not be allowed. Such vending machines shall be operated by the State.

The State may operate the vending machines directly or may con-tract with a vendor for the installation, operation, and maintenance of the vending machines. In permitting the placement of vending machines the State shall give priority to vending machines which are operated through the State licensing agency designated pur-suant to section 2(a)(5) of the Randolph-Sheppard Act, U.S.C. 107(a)(5).

Facilities within newly constructed safety rest areas should meet the forecast needs of the design year. Expansion and modern-ization of older existing rest areas that do not provide adequate service should be considered.

No charge to the public may be made for goods and services at safety rest areas except for telephone and articles dispensed by vending machines.

LIMITS TO COMMERCIALIZATION

USC 23, Chapter 1, Section 111. Agreements relating to use of and access to rights of way - Interstate System

Excerpts:

(a) In General.-All agreements between the Secretary and theState transportation department for the construction of projectson the Interstate System shall contain a clause providing that theState will not add any points of access to, or exit from, the projectin addition to those approved by the Secretary in the plans for suchproject, without the prior approval of the Secretary. Such agree-ments shall also contain a clause providing that the State will notpermit automotive service stations or other commercial establish-ments for serving motor vehicle users to be constructed or locatedon the rights of way of the Interstate System and will not change the boundary of any right of way on the Interstate System to accom-modate construction of, or afford access to, an automotive servicestation or other commercial establishment. Such agreements may, however, authorize a State or political subdivision thereof to useor permit the use of the airspace above and below the established


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grade line of the highway pavement for such purposes as will not impair the full use and safety of the highway, as will not require or permit vehicular access to such space directly from such estab-lished grade line of the highway, or otherwise interfere in any way with the free flow of traffic on the Interstate System. Nothing in this section, or in any agreement entered into under this section, shall require the discontinuance, obstruction, or removal of any estab-lishment for serving motor vehicle users on any highway which has been, or is hereafter, designated as a highway or route on the Interstate System (1) if such establishment (A) was in existence before January 1, 1960, (B) is owned by a State, and (C) is oper-ated through concessionaries or otherwise, and (2) if all access

to, and exits from, such establishment conform to the standards established for such a highway under this title.

(b) Rest Areas.

(1) In general.-Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary shallpermit a State to acquire, construct, operate, and maintain a restarea along a highway on the Interstate System in such State.

(2) Limited activities.-The Secretary shall permit limited commer-cial activities within a rest area under paragraph (1), if the activitiesare available only to customers using the rest area and are limitedto-

From the inception of the US Inter-state system, Congress has sought to keep state governments from competing with private businesses by prohibiting most types of com-mercial services and amenities at public rest areas.


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(A) commercial advertising and media displays if such advertis-ing and displays are-

(i) exhibited solely within any facility constructed in the restarea; and

(ii) not legible from the main traveled way;

(B) items designed to promote tourism in the State, limited tobooks, DVDs, and other media;

(C) tickets for events or attractions in the State of a historical ortourism-related nature;

(D) travel-related information, including maps, travel booklets,and hotel coupon booklets; and

(E) lottery machines, provided that the priority afforded to blindvendors under subsection (c) applies to this subparagraph.

(3) Private operators.-A State may permit a private party to operate such commercial activities.

(4) Limitation on use of revenues.-A State shall use any revenuesreceived from the commercial activities in a rest area under thissection to cover the costs of acquiring, constructing, operating,and maintaining rest areas in the State.

JASON’S LAW

Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century – MAP-21; 23 USC 120, Section 1401

Excerpts:

(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of Congress that it is a nationalpriority to address projects under this section for the shortage oflong-term parking for commercial motor vehicles on the NationalHighway System to improve the safety of motorized and nonmo-torized users and for commercial motor vehicle operators.

(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—Eligible projects under this section arethose that—

(1) serve the National Highway System; and

(2) may include the following:

(A) Constructing safety rest areas (as defined in section 120(c)of title 23, United States Code) that include parking for com-mercial motor vehicles.

(B) Constructing commercial motor vehicle parking facilitiesadjacent to commercial truck stops and travel plazas.


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(C) Opening existing facilities to commercial motor vehicleparking, including inspection and weigh stations and park-and-ride facilities.

(D) Promoting the availability of publicly or privately providedcommercial motor vehicle parking on the National HighwaySystem using intelligent transportation systems and othermeans.

(E) Constructing turnouts along the National Highway Systemfor commercial motor vehicles.

(F) Making capital improvements to public commercial motorvehicle parking facilities currently closed on a seasonal basisto allow the facilities to remain open year round.

(G) Improving the geometric design of interchanges on theNational Highway System to improve access to commercialmotor vehicle parking facilities.

(c) SURVEY AND COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after the date ofenactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with relevant

Even without amenities, public rest areas are often overcrowded; most were not designed to accommodate today’s larger truck rigs.


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State motor carrier safety personnel, shall conduct a survey of each State—

(A) to evaluate the capability of the State to provide adequate parking and rest facilities for commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate transportation;

(B) to assess the volume of commercial motor vehicle traffic in the State; and

(C) to develop a system of metrics to measure the adequacy of commercial motor vehicle parking facilities in the State.

(2) RESULTS.—The results of the survey under paragraph 1) shall be made available to the public on the website of the Department of Transportation.

(3) PERIODIC UPDATES.—The Secretary shall periodically update the survey under this subsection.

HOURS OF SERVICE REQUIREMENTS

49 CFR Part 395 – Hours of Service for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers; Regulatory Guidance Concerning Off-Duty Time

Excerpts:

395.3 Maximum driving time for property-carrying vehicles.

(a) […] no motor carrier shall permit or require any driver used by it to drive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, nor shall any such driver drive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, regardless of the number of motor carriers using the driv-er’s services, unless the driver complies with the following require-ments:

(1) Start of work shift. A driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty;

(2) 14-hour period. A driver may drive only during a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty. The driver may not drive after the end of the 14-con-secutive-hour period without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty.

(3) Driving time and rest breaks.

(i) Driving time. A driver may drive a total of 11 hours during the 14-hour period specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(ii) Rest breaks. Except for drivers who qualify for either of the short-haul exceptions in §395.1(e)(1) or (2), driving is not permitted if more than 8 hours have passed since the end of


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the driver’s last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes.

(b) No motor carrier shall permit or require a driver of a proper-ty-carrying commercial motor vehicle to drive, nor shall any driverdrive a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle, regardless ofthe number of motor carriers using the driver’s services, for anyperiod after—

(1) Having been on duty 60 hours in any period of 7 consecutivedays if the employing motor carrier does not operate commercialmotor vehicles every day of the week; or

(2) Having been on duty 70 hours in any period of 8 consecutivedays if the employing motor carrier operates commercial motorvehicles every day of the week.

(c) (1) Any period of 7 consecutive days may end with the begin-ning of an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours thatincludes two periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

(2) Any period of 8 consecutive days may end with the beginningof an off-duty period of 34 or more consecutive hours that includestwo periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.

One of the objectives behind Jason’s Law is safety: to find ways to increase designated truck parking so that drivers are not forced to park in iso-lated, unsafe locations.


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(d) A driver may not take an off-duty period allowed by paragraph(c) of this section to restart the calculation of 60 hours in 7 con-secutive days or 70 hours in 8 consecutive days until 168 or moreconsecutive hours have passed since the beginning of the lastsuch off-duty period. When a driver takes more than one off-dutyperiod of 34 or more consecutive hours within a period of 168 con-secutive hours, he or she must indicate in the Remarks section ofthe record of duty status which such off-duty period is being usedto restart the calculation of 60 hours in 7 consecutive days or 70hours in 8 consecutive days.

VIRGINIA REGULATIONS FOR WAYSIDES AND REST AREAS

24VAC30-50-10. Waysides and Rest Areas.

Excerpts:

A. Waysides identified by name and without lights shall be openfrom 8 a.m. to one hour after sunset. Areas having security lightingwill be open at all times.

B. When an area is posted for limited parking, the operator of eachvehicle may be required to sign a register setting forth the time ofarrival.

C. When posted, parking shall be limited to the period specified.

D. No overnight parking will be permitted.

E. Camping is not permitted at any time.

F. Sleeping in any section of the rest area building is not permittedat any time.

G. No vehicle shall be parked in such manner as to occupy morethan one marked parking space.

VIRGINIA REGULATIONS FOR STOPPING/PARKING ON HIGHWAYS

Code of Virginia, Section 46.2-888 – Stopping on highways; general rule.

No person shall stop a vehicle in such manner as to impede or render dangerous the use of the highway by others, except in the case of an emergency, an accident, or a mechanical breakdown. In the event of such an emergency, accident, or breakdown, the emergency flashing lights of such vehicle shall be turned on if the vehicle is equipped with such lights and such lights are in working order. If the driver is capable of safely doing so, the vehicle is movable, and there are no injuries or deaths resulting from the emergency, accident, or breakdown, the driver shall move the vehicle from the roadway to prevent obstructing the regular flow of traffic, provided, however, that the movement of the vehicle to prevent the obstruction of traffic shall not relieve the law-enforce-ment officer of his duty pursuant to Section 46.2-373. A report of


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the vehicle’s location shall be made to the nearest law-enforce-ment officer as soon as practicable, and the vehicle shall be moved from the roadway to the shoulder as soon as possible and removed from the shoulder without unnecessary delay. If the vehicle is not promptly removed, such removal may be ordered by a law-en-forcement officer at the expense of the owner if the disabled vehicle creates a traffic hazard.

Code of Virgina, Section 46.2-889 – Location of parked vehicles

No vehicle shall be stopped except close to and parallel to the right edge of the curb or roadway, except that a vehicle may be stopped close to and parallel to the left curb or edge of the roadway on one-way streets or may be parked at an angle where permitted by the Commonwealth Transportation Board, the Department, or local authorities with respect to highways under their jurisdiction.

Code of Virginia, Section 46.2-1222.2 – Local ordinances prohib-iting parking of certain vehicles.

The governing body of any county, city, or town may by ordinance limit to no more than two hours the length of time of parking on streets, adjacent to commercial business areas, of vehicles with gross weights in excess of 12,000 pounds or lengths of 30 feet or more, unless such vehicles are actively engaged in loading or

unloading operations or waiting to be loaded or unloaded or are engaged in or preparing to engage in utility or similar service work.

Code of Virginia, Section 46.2-1223 – Authority for VDOT Commis-sioner to regulate parking on primary/secondary system

Except as otherwise provided in this article, the Commissioner of Highways may, by regulation, regulate parking on any part of the primary and secondary systems of state highways.


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Appendices

1 – Possible Expansion of Existing Rest Areas

2 – Inventory of Existing Parking Facilities

3 - Truck Origin-Destination Methodology


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APPENDIX 1

Possible Expansion of Existing Rest Areas


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Appendix 1

This appendix documents the methods and assumptions used to assess the potential for VDOT’s I-81 rest areas to be expanded to accommodate additional truck spaces. It is important to note that this effort focused solely on adding spaces, without consid-eration of land acquisition constraints or environmental impacts.

For diagonal parking, the stall dimensions were assessed at 100 feet by 15 feet, which corresponds to the dimensions used at the existing Abingdon facility.

The proposed parking spaces were 100 feet in length, following the existing Abing-don facility configuration. VDOT is currently instituting a longer 135-foot stall length for parallel parking spaces, which could also be applied, with a relatively minor reduc-tion in the total number of new spaces pro-vided.

Truck aisles were assigned dimensions ranging from 24 feet to 48 feet, depend-ing on how trucks navigate through each

individual rest area parking lot. This again was based the existing Abingdon facility layout. Aisle and driveway widths, lot con-figurations, and truck turning paths would all need to be reviewed thoroughly before a concept is selected for preliminary design

The entrance and exit ramp improvements generally reflect AASHTO Chapter 10 guid-ance on ramp length using preliminary assumptions.

The suitability of existing rest areas for expansion was limited to a review of aerial mapping, Google street views, and notes and observations made during the field visit conducted for this study. A more thorough site investigation during preliminary design could result in substantial changes to the potential spaces analyzed for this study. The right-of-way lines used in the analysis were based on GIS tax map parcel data.

The proximity of each rest area to adja-cent residential areas was taken into con-sideration when sizing potential rest area

expansions. For locations near residential areas, expansions were generally limited to between 20 and 30 additional parking spaces. It was assumed that small scale expansions may be politically more pal-atable, while larger expansions may be less costly when assessed on a per-space basis.

Overall, the intent in analyzing the exist-ing I-81 rest areas was to develop a variety of parking expansion possibilities. Other concepts not assessed as part of this effort may have different degrees of merit, once the constraints of a particular site are explored.

Possible Expansion of Existing Rest AreasMethods and Assumptions


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APPENDIX 2

Inventory of Existing Parking Facilities


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Appendix 2

Matrix of Existing Conditions

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Truck Parking Spaces Services Available

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1 Exit 323 Flying J (Clear Brook) Private 24 92 0 11 12 Y N NConvenience Store, Denny’s, adjacent CAT dealer

None

2 Exit 321Olde Stone Truck Stop/Cig-arette Outlet (Clear Brook) Private 0 14 0 0 5 N N N Convenience Store Maximum 3 hour parking

3 MM 320 SB

Winchester Rest Area (Winchester, VA) Public 0 28 1 0 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

4 Exit 317Handy Mart / Johnson's Exxon (Winchester, VA) Private 0 0 0 0 N N N N Convenience Store Car fueling only. Truck parking for adjacent

Econolodge customers only.

5 Exit 307High Point Truck Stop (Middletown, VA) Private 0 19 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store Gravel lot; fee for parking

6 MM 306 NB/SB

Middletown Weigh Sta-tions (Middletown, VA) Public 0 0 0 0 0 N N N None For Official Use Only

Inventory of Existing Truck Parking Facilities on I-81

This appendix contains a multi-page matrix showing the characteristics of the existing truck parking facilities along Interstate 81 in Virginia. The Index Numbers correspond to the circled numbers on the maps shown in chapter 2.


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Appendix 2


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7 Exit 302Liberty Fuels (Middletown, VA) Private 0 11 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store Gravel lot blocked off. No idling. Max 1 hour

parking

8 I-66MM 3 EB

Front Royal Truck Rest Area (Middletown, VA) Public 0 25 0 0 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending3 mi east of I-81, parking is combination of shoulder & diagonal spaces

9 Exit 291Wilco Travel Plaza (Middle-town, VA) Private 27 126 0 15 10 Y N N Convenience Store,

Subway None

10 Exit 291 Love's (Toms Brook, VA) Private 0 70 0 19 11 Y Y YConvenience Store, Arby's, adjacent truck wash bay

None

11 Exit 273Shenandoah Travel Center (Mt. Jackson, VA) Private 0 81 0 6 11 Y N N

Convenience Store, TV lounge, adjacent Dennys

Storage tanks labeled "biodiesel" observed at this facility.

12 Exit 273Sheetz Travel Center (Mt. Jackson, VA) Private 0 58 0 9 14 Y N N Convenience Store None

13 MM 262 SB

New Market Rest Area (New Market, VA) Public 0 7 0 8 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

14 MM 262 NB

New Market Rest Area (New Market, VA) Public 0 25 0 0 N N N N Rest Rooms,

VendingCars-only portion is open to trucks overnight.


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Appendix 2


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15 Exit 251Pilot Travel Cente (Harri-sonburg, VA) Private 10 89 0 11 11 N N N Convenience Store,

Subway None

16 Exit 243Harrisonburg Truck Stop (Harrisonburg, VA) Private 0 137 0 5 11 N N N Convenience Store,

Restaurant None

17 Exit 240Shell/McDonald's (Mt. Crawford, VA) Private 0 29 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store,

McDonalds Truck parking limited to 1 hour.

18 Exit 235BP Denos Food Mart #10 (Weyers Cave, VA) Private 0 7 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store,

Subway None

19 MM 232 SB

Mt. Sidney Rest Area (Mt. Sidney, VA) Public 0 9 0 3 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

20 MM 232 NB

Mt. Sidney Rest Area (Mt. Sidney, VA) Public 0 24 0 1 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

21 Exit 217Kangaroo Exp./Circle K (Staunton, VA) Private 0 19 0 2 7 N N N Convenience Store None

22 Exit 213 Love's (Staunton, VA) Private 0 0 0 0 0 N N N Convenience Store New facility, still under construction


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Appendix 2


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23 Exit 213Pilot Travel Center (Staunton, VA) Private 10 78 0 3 9 Y N N

Convenience Store, Arbys, TJ Cinnamons, Subway

Truck lot separated from store

24 Exit 205Pilot Travel Center (Ra-phine, VA) Private 13 135 0 0 14 Y N N

Convenience store, Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts

Peterbilt dealer next door

25 Exit 205Smiley's Travel Center (Raphine, VA) Private 0 19 0 8 7 N N N Convenience store None

26 Exit 205White's Travel Center (Ra-phine, VA) Private 30 484 3 0 16 Y Y Y

Barber, Restaurants, Theater, Mini-mall format

Very busy. 20+ over capacity each night. 200 additional spaces planned for 2019

27 Exit 200 Shell (Fairfield, VA) Private 0 2 0 0 2 N N N Convenience Store Limited truck parking (not marked); dedicated truck entrance.

28 Exit 200Former truck facility (Fair-field, VA) Private 0 0 0 0 N N N N N/A Facility closed, for sale.

29 MM 199 SB

Fairfield Rest Area (Fair-field, VA) Public 0 7 0 1 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

30 Exit 195TA Lee-Hi Travel Plaza (Lexington, VA) Private 0 171 3 0 10 Y Y Y Convenience Store,

RestaurantLarge adjacent lot (60+) appears leased to private entities.

31 Exit 162Citgo/Subway (Buchanan, VA) Private 0 6 0 0 3 N N N Convenience Store,

Subway Gravel lot, parking spaces not marked


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Appendix 2


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32 Exit 158 Troutville Rest Area (Troutville, VA) Public 0 8 0 0 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

VendingParking capacity exceeded at 1 pm, cars in truck spaces

33 Exit 150TA Roanoke #21 (Trout-ville, VA) Private 0 0 0 0 0 N N N None Facility moved to Lee-Hi Travel Plaza, off

I-81/Exit 195.

34 Exit 150Pilot Travel Center (Trout-ville, VA) Private 0 10 1 0 7 Y N N Convenience Store,

Subway None

35 Exit 150Kangaroo Exp./Circle K (Troutville, VA) Private 0 6 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store Parking spaces not marked

36 MM 148.5 NB/SB

Troutville Weigh Stations (Roanoke, VA) Public 0 0 0 0 0 N N N None For Official Use Only

37 MM 129NB

Ironto Rest Area (Elliston, VA) Public 0 24 1 0 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

38 Exit 128On the Run Exxon (Elliston, VA) Private 0 59 0 4 7 N N N Convenience Store

and Subway None

39 Exit 109Radford Travel Center (Radford, VA) Private 0 38 0 0 4 N N N Convenience Store,

Restaurant Gravel lot

40 MM 108 SB

Radford Rest Area (Rad-ford, VA) Public 0 14 0 4 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None


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Appendix 2


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41 MM 108 NB

Radford Rest Area (Rad-ford, VA) Public 0 14 0 4 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending None

42 Exit 101Lancer Travel Plaza (Dub-lin, VA) Private 0 70 0 5 12 Y Y Y Convenience Store None

43 Exit 98Dublin Handy Mart (Dublin, VA) Private 0 27 0 1 5 N N N Convenience Store Volvo Heavy Truck Dublin Plant only 1 mile

away.

44 Exit 89Bir Truck Garage (Draper, VA) Private 0 0 0 0 0 N N N None Now an out-of-business repair shop.

45 Exit 86I-81 Travel Plaza (MaxMeadows, VA) Private 0 36 0 0 4 N Y Y

Convenience Store, Restaurant, and Motel

Spaces not marked. Repair shop next door may be affiliated.

46 Exit 84Circle K/Exxon (Max Mead-ows, VA) Private 0 9 0 1 5 N N N Convenience Store,

Dairy Queen None

47 Exit 84Love's Max Meadows (Max Meadows, VA) Private 0 123 0 7 9 Y Y Y Convenience Store None

48 Exit 80 Flying J (Fort Chiswell, VA) Private 14 211 1 10 10 Y Y YConvenience Store, Restaurants, Truck Wash Bay

None


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Appendix 2


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49 Exit 77 Petro (Wytheville, VA) Private 0 27 0 0 10 N N N Convenience Store, Subway None

50 Exit 77 Flying J (Wytheville, VA) Private 0 184 2 0 12 Y N NConvenience Store, Dennys, Cinnabon, Showers

None

51 Exit 77Wilco/Pilot Travel Cente (Wytheville, VA) Private 10 111 0 9 8 Y N N Convenience Store Truck wash bay visible in aerial mapping

has been demolished

52 Exit 72Circle K/Exxon (Wytheville, VA) Private 0 21 0 3 5 N N N Convenience Store Brownfield potential off back lot.

53 Exit 72TA Wytheville (Wytheville, VA) Private 26 91 3 3 10 Y Y Y Convenience Store,

Restaurant, showers None

54 MM 61 NB

Rural Retreat Rest Area (Rural Retreat, VA) Public 0 0 0 0 0 N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending Cars Only

55 Exit 54Village Truck Stop (Atkins, VA) Private 0 12 0 0 6 N N N Convenience Store Gravel lot, no expansion potential.

56 MM 53 SB

Smyth Rest Area (Atkins, VA) Public 0 10 0 2 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending Steep grades behind facility


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Appendix 2


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57 Exit 50Kangaroo Express (Atkins, VA) Private 0 17 0 1 6 N N N Convenience Store,

SubwayCreek abuts main entrance off Nicks Creek Road

58 Exit 29Petro, Glade Spring (Mon-roe, VA) Private 24 218 0 7 8 Y Y Y Convenience Store Surrounded by development; no opportunity

to expand.

59 Exit 24 Love's (Monroe, VA) Private 0 72 0 1 9 Y Y Y Convenience Store, McDonalds

Expansion limited on three sides, but could expand into an open area to the west.

60 MM 13 NB Abingdon Truck Only (Abingdon, VA) Public 0 57 2 4 N N N N Rest Rooms,

VendingWell-marked, recent improvements, model public facility.

61 Exit 10 Quick Stop (Bristol,VA) Private 0 8 0 0 2 N N N Convenience StoreThis is a small convenience store, but it could possibly expand. (There is a vacant 31-acre parcel adjacent to it.)

62 "MM 1 SB (Tenn.)"

Tennessee Welcome Center (Bristol,TN) Public 0 19 1 0 N N N N Rest Rooms,

Vending 2 bus spaces also provided

TOTAL PARKING SPACES 188 3,268 18 168


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Appendix 2


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APPENDIX 3

Truck Origin-Destination Methodology


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Appendix 3

Truck Origin-Destination Methodology

The need to provide safe refuge for freight operators moving goods throughout the region and nation is essential to the operation of any interstate facility and to protect driver’s health. Furthermore, the usage of truck parking areas is enforced by federal regulation that limits the amount of time a driver can spend behind the wheel each week. Cur-rently, drivers operate under a 60/70 rule stating that they cannot be on duty more than 60 hours over any 7 day period or 70 hours over any 8 day period. Unfortunately, drivers can hit their daily limit when there is little or no available parking causing them to either push themselves past the regulatory limit to drive to find refuge. Conversely, drivers may decide to end a day early to take advantage of areas with adequate parking if they know they are going to hit their daily limit when there is little or no supply to protect themselves. Both cases have their own downsides: drivers could either over extend themselves, which could lead to unsafe opera-tions; or drivers may overcrowd stops, which may lead to drivers parking anywhere they can find refuge, posing a significant risk to driver safety. This study seeks to provide a higher resolution look at freight demand along the I-81 corridor by combining Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) methodologies with origin-destination techniques.

The methodology outlined in the FHWA published ‘Model Development for National Assessment of Commercial Vehicle Parking’ assumes a certain amount of homogeneity along a corridor by breaking a corridor

into predetermined segments of a specific lengths and then calculating demand based upon an observed average daily traffic (ADT) and truck percentage. This method provides a very good high level planning insight, but ignores the context of the route each driver takes. For example, the amount of time a driver has spent in the system prior to reaching an indi-vidual segment is ignored in calculating demand in this fashion. Route length along the corridor is a major factor in the determination of the amount of time a driver will need to spend resting. For this analysis, rather than arbitrarily breaking up the corridor into segments, a detailed freight origin-destination (OD) matrix was developed for each ramp movement along I-81 within the state of Virginia to identify route length to serve as a solid foundation to determine truck parking demand.

The 2017 traffic data inventory maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) was used to develop mainline and ramp volumes along the I-81 corridor. To establish typical daily truck demand on the cor-ridor, truck percentages were applied to ADT values along the I-81 main-line and ramps. To determine how trips were distributed along the cor-ridor, origin-destination relationships were established between ramps by leveraging the Virginia statewide travel demand modeling (VSTDM) framework. The I-81 corridor was isolated and the model was run to establish a baseline OD relationship along the corridor.


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Appendix 3

To harness the model OD output and apply it to real world data, matrix estimation must be performed. The Fratar Method, a growth factor technique used to project travel patterns, was used to bridge the gap between the simu-lated OD matrix and real world productions and attractions to develop an OD matrix that matched the calculated truck productions and attractions produced by the 2017 I-81 traffic count data. This newly established ‘Truck OD Matrix’ serves as the basis of this analysis. This process is illustrated in Figure 1.

Truck Parking Demand Estimation Methodology

Using the Truck OD Matrix (as described in the previous section), the demand for Truck parking along the I-81 corridor was estimated using the previously mentioned FHWA methodology. This study followed that methodology, with one major distinction: Demand between individual ramp pairs establish truck parking demand. While the process is dated, the FHWA model provides a simple and straight forward method that, when combined with detailed ramp-to-ramp data, yield truck parking estimates at an adequate level of detail. Technical assumptions for this analysis can be found in Table 1.


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Appendix 3

Truck Volumes, Vt

Truck volumes were determined by applying the Peak Seasonal Factor from Table 1 to the volumes developed from the first step from the ‘Truck OD Estimation Process’. The seasonal peak daily truck volume, Vt, is calculated as follows:

Average Truck Travel Time, TT

To calculated average truck travel time (TT) as part of this analysis, the determination of route length was enhanced from the FHWA method by analyzing every possible ramp to ramp combination rather than a simple segment length. While more detailed, the formula to develop TT remains unchanged from the FHWA method and is as follows:

Total Daily Truck-Hours of Travel

Using the ramp to ramp demand produced by the OD Estimation Process, the daily truck volumes produced by equation 1, the average travel time from equation 2, and the proportion of trucks that are short- and long-haul are used to determine the breakdown of the total daily truck-hours of travel for short- and long-haul trips via the following equations:

Daily Truck Parking Demand

After ramp to ramp total daily truck-hours of travel have been calculated, short- and long-haul truck hours of parking can be determined. Per the FHWA method, short-term stops (DST) and truck-hours of short-haul travel calculated in equation 3 is used to develop the daily short-haul truck-hours of parking demand, THPSH:

For long-haul drivers, regulations dictate that drivers cannot drive more after 70 hours in 8 consecutive days. Based on the FHWA methodol-ogy, the average parked time per week would be 49 hours, resulting in a ratio of 49 hours or parked time per week per 70 hours of driving time per week. The calculation also assumes a short term rest of 5 minutes for every hour of driving for purposes other than long-term resting. To estimate the daily long-haul truck-hours of parking demand, THPLH, between origins and destinations is as follows:


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Appendix 3

Peak Hour Truck Parking Demand

Now that daily truck parking demand has been ascertained, the number of trucks requiring parking during the peak period needs to be determined. To do this, default values for short- and long-haul peaking characteristics have been determined by the FHWA as 0.02 for short-haul (PPFSH) and 0.09 for long-haul (PPFLH). Using these default values and the truck-hours of parking demand derived in equations 5 and 6, short- (PHPSH) and long-haul (PHPLH) peak hour parking demand is calculated as follows:

Summary and Results

Based on this methodology, truck parking demand was calculated along the roughly 320 mile I-81 corridor.

In the northbound direction proceeding north from the Tennessee state line,1,900 truck spaces are needed along the corridor, compared to a current supply of roughly 1,550 including both public and private lots. This leaves a deficit of roughly 350 spaces. Most of this deficit is found between mile marker 280 and the West Virginia state line.

In the southbound direction, a total demand of 2,500 paces are needed along the corridor with roughly 1,900 supplied between private and public lots, leading to a deficit of 600 spaces. Significant need for spaces can be found between mile markers 80 to 160 and from mile marker 40 south to the Tennessee state line.


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Appendix 3


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Truck Parking Study for Interstate 81

Virginia Department of TransportationOffice of Public-Private Partnerships

October 2018


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Documents

Appendix I Truck Parking Study - Virginia Department of ... · and avoid driving while fatigued, and when designated parking is not available, drivers are forced to either continue