Truck parking is a challenge in the Atlanta region, impacting safety, freight efficiency, and quality of life. Truck drivers must park for various reasons, including required rest breaks under federal regulations and waiting for scheduled pickup and delivery times. However, the region lacks sufficient designated truck parking, leading many drivers to park in unsafe or unauthorized locations such as highway shoulders, entrance and exit ramps, and unpatrolled lots.
A trucking parking shortage creates safety risks and other negative impacts such as:
As part of the 2024 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan , the ARC updated the truck parking supply and demand estimates to identify the region’s most critical needs. See Section 7.7 for needs and Section 8.6 for recommendations.
The ARC developed model zoning ordinance language and related guidance to help local governments allow high-amenity truck parking, reducing unauthorized parking and improving safety.
The ARC conducted the Atlanta Regional Truck Parking Assessment Study for the 20-county Metro Atlanta region from March 2017 through March 2018. This study was prompted as a recommendation from the 2016 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan Update, based on information gathered about truck parking demand from local, regional, and federal sources. During that planning process, many cities and counties in the Atlanta Region identified truck parking as an issue in their jurisdiction. This has also been a focus for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), particularly through the Jason’s Law Truck Parking Survey and related efforts.
The ARC worked with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), FHWA, transportation planners/engineers throughout the region, Community Improvement Districts (CIDs), and members of the private sector to conduct this study. These efforts culminated in a report that contains an existing conditions analysis, a needs assessment, and potential recommendations for both infrastructure projects and policies that could be implemented to address truck parking needs across the Atlanta Region.
The study’s goals and objectives, existing conditions assessment, and other information were included in this May 2017 presentation to the ARC Transportation Coordinating Committee. The study’s Needs Assessment was presented in the August 2017 presentation, and the study’s recommendations were presented in the November 2017 presentation.
Also available for separate download are the Executive Summary and the Appendix.
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