BOONE COUNTY — You’ve likely seen it: semi-trucks parked at night, lining interstate on and off-ramps as drivers search for legal places to stop.
According to Truck Parking Club, for every 11 semis on the road, there is only one parking spot available. The private company is working to fill that gap while more official parking is added, partnering with local property owners across the country — including in Indiana — to rent out spaces to truck drivers. The spots Truck Parking Club brokers already allow truck traffic, so companies and property owners don’t have to worry about zoning ordinances or weight limits.
"That can be a trucking company with extra space in the yard, a tow truck company, a truck repair shop, a warehouse, a self-storage facility. Any space that is suitable for truck parking, we can get them in the business of truck parking the same day,” Evan Shelley, the CEO of Truck Parking Club, said.
Shelley says the company already manages about 100 truck parking spots in Indiana.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is also expanding capacity. INDOT currently allocates 1,400 spaces for semis across its rest areas and welcome centers. Upon completion of INDOT’s Welcome Center and Rest Area Improvement Plan, an additional 1,200 truck parking spaces will be available, nearly doubling capacity.
INDOT says 724 million tons of freight travel through Indiana each year, making the state the fifth-busiest for commercial freight traffic. Freight flow in Indiana is expected to increase by about 60% by 2040, putting further pressure on parking and rest facilities.
Boone County is a major transportation hub for truck traffic, particularly along Interstate 65, a primary north-south freight corridor. INDOT officials said truck parking locations on I-65 near Lebanon are very close to completion and that other projects are on a staggered schedule: Clear Creek Welcome Center on I-70 in Vigo County is expected to open this fall, Black River Welcome Center on I-64 in Posey County is expected to open this winter, and the Centerville Welcome Center on I-70 in Wayne County is currently under construction.
