“For the past year, Michigan has been testing a system that assesses truck parking availability along one of the state’s busiest corridors – I-94 in the southwestern part of the state. The Michigan Dept. of Transportation (MDOT) has activated the I-94 Truck Parking Information and Management System (TPIMS), which assesses truck parking availability along I-94 and delivers real-time parking information to truck drivers.
“Commercial truck drivers routinely park on rest area entrance and exit ramps, in designated car parking areas, and on interstate entrance and exit ramps, according to DOT. Meanwhile, a significant percentage of truck parking spaces at private parking facilities are empty or under-used. Rather than building more parking spaces, the goals of TPIMS are to evaluate if existing parking spaces along the corridor can be used more efficiently, to identify available parking, and share that information with commercial vehicle operators.
“The general concept for collecting parking data is by counting trucks entering and leaving the truck parking facilities. Truck parking availability information is captured using sensors at rest areas and videos at private truck parking facilities. In-pavement sensors track when trucks drive into or leave a rest stop, and video surveillance detects when trucks drive in and out of private truck stops, Castle explained. Data are then transmitted to an MDOT ATMS server and made available at the Statewide Transportation Operations Center.
“MDOT’s MiDrive website provides information for route and rest stop planning in a special section for trucks. In addition, Truck Smart Parking Services (TSPS) provides en-route truck parking information via a smartphone app. >HNTB infrastructure solutions designed the system and provides operations and maintenance for the private truck stop facility deployments, Castle said. MDOT will use the TSPS information to evaluate its program.”
Shorepower offers reservations for most of our spaces. If you know you are going to be using Shorepower when you stop for the night, give us a call ahead of time and we will make sure there is a space saved for you!