HARRISBURG, PA — For the first time in decades, Pennsylvania is taking a major, coordinated step to expand safe, designated truck parking across the Commonwealth.

Governor Josh Shapiro’s administration announced today that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike), will add 1,202 truck parking spaces in 133 locations by the end of 2026, using existing state-owned properties and highway rights-of-way. The announcement was made with participation from the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA), which has long advocated for expanding truck parking capacity statewide. The Turnpike is also evaluating opportunities for more than 600 additional spaces across its system.

This marks a turning point in a long-standing challenge. For years, Pennsylvania truck drivers have faced one of the most severe shortages of truck parking in the country — a shortage that compromises driver safety, disrupts supply chains, and makes it harder to recruit and retain professional drivers. Today’s announcement represents a tangible step forward toward safer roads, more efficient freight movement, and a more supportive operating environment for truck drivers.

PennDOT’s plan will establish new truck parking areas along interstate on-ramps where visibility and safety allow, as well as at weigh stations and other highway right-of-way locations. These sites will be clearly marked with standardized signage to help drivers identify safe, legal places to rest. As they open, each new location will be added to the 511PA website and mobile app under a new “Public Truck Parking” feature, making real-time parking availability easier to access for carriers and drivers alike.

Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission — which has already invested more than $30 million over the last two decades to expand parking at plazas such as Sideling Hill, Lawn, Highspire, North Somerset, and Stanton — is exploring additional opportunities to add parking near interchanges, pull-offs, and reconfigured service plazas as it transitions to Open Road Tolling. The Turnpike’s freight volumes have grown significantly, with commercial traffic now 15 percent higher than pre-pandemic levels, intensifying the need for additional capacity.

PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, himself a commercial driver’s license holder, noted that truck parking has become one of the most pressing issues in freight logistics nationwide. “Truck parking is a nationwide issue, and with the high volume of freight traffic coming through Pennsylvania, the Shapiro Administration knew that we needed to tackle this problem,” Carroll said. “By adding these spots – and looking at ways to add even more – we’re giving truckers many more options to safely park and meet their rest requirements.”

PMTA President & CEO Rebecca Oyler praised the move as a meaningful step forward after years of collaboration and advocacy.

“Truck drivers are essential to keeping our economy moving, goods on our shelves, and food in our pantries — but they need safe places to stop and rest,” Oyler said. “With only one parking space for every 11 drivers on the road, too many truckers are forced to choose between breaking hours-of-service laws or stopping in unsafe locations. Every new space added to our highway network means one more trucker who has a safe and secure place to stop tonight. PMTA thanks PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission for their commitment to tackling this problem to help truck drivers and keep our roads safer for everyone.”

To make it easier for drivers to find safe places to stop, PennDOT also introduced a new “Public Truck Parking” feature on 511PA.com and the 511PA mobile app. The interactive map highlights current truck parking sites, and new locations from PennDOT and the Turnpike Commission will appear as they open.

The Policy Foundations Behind Today’s Announcement

While today’s announcement represents new investment, it is built on several years of careful study and institutional groundwork that PMTA helped initiate and lead. In December 2023, the State Transportation Commission (STC) formally adopted the Truck Parking Study developed by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) — a study chaired by PMTA’s Rebecca Oyler. That adoption was more than symbolic; it elevated the study’s findings into state policy, making truck parking a priority issue for Pennsylvania’s entire transportation system.

The TAC study identified key freight corridors most in need of additional truck parking — designated as Tier I and Tier II corridors — and developed an objective framework for evaluating potential sites based on safety, access, and demand. It also recommended that PennDOT help coordinate action across public and private partners. When the STC endorsed those recommendations, it effectively directed PennDOT to do exactly what was announced today: use existing rights-of-way, collaborate with PSP and the Turnpike, and build partnerships with local governments and private operators to expand parking capacity quickly and efficiently.

PMTA played a central role in shaping that vision. Through its participation on the Truck Parking Task Force, PMTA continues to work with partners to implement the TAC study’s recommendations, including engaging regional planning organizations like the York County Planning Commission, which has a Freight Advisory Committee to address truck parking and other local freight issues.

Data That Underscores the Need

The urgency of today’s announcement is backed by data. In a 2025 national report, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) found that Pennsylvania lags behind both the national and regional averages in the availability of public truck parking. Nationwide, states average 16 public truck parking spaces per 100 miles of National Highway System roadway. Pennsylvania provides just 10.9 per 100 miles, ranking near the bottom of northeastern states. The ATRI report also found that Pennsylvania does not meet the typical ratio of public-to-private truck parking capacity achieved in better-performing states, and that the state’s public facilities often lack 24-hour security and basic amenities found elsewhere.

These findings echo what PMTA and its members have been telling policymakers for years: Pennsylvania’s truck parking shortage is not a minor inconvenience — it’s a systemic issue that affects safety, compliance, and efficiency. Drivers who cannot find safe, legal parking are forced to choose between violating hours-of-service limits or stopping on shoulders, ramps, and other unsafe areas. The result is greater fatigue, higher crash risk, and lower driver satisfaction, which in turn exacerbates workforce shortages.

The new expansion initiative addresses these issues directly, providing more options for drivers and reducing congestion and hazards caused by unauthorized parking. It also advances one of the key recommendations from the TAC study: repurposing surplus state-owned property to create low-cost, high-impact parking facilities.

PMTA’s Continued Leadership and Legislative Solutions

While the Shapiro Administration’s expansion marks a major milestone, PMTA continues to pursue additional tools to solve the problem through legislative action. Earlier this year, Representative Kerry Benninghoff introduced House Bill 709, legislation that would create a tax credit for private businesses that build or expand truck parking facilities open to the public at no charge. Under the bill, eligible developers could claim a credit of $5,000 per space (for projects of at least five spaces), up to a maximum of $100,000 per taxpayer per year. The program would begin with a $10 million statewide cap, growing to $20 million over several years.

The bill prioritizes projects along the Tier I and Tier II freight corridors identified in the TAC study and directs the Department of General Services to evaluate surplus Commonwealth properties that could be converted to parking. If enacted, it would encourage private investment to complement the state’s efforts and help close the gap between public need and available funding. PMTA strongly supports HB 709, viewing it as a crucial next step to build on PennDOT’s expansion and ensure sustained progress.

A Multi-Layered Approach to an Urgent Challenge

Together, these efforts — the TAC study, the new statewide expansion, local planning initiatives, and the proposed tax credit — create a multi-layered strategy that combines public initiative, private incentives, and data-driven planning. It’s an approach PMTA has advocated for years: aligning resources, policy, and partnerships to tackle the truck parking crisis at every level.

Pennsylvania’s role as a freight crossroads means its parking shortage has national consequences. The Commonwealth sees some of the highest freight volumes in the country, and its drivers connect supply chains that feed and fuel communities from New England to the Midwest. With demand increasing and infrastructure space constrained, today’s announcement is both long overdue and forward-looking.

As implementation begins, PMTA will continue to work with PennDOT, the Turnpike, planning partners, and legislators to ensure the program delivers on its promise. The association will also keep pressing for passage of HB 709 and for local governments to adopt truck parking-friendly zoning and permitting practices. Every new safe, legal space created through these combined efforts will represent real progress — for the drivers who keep Pennsylvania moving and for everyone who shares the road with them.

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