“Truck drivers should not have to choose between following the law and finding a safe place to park,” said FMCSA Administrator Derek Bars. (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration via Facebook)
key takeaways:
- Florida plans to add more than 900 truck parking spaces along the Interstate 4 corridor using federal funding to address safety and capacity issues.
- Truck parking demand in some parts of the state is up by as much as 150%, with only 90 public locations serving approximately 18,000 daily trucks on I-4.
- Construction will begin this summer in Seminole and Volusia counties, with additional projects planned for 2027 in Osceola and Orange counties.
Federal and state transportation officials in Florida put an emphasis on trucking safety as they begin work on a project that will bring more than 900 truck parking spaces For the Interstate 4 freight corridor.
“Truck drivers should not have to choose between following the law and finding a safe place to park,” said Derek Bars, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “These new parking spaces will help drivers get the rest they need, reduce dangerous roadside parking and make one of Florida’s busiest freight corridors safer for everyone.”
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the lack of adequate truck parking is forcing drivers to park trucks on interstate main lines, ramp shoulders or in vacant lots, often causing safety hazards.
“The analysis found that truck parking demand could exceed 150% in some areas of the state during peak periods,” the 2024 FDOT Freight Mobility and Trade Plan states.
Barres recently helped launch five truck parking expansion projects with Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster and FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue.
The goal is to add parking along the I-4 corridor in Central Florida, where trucks transport 95% of the state’s consumer goods. The project received a federal infra grant of $180 million during fiscal year 2023-24 from the US Department of Transportation. Nationally important multimodal freight and highway projects Program.
Construction is scheduled to begin this summer on the first three sites in Seminole and Volusia counties, with completion scheduled within a year. FDOT plans to begin truck parking projects in Osceola and Orange counties in 2027.
“Truck drivers shouldn’t have to choose between following the law and finding a safe place to park.” – FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Burrs
FMCSAAdministrator Burrs joins @USDOTFHWA And @MyFDOT Five new truck parking spots will debut today along the I-4 corridor… pic.twitter.com/kgQfeaqJLJ
– FMCSA (@FMCSA) 18 June 2026
75% of all freight in Florida is transported by trucks. The I-4 corridor has one of Florida’s worst truck parking deficits; There are only 90 public parking spaces in the area from Orlando to Tampa, but 18,000 trucks pass through the area daily.
“Our truck drivers deserve a safe place to rest,” McMaster said. He emphasized that DOT’s pro-trucker funding is enabling Florida to “expand and deliver dedicated parking spaces where they are needed most, along the I-4 corridor, which has the highest unmet demand in the state.”
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The corridor region has the largest concentration of distribution centers in the Southeast.
FDOT emphasized the safety aspect of truck parking, noting that 40% of truck drivers have to drive more than an hour every day looking for a place to park, causing economic losses and forcing truck drivers to park in harm’s way.
State Senator Tom Wright (R), who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said adding more parking along I-4 will increase safety on one of Florida’s most heavily traveled transportation corridors, “supporting the hard-working truck drivers who keep our economy running, and ensuring goods continue to reach families and businesses across our state.”
