Long-Distance Truckers Finding No Room To Park, Take A Nap At Nation’s Interstate Rest Stops

America’s long-distance truckers are having a more difficult time finding room to sleep at public rest stops on the nation’s highways.

According to a study commissioned by the Transportation Department, three out of four rest stops on major interstates are full to overcrowded each night, often with 18-wheelers lined one after the other on roadway entrance and exit ramps.

“Failure to solve the truck parking shortage could pose significant risks to the traveling public by forcing tired drivers to continue driving or park on inherently dangerous locations,” the report said.

The study, which began in 1992, was conducted by the Trucking Research Institute, the research arm of the American Trucking Associations, an industry trade group.

The examination found similar crowding problems at privately-maintained rest stops.

Among the study’s key findings:

More than three-quarters of the nearly 1,350 public rest stops scattered on interstates around the country are full each night, often with extra trucks parked on the side of entrance and exit ramps.