Modeling Truck Parking Demand at Commercial and Industrial Establishments

Abstract

In urban areas, there exists a mismatch between where trucks need to park and the availability of spaces, forcing many truck drivers to park in undesignated locations that are unsafe, disrupt traffic, and cause a nuisance to the community. This mismatch also decreases the productivity of the sector, as drivers spend more time searching for spaces, take longer detours, and end their workday early. Most commercial and industrial establishments currently do not allow trucks to park at their facilities beyond the loading or unloading of cargo, which generates parking demand in the surrounding areas. This paper quantifies the truck parking requirements of different commercial and industrial establishments in Phoenix, AZ, to inform land use and development decision-making. GPS data were combined with land use and employment data to identify where, when, and for how long trucks are parking. Parking rates were calculated at 2-digit and 3-digit NAICS level, for three parking metrics: stops per weekday, cumulative stop duration per weekday, and peak occupancy. Linear and negative binomial models were estimated, along with other types of models, to improve the prediction of parking demand. Results show that parking demand is the highest for establishments that store trucks overnight, such as truck terminals, and establishments with large in-house fleets. Parking demand is also high for establishments moving bulky commodities or having significant transportation needs, like in warehousing and the wholesale trade. Manufacturing establishments have a wide range of parking demand rates, based on the bulkiness of products and use of in-house fleets.