​I-80 Safer With Truck Parking Information Management Systems

February 2018

OMAHA, NE… eX² Technology LLC, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT), is participating in an eight-state initiative and implementing infrastructure and smart technology necessary for professional truck drivers to make safer, more timely parking decisions along Iowa’s Interstate 80 corridor. The truck parking information management system will provide truck drivers with real-time, in-cab information on truck parking availability at public rest areas and private truck stops along I-80 in Iowa. Iowa’s system is expected to be fully operational by Jan. 4, 2019.

eX² Technology was awarded a $3.9 million contract by the Iowa DOT to implement and test the truck parking information management system, as well as maintain it for three years following final deployment.

“We are committed to providing the means for safe, efficient and convenient travel throughout the state. Having this system in place will help truck drivers better manage their hours of service and provide a safer, more efficient travel experience for motorists along I-80,” said Phil Mescher, an Iowa DOT transportation planner. “Availability and awareness of truck parking is an ongoing national highway safety concern, which our system will address head-on.”

Iowa’s truck parking information management system will collect truck parking availability data using a variety of in-pavement and entrance/exit ramp sensors. Parking information will be available through Iowa’s 511 Traveler Information System, as well as made available as a data feed that can be used in existing and future in-cab routing systems and a hands-free Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration-compliant mobile app.

The information will be transmitted to a third-party provider, Truck Specialized Parking Services, subcontracted by eX² Technology, to provide the parking availability information through a public data feed to be used by the abovementioned systems.

This initiative is part of a larger Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials’ effort being funded, in part, through a $25 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant awarded to eight partnering states – Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. While each state is responsible for implementing its own truck parking information system, the states’ systems will eventually interconnect into a regional truck parking information management system.

“The U.S. highway system is integral to the American economy,” said Kyle Hildebrand, vice president, project development, eX² Technology. “The scarcity of available truck parking spaces is not only a highway safety issue, but impacts our national economy and global environment. We are very excited about partnering with the Iowa DOT to deliver a solution that utilizes advanced smart highway technologies to address a critical national problem.”