Due to either a full rest stop or a closed one, many truckers are forced to seek alternative places to take their mandated breaks. This often means parking on the shoulder of a highway. Every year this causes accidents when motorists collide with parked trucks.
The states of Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin are teaming up and using federal funds to install a sensor system that will automatically detect where and when parking spots are open for truckers.
Truck drivers who can’t find parking resort to resting on highway shoulders, in the parking lots of closed strip malls, industrial parks, and on the grassy circles within highway ramps. These can cause serious trucking safety issues.