The shortage of parking spaces for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) has been one of the biggest challenges facing European road transport for years. The latest data shows, however, that the scale of the problem may be even greater than expected. For many professional drivers, finding a safe place to take their mandatory rest period means spending up to an additional hour on the road every day.

This is not simply a matter of comfort. It is an issue that affects driver safety, transport planning, operating costs for hauliers and the efficient use of working time.

Up to an Hour a Day Spent Looking for Parking

According to data presented in DEKRA’s Arbeitsplatz Straßenverkehr report, as many as 43% of surveyed drivers said that finding a place for their overnight rest usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes.

Even more concerning is the fact that 24% of drivers reported spending at least one hour every day looking for a parking space.

In practice, this means that a significant proportion of drivers cannot simply finish their working day efficiently. Instead, they have to drive around looking for available spaces at successive truck stops and motorway service areas.

In international transport, where drivers’ working and rest periods are strictly regulated, such situations can have a major impact on the entire organisation of a transport operation.

Drivers Have to Cover Additional Kilometres

The problem goes beyond lost time.

More than half of the drivers surveyed said that they regularly have to travel at least an additional 20 kilometres to find an available parking space.

For a haulier, this means:

• higher fuel consumption,
• additional kilometres that are not directly related to the transport operation,
• more difficult management of the driver’s working time,
• a higher risk of delays,
• additional strain on the driver after a full working day.

When the same situation occurs several times a week and affects a large fleet, individual additional kilometres can quickly translate into significant operating costs.

Sometimes There Is Simply No Safe Place to Park

An even more serious issue is safety.

Almost two-thirds of the drivers surveyed admitted that they sometimes have to take their rest breaks on entry lanes, exit lanes or even emergency lanes because all available parking spaces are already occupied.

A professional driver should never have to choose between complying with driving and rest-time regulations and finding a place where they can actually rest safely.

The problem is particularly noticeable in the afternoon. Drivers participating in the survey most frequently identified the period between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. as the time when finding an available parking space becomes especially difficult.

Germany Presents the Biggest Challenge

According to the survey respondents, Germany has the most significant problems with the availability of truck parking spaces.

For companies operating regular transport services across Western Europe, this comes as little surprise. Germany is one of the most important transit countries in European road transport, and the extremely high volume of heavy goods traffic creates significant demand for suitable parking infrastructure.

However, the growth of road transport is not always matched by sufficiently rapid development of facilities where professional drivers can safely take their required rest periods.

Parking Is Also a Safety Issue

Finding an available space is not the only challenge.

Around 60% of the drivers surveyed consider the lack of CCTV and monitoring at parking areas to be a direct safety concern.

Around half of respondents also know of parking areas that they deliberately avoid because of the risk of theft or other criminal activity.

In international road transport, the safety and security of a driver’s rest location are particularly important. A driver is responsible not only for a vehicle that can often be worth hundreds of thousands of euros, but also for the cargo being transported.

That is why suitable truck parking infrastructure should provide more than simply enough spaces. It should also include CCTV, adequate lighting, sanitary facilities and other measures designed to improve the safety and security of both drivers and transported goods.

Technology Helps, but It Cannot Create New Parking Spaces

An increasing number of drivers use apps that provide information about truck parking areas and their availability. According to the report, around two-thirds of respondents use such solutions.

These tools can certainly make route planning easier, but they do not solve the underlying problem.

If there are simply not enough physical parking spaces for trucks in a particular area, even the best app can only tell a driver that the next parking area is full as well.

Technology can therefore support the transport industry, but it cannot replace investment in infrastructure.

A Problem for the Entire Road Transport Industry

From a haulier’s perspective, the availability of suitable truck parking is not a minor part of day-to-day operations. It has a direct impact on the efficiency of the entire transport process.

One hour a day spent looking for parking may seem like a relatively small amount of time. However, when multiplied by dozens or hundreds of vehicles and across weeks of operation, the scale of the problem becomes enormous.

More importantly, a driver who has completed a long-distance journey should be able to quickly find a safe place to stop and rest. Forcing them to drive additional kilometres in search of parking has exactly the opposite effect.

European road transport continues to grow. The infrastructure supporting it must grow at the same pace.

Increasing the number of safe and secure truck parking areas, particularly along Europe’s major transport corridors, should be one of the priorities for the coming years.

For drivers, this means greater safety and better working conditions. For hauliers, it means more efficient transport planning. And for the European economy as a whole, it means a more efficient and reliable supply chain.