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Florida expands truck parking on I‑4 to address safety risks
Project backed by $180 million INFRA grant
Key Takeaways:
- Florida plans to add more than 900 truck parking spaces along the Interstate 4 corridor using federal funding to address safety and capacity issues.
- Demand for truck parking in parts of the state exceeds 150%, with only about 90 public spaces serving roughly 18,000 daily trucks on I-4.
- Construction begins this summer in Seminole and Volusia counties, with additional projects in Osceola and Orange counties planned for 2027.
Federal and state transportation officials in Florida emphasized trucking safety while breaking ground on a project that will bring more than 900 truck parking spaces to the Interstate 4 freight corridor.
“Truck drivers shouldn’t have to choose between following the law and finding a safe place to park,” said Derek Barrs, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “These new parking spaces will help drivers get the rest they need, reduce dangerous roadside parking and make one of Florida’s busiest freight corridors safer for everyone.”
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, a lack of adequate truck parking is forcing drivers to park on interstate mainlines, ramp shoulders or in vacant lots that often cause safety hazards.
“Analysis found that during peak periods truck parking demand can exceed 150% in some areas of the state,” a 2024 FDOT Freight Mobility and Trade Plan noted.
Barrs recently helped break ground on five truck parking expansion projects with Federal Highway Administrator Sean McMaster and Jared Perdue, secretary of FDOT.
The goal is to add parking along the I-4 corridor in central Florida, where trucks transport 95% of the state’s consumer goods. The project received a $180 million federal INFRA grant awarded during fiscal years 2023-24 from the U.S. Transportation Department’s Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program.
Construction is starting this summer on the first three sites in Seminole and Volusia counties, with completion scheduled in a year. FDOT plans to start truck parking projects in Osceola and Orange counties in 2027.
“Truck drivers shouldn't have to choose between following the law and finding a safe place to park.” - FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs
FMCSA
Administrator Barrs joined @USDOTFHWA and @MyFDOT today to break ground on five new truck parking sites along the I-4 corridor that… pic.twitter.com/kgQfeaqJLJ — FMCSA (@FMCSA) June 18, 2026
Trucks move 75% of Florida’s total freight. The I-4 corridor has one of Florida’s worst truck parking deficits; the stretch from Orlando to Tampa has just 90 public parking spots, but 18,000 trucks pass through the area each day.
“Our truckers deserve a safe place to rest,” McMaster said. He emphasized that DOT’s pro-trucker funding is enabling Florida “to expand and deliver dedicated parking spaces right where they are needed most — along the I-4 corridor, which has the highest unmet demand in the state.”
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The corridor area has the largest concentration of distribution centers in the Southeast.
FDOT underscored the safety aspect of truck parking, noting that 40% of truckers must drive more than an hour every day looking for a place to park, causing economic losses and forcing truckers to park in harm’s way.
State Sen. Tom Wright (R), who also participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, said adding more parking along I-4 will bolster safety on one of Florida’s most heavily traveled transportation corridors, “supporting the hardworking truck drivers who keep our economy moving, and ensuring goods can continue reaching families and businesses throughout our state.”
