Truck Stops · Nationwide · November 2, 2026

Truck Parking Projects Add Up to About 2% of $1 Billion in Federal Safety Grants, and None Describe New Spaces for Truckers

By Big Rig Daily Staff

Truck drivers have waited a long time for more places to park, and a new round of federal money was announced with truck parking in the headline. A closer look at the award list shows the picture is less clear. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced more than $1 billion in Safety Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants on Thursday, Oct. 29, according to The Trucker.

What USDOT said

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the grants make "major investments in the truckers' quality of life by reversing the nation's severe parking shortage." USDOT says 10 of the 297 projects selected will help address the truck parking shortage. The Trucker reports that the published project descriptions leave questions about how much of the $1.01 billion will go specifically to truck parking.

What the review found

The Trucker reviewed the complete awards list and found four projects that specifically reference truck parking. Their combined federal grants come to about $21.6 million, or 2.1% of the package. That is the total for projects that also include other roadway safety work, so it is not money set aside only for parking. The remaining six parking-related projects USDOT counts could not be clearly identified from the descriptions provided.

• Pecos, Texas: $12 million for freight corridor safety on U.S. Highway 285 and the Interstate 20 frontage roads. The project includes access management, upgraded lighting, speed monitoring and a roundabout, and its stated goal includes reducing unauthorized truck parking.
• Reeves County, Texas: $4.1 million for planning and demonstration work, including freight corridor and truck parking safety studies, roadway safety audits and an updated safety action plan.
• Fort Collins, Colorado: about $5.2 million for safety improvements on a 2.5-mile stretch of Shields Street, better post-crash care and a truck parking study aimed at the Interstate 25 parking shortage and unsafe roadside stopping.
• Miami Township, Ohio: $240,000 for a roadway safety action plan that includes an analysis of truck parking needs.

According to The Trucker, none of the four descriptions says additional truck parking spaces will be built.

A different program builds spaces

The Trucker notes that a separate USDOT announcement on Oct. 14 put $200 million from the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects (INFRA) program toward 14 truck parking expansion projects in 12 states. Unlike the SS4A awards, several of those projects state how many parking spaces are planned.

The rest of the package

The SS4A awards include about $683.7 million for 100 implementation grants and $329.3 million for 197 planning and demonstration grants. USDOT says 52% of the awards will benefit rural communities.

Big Rig Daily relied on The Trucker's review and did not independently check the full awards list.

For truckers looking for a spot

Big Rig Daily has covered a $23 million truck parking project in Arkansas and a Florida trucking association's count of parking spaces, and the truck parking tips and apps guide lists ways to find a spot tonight.

Quick facts

• Announced: Oct. 29, 2026, more than $1 billion (about $1.01 billion) for 297 SS4A projects.
• Parking-related per USDOT: 10 projects. Clearly identified by The Trucker: four, about $21.6 million (2.1%).
• Largest of the four: $12 million for Pecos, Texas.
• New parking spaces named in the four descriptions: none.
• Separate INFRA program: $200 million for 14 truck parking projects in 12 states, announced Oct. 14.

FAQ

How much of the federal safety money is tied to truck parking?

About $21.6 million, or 2.1%, goes to four projects that clearly reference truck parking, according to The Trucker. That is the total for those projects, not parking alone.

Will the grants build new truck parking spaces?

None of the four project descriptions specifically say new spaces will be built, according to The Trucker.

Is there federal money that does build parking?

A separate INFRA announcement on Oct. 14 put $200 million toward 14 truck parking expansion projects, and several name the number of spaces planned.

A question for readers

Truckers, would you rather see another parking study in your area, or one more lot with real spaces where you need them?

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