For years, drivers and trucking groups asked Congress for money set aside just for truck parking. In February they got it. The 2026 federal funding law, signed February 3, includes $200 million for truck parking projects. The American Trucking Associations called it the first time Congress has ever put money specifically and only toward expanding truck parking.
What the money does
The Federal Highway Administration manages the funds, which go toward building, expanding and improving parking. Anyone who receives a grant can't charge drivers to use the spaces it pays for, and the money can't go to electric charging or fueling.
That's good news for drivers. More free spaces at rest areas and public lots help, especially on long rural stretches where there's nothing else.
In October, the Department of Transportation announced $200 million in truck parking grants for 14 projects in 12 states. They include about 275 spaces near the port in Savannah, Georgia, about 140 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and about 106 on Interstate 41 in Wisconsin. Don't expect those spots next month, though. Each project still has to be designed and built.
What it won't fix
Scale. Research from the American Transportation Research Institute found the average public rest area has 19 truck spaces. The institute's senior vice president, Dan Murray, has said there are only about 40,000 truck spaces at public rest areas nationwide and that states should probably double that number.
Public parking is also slow to build. States have to find land, get through reviews and deal with neighbors who don't want trucks nearby. The institute found that only about 40 percent of states have applied for federal truck parking grants at all.
Bigger money is still being debated. The House transportation committee's long-term highway bill, the BUILD America 250 Act, would authorize $750 million over five years for truck parking. A separate bill, the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, would authorize $755 million in competitive grants. Both are worth watching as Congress works on the next highway bill.
Where private land comes in
Most truck parking in this country is already private, at truck stops and travel plazas. The fastest new parking will probably come the same way: existing gravel and paved lots near the highway that get a fence, lights and cameras and open their gates to trucks.
For drivers, that means more options for monthly and overnight spots near the places you actually run.
For landowners with a lot near the interstate, it means there's real demand for what you already have. If you've wondered whether your property could work, we'd be glad to take a look. Tell us about it at dropyardstorage.com.
