When people hear "truck parking" they picture a big truck stop with a diner and fuel islands. Most of the parking drivers need is simpler than that. A fenced, lit lot close to the highway where a truck or trailer can sit safely for a night, a weekend or a month.
A lot of that space already exists. It's behind contractor shops, in old equipment yards, on land a business stopped using. Here's what we look at when an owner sends us a site.
It's already surfaced
This is the big one. Turning raw dirt into a yard means grading, stone, stormwater permits and months of work. A lot that's already graveled or paved can be ready for trucks much sooner, often with not much more than a fence, a gate and some lights.
It's close to the interstate
Drivers don't want to go miles out of their way to park. Outside the big cities, we like sites within about a mile of an exit. Inside a major metro, being close to where the freight is matters more than being right on the highway.
Trucks can get in and out
A tractor pulling a 53 foot trailer runs around 70 feet long and needs room to swing. We look at how wide the entrance is, whether trucks would have to cut through a neighborhood or under a low bridge, and whether there's room inside to turn around without backing onto the road.
There's enough open ground
Most of our yards have 3 acres or more of usable space. A small shop or office on the property is fine, as long as most of the land is open.
Local rules allow it
Industrial zoning is the easiest, but it isn't the only path. Old auto lots, salvage yards and other commercial land can work too. The question is whether parking and outdoor storage are allowed. Your local planning office can usually tell you in one phone call.
What usually rules a site out
Raw land that would need to be cleared and built. A long drive from the highway. A lot that's mostly building with little open ground. An entrance that only works for pickups.
If your lot checks most of these boxes, we'd like to hear about it, and the first conversation is just a conversation. Tell us about your site at dropyardstorage.com or call (704) 690-1914.
