Center for Transportation Research and Education

About the research

This research presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance of the Iowa Truck Parking Information and Management System (TPIMS) during the proposed grant year that spanned 2019 to 2021. The evaluation is based primarily on fine-grained parking flow data, images, hour-of-service violations, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) surveys, and a truck driver survey. The key aspects examined include system utilization, reliability, and impact on safety. Furthermore, the report delves into several additional discussions, such as comparing TPIMS performance with other Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials (MAASTO) states, conducting predictive analysis, and performing anomaly detection. The analysis provides valuable information on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Iowa TPIMS and contributes to a comprehensive understanding of its impact on truck parking planning and safety.

This research finds that the shortage of truck parking is a pressing issue in Iowa and the MAASTO region. Providing real-time truck parking information helps truck drivers better plan for parking and thus improves parking utilization and safety. However, the accuracy of the information largely depends on the performance of the sensor. The sensor pucks used in the Iowa TPIMS started to fail after one and a half years at some sites, but the failures were not discovered until about a year later. Therefore, continuous monitoring of sensor health and independent verification of parking data are recommended for future TPIMS deployment.