MDOT unveils I-94 truck parking information and management system

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has launched its I-94 truck parking information and management system (TPIMS), a system that assesses truck parking availability along the I-94 corridor in southwest Michigan and delivers real-time parking availability information to truck drivers. The project is federally funded under the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Truck Parking Facilities Discretionary Grants Program.
September 5, 2014 Read time: 2 mins

The 1688 Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has launched its I-94 truck parking information and management system (TPIMS), a system that assesses truck parking availability along the I-94 corridor in southwest Michigan and delivers real-time parking availability information to truck drivers. The project is federally funded under the 831 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Truck Parking Facilities Discretionary Grants Program.

Trucks account for approximately 23 to 30 per cent of all traffic on I-94 in southwest Michigan, making it the highest concentration of commercial vehicles on interstate highways in Michigan. Truck parking is a major safety concern; commercial truck drivers routinely park on rest area entrance and exit ramps, in designated car parking areas, and on interstate entrance and exit ramps. Meanwhile, a significant percentage of truck parking spaces at private parking facilities are empty or under-used. The goal of TPIMS is to identify available parking and share that information with commercial vehicle operators.

MDOT is using a number of high-tech methods of sharing parking availability information, including dynamic roadside truck parking signs, its Mi Drive traffic information website, Truck Smart Parking Services website and smartphone applications as well as a fleet of pilot trucks equipped with on-board connected vehicle equipment.

With any intelligent transportation system, driver distraction is a major consideration and was a critical focus when designing all aspects of the project. Features like text-to-speech were implemented in smartphone and connected vehicle applications to reduce driver distraction and improve safety.

Air Quality & Weather Systems Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The smart in smart parking
    March 29, 2018
    Whether you want to reduce congestion, increase parking revenue or reduce occupancy – or a mixture of all three – there is plenty of technology available. Andrew Bardin Williams considers the pros and cons. Drawn in by the promise of Smart City initiatives, communities across North America are embracing smart parking solutions in an effort to change citizens’ transportation behaviours for the better. They are doing this by using policy and ITS solutions to help de-incentivise parking for most people while
    Read More
  • Derq launches V2X safety project in Detroit
    June 7, 2018
    Derq has launched two vehicle to everything (V2X) applications in downtown Detroit to predict and prevent traffic crashes. The technology company collaborated with Flir Systems to communicate threats in real-time to drivers at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street intersection. Derq's software monitored vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-pedestrian interactions. The firm uses patented artificial intelligence algorithms to create a two-second warning for drivers. Flir Systems'
    Read More
  • Inrix aids authorities in dealing with data
    August 18, 2015
    New traffic data products and services have been launched to aid transport and urban planners and business with detailed intelligence on journey patterns, reports Jon Masters. Manual travel surveys ought soon to become a thing of the past for transport planners and the business community. The technology now exists for getting sophisticated levels of traffic and trip data from connected vehicles. Cars and commercial fleets carrying a GPS device, or a mobile phone or smartphone are the sources of the informat
    Read More
  • Travel data critical to traffic management, traveller information
    January 31, 2012
    The ability to bundle together travel data from several discrete sources and fuse it to give a more comprehensive overview of events to stakeholders is the key aim of Viajeo, which is conducting trials in several cities around the world. Here, Ertico's Yanying Li writes about the project in more detail
    Read More

Highlighted Content