Truck parking shortages are pushing drivers onto highway on- and off-ramps across the country, and new data shows exactly where it happens most often.
What’s Related
A nationwide study by Altitude, Geotab, and HNTB analyzed more than 2.2 million truck parking events and identified the metro areas with the highest number of long-duration ramp parking stops. These are not quick shoulder pauses but rather events lasting 9 to 12 hours, meaning drivers are spending the night parked along highway ramps after driving a median of 520 miles and nearly 10 hours.
The findings show major freight hubs where truck volumes are high and overnight parking capacity struggles to keep up.
Below are the Top 10 worst metro areas for ramp parking, followed by the Top 10 best large freight hubs with the lowest ramp parking activity among major markets.
Top 10 Worst Metro Areas for Ramp Parking
These Combined Statistical Areas had the highest total ramp parking events:
Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs (GA-AL)
Indianapolis–Carmel–Muncie (IN)
New York–Newark (NY-NJ-CT-PA)
Washington–Baltimore–Arlington (DC-MD-VA-WV-PA)
Los Angeles–Long Beach (CA)
Chicago–Naperville (IL-IN-WI)
Dallas–Fort Worth (TX-OK)
Chattanooga–Cleveland–Dalton (TN-GA-AL)
San Jose–San Francisco–Oakland (CA)
Kansas City–Overland Park (MO-KS)
Atlanta ranked No. 1 overall, while Indianapolis ranked No. 2. Indiana also ranked No. 1 among states for total ramp parking activity.
These markets are major freight crossroads, which means high truck volumes combined with limited overnight capacity often push drivers onto highway ramps.
Top 10 Metro Areas With the Lowest Ramp Parking Activity
Among large freight corridors, these cities had comparatively lower ramp parking activity:
Minneapolis–St. Paul (MN-WI)
Seattle–Tacoma (WA)
Houston–Pasadena (TX)
Tulsa–Bartlesville–Muskogee (OK)
Cleveland–Akron–Canton (OH)
Pittsburgh–Weirton–Steubenville (PA-OH-WV)
El Paso–Las Cruces (TX-NM)
Fort Wayne–Huntington–Auburn (IN)
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point (NC)
Knoxville–Morristown–Sevierville (TN)
These markets still experience ramp parking, but at significantly lower volumes than the top-ranked hotspots.
What the Rankings Mean
According to Altitude by Geotab and HNTB, long-duration ramp parking events typically occur:
After 520 miles of driving
After roughly 9 hours and 40 minutes on the road
Most often between 8 p.m. and midnight
Most frequently on Tuesday and Wednesday nights
The data suggest that truck parking shortages are concentrated along high-volume freight corridors rather than evenly distributed nationwide.
