The German Federal Ministry of Transport is initiating measures to improve parking conditions for truck drivers across the country. Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) announced a pilot program for a digital truck parking space search service, aiming to alleviate the current difficulties in finding available parking.
The new service, known as the Truck Parking Information Service (SID), will utilize real-time data from the toll system to provide information on the occupancy of parking spaces at Autobahn rest areas. Initially, approximately half of the roughly 1,900 public rest areas will be included, with plans to expand coverage rapidly. The ministry intends to incorporate rest stops by 2026.
This data will be made publicly accessible, allowing truck navigation application providers to integrate it into their platforms. Alongside the digital search tool, Minister Schnieder emphasized the importance of expanding the overall number of parking spaces, acknowledging challenges in land acquisition, planning bureaucracy and construction.
The ministry is also focusing on the deployment of telematics for parking spaces. Currently, only five parking spots nationwide are connected to this system, with a goal to increase this number tenfold by 2030. In some instances, telematics has already enabled a capacity increase of over 50 percent.
Minister Schnieder underscored the significance of this initiative for the logistics sector, recognizing the crucial role truck drivers play and the need for adequate rest and secure parking facilities.
Mark Erichsen, CEO of Toll Collect, hailed the digital parking search as a “significant milestone”. Christian Hoffmann, President of the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility, anticipates enhanced safety and efficiency, stating that the service will reduce search traffic, facilitate adherence to driver rest periods and improve safety for all road users.
According to data from Autobahn GmbH, Germany currently offers approximately 82,500 truck parking spaces at 1,900 public rest areas and around 260 private truck stops. A 2023 survey identified a shortage of roughly 20,000 truck parking spaces alone. Recent research by the Auto Club Europa (ACE) revealed an average parking space occupancy of 51 percent at 132 Autobahn rest areas, with some locations experiencing occupancy rates as high as 300 percent.
