ParckR – Intelligent Truck Parking

Publiziert: 09.02.2012

ParckR is a smartphone app that will tell truck drivers where there is parking space available.

Introduction
ParckR is a smartphone app that will tell truck drivers where there is parking space available. Better informed truck drivers will lead to less truck parking overcrowding and the associated safety and security problems for truck drivers and their cargo.

The key challenge for ParckR is the development of technologies that will allow the cost-effective collection, processing and dissemination of large volumes of data on truck parkings.

Rapp Trans, NAVTEQ and PEEK Traffic will jointly develop these technologies based on state-of-the-art floating vehicle data technology. ParckR is financially supported by the Co-operation Platform of the Eindhoven Region, the Province of Noord-Brabant and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment.

Background
On some corridors the truck parking capacity does not suffice to cope with peak demand. Truck drivers arriving at full truck parking areas are forced to choose between an incursion of parking regulations or driving time restrictions. Often they opt for parking on the parking’s slip road, with queues extending onto the motorway’s hard shoulder. These situations can lead to serious accidents when oncoming traffic notices the queue on the hard shoulder too late.

If truck drivers would be informed on the occupancy of truck parking areas along their route, they could better plan when and where to park. This in turn would likely lead to less truck parking area overcrowding, and thus enhance road safety.

Existing truck parking occupancy systems rely on on-site detection systems such as induction loops and number plate recognition systems. The costs of installing, operating and maintaining such systems inhibit the wide-scale deployment of truck parking occupancy information services. 

The ParckR Solution
The commoditisation of connected navigation devices and smartphones has led to a tremendous increase in floating vehicle data (FVD). ParckR builds on this development by using FVD to develop a low-cost and scalable solution that can estimate current and expected truck parking occupancy rates.

Demonstrator E34
The ParckR project will demonstrate the ParckR concept on the E34 corridor, South of Eindhoven:

• Developing a computer model for estimating and predicting occupancy of truck parking areas along the A67 based on historic and real-time FVD of NAVTEQ.
• Publising truck parking occupancy rates through a data service.
• Presenting the information to truck drivers through the ParckR smartphone app.
• Assessing the impact of ParckR on the parking and resting behaviour of truck drivers.

More Information
Tom van de Ven, tom.vandeven@rapptrans.nl