Where the $200 million for truck parking is going: 2,403 spaces in 12 states

The $200 million Congress set aside for truck parking now has a destination. On October 14, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the money to 14 projects in 12 states. Together, they will add about 2,403 new truck parking spaces at ports, rest areas, a border crossing, and truck stops.

Below is every project, what each one gets, what a federally funded space costs, and what it means for you, whether you drive or own a lot.

What was announced

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the awards on October 14, 2026. The money comes from USDOT’s INFRA grant program (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects). This year, USDOT split INFRA into two tracks. Track 2 was set aside for commercial motor vehicle parking only.

This is the same $200 million we covered in January, when the House passed it in the fiscal 2026 funding bill. Then, it was a line in a budget. Now it has real sites attached.

All 14 truck parking projects

Space counts are USDOT estimates and can change.

Source: USDOT FY 2026 INFRA Track 2 awards.

What a federally funded space costs

Divide $200 million by 2,403 spaces and you get about $83,000 per space.

The range is wide. The Los Indios project in Texas comes in near $30,000 per space. The new Fergus Falls rest area in Minnesota is closer to $440,000 per space. That gap has a reason. Fergus Falls is a full rest area with restrooms and about 60 car spaces, and it replaces a rest area that closed after repeated flooding. Several other projects also pay for access roads, ramps, drainage, and lighting, not only pavement.

In January, we estimated $100,000 to $200,000 per space, or 1,000 to 2,000 new spaces. The awards beat that estimate. Projects that expand existing sites, or that bring in a private partner, stretched the money further.

Five things worth knowing

1. Tennessee gets the most spaces

The Greater Nashville Regional Council will add about 500 spaces at five Pilot Travel Centers along I-40 and I-24, near Nashville and Knoxville. USDOT says the spaces will be free to use, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A private partner covers the full local match and the maintenance. If you run through Nashville, this is the project to watch.

A second Pilot project in Fort Worth adds about 100 spaces near the SH-170 and I-35W interchange, on a corridor USDOT says carries about 15,000 trucks a day.

2. Ports and the border get help

Three projects target freight gates, where trucks often end up queued on the road:

• Savannah, Georgia: about 275 spaces in Garden City, less than two miles from Gate 4 at the Port of Savannah. If you haul out of Savannah, this one matters.
• Wilmington, North Carolina: about 140 spaces plus about 50 container staging positions at the port.
• Los Indios, Texas: about 305 spaces near the Los Indios international bridge in Cameron County.

3. Rest areas get rebuilt, not only expanded

• Iowa: six rest areas on I-80, some built in the 1960s, get about 150 new spaces. USDOT says the corridor carries about 14,000 trucks a day.
• Wisconsin: two I-41 rest areas in Dodge County go from 34 truck spaces to about 140.
• Illinois: two I-57 rest areas in Effingham County go from 34 truck spaces to about 72.

4. Not every new space is a net gain

Nebraska’s project builds a new rest area pair on I-80 in Dawson County with about 120 truck spaces. It replaces four aging rest areas at Cozad and Kearney that are set to close. USDOT puts the net gain at about 92 spaces.

5. Many lots will report open spaces in real time

Most projects include occupancy sensors or cameras that feed parking apps, highway signs, or state 511 systems. That should cut the time you spend pulling into full lots.

When will these spaces open?

USDOT has not published opening dates. A grant award is the start, not the finish. Several projects still need final design, environmental studies, or permits before construction starts. Plan on years, not months.

Is $200 million enough?

It helps. It does not close the gap on its own.

• 40% of drivers spend more than an hour a day looking for parking, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
• 98% of drivers regularly have trouble finding safe parking, according to a USDOT study.
• The American Transportation Research Institute estimates drivers lose about 56 minutes of drive time a day searching, worth about $6,813 a year in lost pay.

More money is in motion. The House Appropriations Committee has advanced another $200 million for truck parking in the fiscal 2027 funding bill, which is still pending. The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act (H.R. 1659) would authorize $755 million over five years, and the House included it in its highway bill, the BUILD America 250 Act. USDOT says it has put more than $300 million into truck parking grants since April 2025.

What this means for you

If you drive

Public spaces are coming, but most are years away. Tonight, Truck Parking Club has about 42,600 spaces at 3,000 locations in these same 12 states, and more than 7,200 locations nationwide. Book ahead, and the space is yours when you get there.

If you own a lot

The awards show where USDOT sees the worst shortages: port gates, border crossings, and the I-80, I-40, I-24, and I-35W corridors. If you own paved, accessible land near one of those, drivers need it now, not after a construction project wraps. Property Members list their space on Truck Parking Club with no upfront cost and earn on every booking.

Need parking now? Download the Truck Parking Club app or visit truckparkingclub.com to find and book a space in minutes.

Own property near a busy freight corridor? List your location on Truck Parking Club and become a Property Member.