According to trade group American Trucking Associations, there exists only one parking slot for every 11 trucks operating on U.S. roadways. This longstanding deficit in parking capacity often poses disruptions for the country’s 3.5 million professional truck drivers.
Truck drivers may spend an hour on any given day trying to find a place to safely rest their large commercial trucks. It is not uncommon for desperate drivers to resort to parking in unsafe or unauthorized locations, while also violating hours of service regulations whilst on the hunt for a spot.
Aside from safety, the country’s truck parking pickle acts as a thief of efficiency, stealing the overall productivity, pay, and fuel from truck drivers.
Outpost bolsters growth, expanding parking facility network
Throughout the circles of industry stakeholders, reliefs efforts have been sought after and introduced to quell trucking’s parking deficiency. Federal regulators have been a key contributor to fortifying the country’s vulnerable parking capacity, but private ventures have also taken it upon themselves to address the issue.
Outpost, a network of managed truck parking facilities, recently raised $12.5 million in a round of funding to fast track the expansion of its properties and technology platform. The capital raise was led by firms GreenPoint Partners and Speedwagon Capital Partners.
Austin-based Outpost essentially acts a third-party logistics arm for trucking companies to find secure parking across the U.S. The company’s cliental range from larger carriers to midsized fleets and small trucking companies.
Outpost currently manages a network of 18 properties and 8,000 parking spaces. Formerly known as Semi-Stow, the company was founded in 2021 and has since experienced growth over the past couple of years. In 2023, the company opened ten new fleet yards and is projected to double its overall number of managed properties in 2024.
Outpost’s parking network is advertised as a flexible option for asset-owning carriers whose capacity across their own infrastructure and facilities may be limited. The company argues that their offerings can serve larger carriers as a fluid and reliable alternative for additional capacity, while, in the case of the smaller fleets or owner-operator truck drivers, a primary solution for their parking needs altogether.
According to a list on the company’s website, Outpost has facility locations in several states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington. While some of these states only have one location, others have several, such as Texas (nine) and Tennessee (four). Trucking companies can request parking at a specific location by filling out a form. Each location has convenient access to nearby industrial areas and major highways.
Final Thoughts
Truck parking, or lack thereof, is perennially a top issue for truck drivers over the last several years.
While Outpost’s network is not nearly expansive enough to liberate truck drivers from the country’s outstanding parking shortage, the company nonetheless plays the part as a productive contributor to alleviating one of industry’s top issues.
Contact one of our team members if you have any questions regarding this topic or any others in domestic logistics.
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