Maryland to expand Howard County rest area as safety measure

Along Interstate 95, truckers are scrambling for parking

Many drivers were pleased to hear about the state plan to expand the parking by 40 spaces, although that's a relatively small number compared with the total of 2,400 spaces in Maryland, about 90 percent of which are in private truck stops, according to the National Association of Truck Stop Operators. Spokeswoman Tiffany Wlazlowski said Maryland's state-run rest areas offer 300 truck spaces.

The state also allows trucks to use Park & Ride areas between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.

"We'd like to see more parking spaces" for trucks in Maryland, Wlazlowski said, but in the meantime, the industry is trying to figure out ways to help drivers find the parking that is available. She said some members have created mobile applications to tell drivers where to find parking.

Darrin Roth, director of highway operations for American Trucking Associations, said spaces are short everywhere, but it seems particularly bad in the Northeast, where available land is scarce and where "communities often resist efforts to build facilities that are likely to attract trucks."

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