The RVARC Regional Truck Parking Study finds that the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany region is experiencing a current and growing shortage of safe, legal commercial truck parking. As of 2025, the region has an estimated deficit of about 220 truck parking spaces, projected to grow to roughly 340 spaces within ten years.
The issue is especially important because the region sits on major freight corridors, including I-81, with future heavy-vehicle growth expected on east-west routes such as I-64, US 220 and US 460. Much of this truck traffic is not serving local destinations but passing through the region, creating a statewide parking issue with local impacts.
The study highlights several contributing factors to this shortage:
- Federal hours-of-service safety rules require drivers to stop and rest, but parking supply has not kept pace.
- Local land use rules often do not require truck parking or staging with industrial and distribution development
- Concerns regarding noise, aesthetics, congestion, and safety can discourage new facilities.
- Uncertain returns on investment may lead private developers to avoid truck parking projects.
Potential solutions are organized into a regional “toolkit” covering land use, public engagement, economic development, policy, and capital projects.
Recommended actions:
- Assessing truck parking needs at industrial sites
- Developing model zoning language
- Requiring staging accommodations where appropriate
- Educating and engaging the public
- Attracting private truck stops and travel centers
- Exploring public-private partnerships
- Pursuing federal and state funding
- Forming a freight advisory task force
- Evaluating new or expanded parking near interchanges, rest areas, and existing truck stops
Stakeholder participation included:
RVARC, Botetourt County, Franklin County, Roanoke County, the City of Roanoke, the City of Salem, the Town of Vinton, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the National Association of Truck Stop Operators, Virginia State Police, and VDOT Salem District.
