How to stay ahead of the critical shortage of truck parkings

A recent large-scale research by ACE (Auto Club Europa) confirms a growing crisis on Germany’s highways: the severe lack of safe, available truck parking. Conducted between April and June 2025, the study offers a sobering view of daily life for thousands of truck drivers and underscores the urgent need for structural change.

Overcrowding at dangerous levels

The survey, covering 132 rest areas across 13 German regions, found that truck parking capacity is regularly exceeded by more than 50%. On average, only 5,088 designated truck spaces were available, yet over 7,600 trucks were counted, forcing more than 2,500 to park in unsafe or undesignated areas. In the worst cases, overcapacity reached more than 300%.
Free spaces were rare: just 16% of rest areas had any official truck spots left.

Safety at risk
The ACE documented dangerous parking behavior at 76% of all surveyed rest areas. Among the most alarming findings:

• 455 trucks were parked in high-risk locations such as entry and exit ramps or highway shoulders
• 59% of rest areas had trucks blocking access lanes
• 15% showed misuse of emergency shoulders as parking
• 526 trucks occupied passenger car parking spots — at 17% of locations, safe parking for cars was no longer possible

These findings reflect what many in the industry already know: the chronic lack of truck parking not only causes stress for drivers, it creates real safety risks for everyone on the road.

The hotspots: Germany’s busiest corridors

The problem is especially severe along major east-west transit routes, in the Berlin area, around Frankfurt am Main, on the A3 in Bavaria, and the A5 between Frankfurt and Karlsruhe. These areas consistently showed the highest levels of overcapacity and dangerous parking behaviour.

A call for urgent action and solutions

“The numbers speak for themselves,” says ACE Chairman Sven-Peter Rudolph. “Truck drivers often have no choice but to park in unsuitable or unsafe places. That’s a massive issue, not just for their own safety, but for everyone using the roads.”

ACE is calling for urgent action. Their key demands include:

• Expanding parking capacity — thousands of spaces are missing nationwide
• Optimizing existing infrastructure — through smarter layout and design
• Rolling out digital parking solutions — with real-time information to reduce unnecessary driving and help drivers plan ahead

At TRAVIS, we see this struggle every day, not just in Germany, but across Europe. And we believe the solution doesn’t have to wait for construction projects or political decisions.

With Europe’s largest booking platform for truck parking, TRAVIS lets drivers and planners secure a guaranteed parking spot in advance. Whether it’s for overnight rest, a short break during the day, or even secure holiday parking for an entire fleet, one booking is all it takes. No more circling to find an open space. No more stress. No more risky last-minute stops.

But offering a booking platform alone doesn’t solve the deeper issue: the lack of parking capacity. That’s why at TRAVIS, we go a step further.

We help carriers turn their unused yard space into what we call depot parkings, locations where they can welcome drivers from other companies to park their vehicles when their own fleet is out on the road. This not only creates additional parking capacity where it’s needed most, but also generates extra revenue for the hosting carrier.

Interested in how TRAVIS can support your business goals, whether you’re looking to secure spots or open up your own location?
Reach out via [email protected], and we’ll get in touch with you soon.