How can companies weather the truck parking crisis?

The United States is in a truck parking crisis. According to Dan Dunleavy, director of sales at Freight Ninja, for every 11 drivers there is one parking space.

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration lists the current shortage of more than 40,000 truck parking spaces as a national safety concern. And the American Transportation Research Institute states that this has been a top five issue since 2015 and has only worsened.

Many industry sources and experts attribute this to the growing number of trucks, limited parking facilities and strict parking regulations.

Whatever the causes, this shortfall has negative consequences for all parties involved in freight delivery. Weary drivers may park in unsafe locations instead of parking safely to rest if the goal of parking legally seems unattainable.

The shortage also can result in driver stress and fatigue, directly affecting drivers’ performance and safety.

CDL drivers require access to safe and accessible parking, and the DOT estimates that the demand for parking will only continue to increase.

"Truck drivers need to park their equipment somewhere, and a lot of property owners have found out that managing a parking lot requires a lot of work," Dunleavy said. "Designing the lot, marketing the lot and dealing with the day-to-day issues that will occur in these lots can definitely be overwhelming."

Companies want a secure place to store their assets and allow their drivers to park. They want to know that everything they have worked hard for is in good hands, including their valuable drivers. Many have been searching for a solution for the crisis, and Freight Ninja is positioning itself at the forefront of that effort.

"We understand the challenges both truck drivers and property owners face in both finding available parking spots and managing a sizable truck parking lot. The country is in need of professionals in this space. Our message is that we are determined to be the problem solver for all the parties involved," Dunleavy added.

According to Freight Ninja CEO John Borsellino, Freight Ninja is an innovative and growing transportation self-storage company that specializes in managed semi-truck, semi-trailer and fleet parking facilities. The company manages more than 15 locations in the Midwest and Southeast and offers parking spots at secure lots for a reasonable price.

"Freight Ninja takes care of these issues with our experienced team allowing the property owner to sleep better at night," Borsellino said. "We know what to do and how to do it when it comes to parking lot management."

Borsellino's transportation career started with his family's Chicago-based trucking company, Legend Intermodal. As the company continued to grow, Borsellino witnessed firsthand the difficulty in finding secure container and trailer parking, specifically in Chicago.

"The same struggle we were having we noticed other carriers had as well," he added. "We constantly had drivers and companies walking in our office asking if they could pay to park there."

Six years later, Freight Ninja began. It now manages over 5,000 truck and trailer stalls across the U.S.

"My whole team is experienced in transportation and trucking — they understand what these drivers and companies go through on a daily basis," Borsellino said. "My team is here to provide a service that is tailored to our customers. We will always go out of our way to make our customers feel comfortable that they are leaving their most precious assets in good hands."

Anybody who knows trucking knows every day presents a new challenge. There is no such thing as a perfect day in the transportation industry. Family-owned Freight Ninja gives its customers safe, secure storage for equipment, including parking stalls big enough for both tractor and trailers, tractors only, trailers only, and other industrial equipment. It also provides parking locations with flexible payment terms — month to month or annual.

Additionally, Freight Ninja provides customers with a yard management portal to manage their stalls and/or parking. The application provides access control to all tenants and lets companies and drivers assign secure, unique codes to access the property. This system also acts as a timestamp and photographs every entry and exit on the property. Customers can use the app to make payments, upload proof of insurance and request maintenance as well. Additional services and yard checks are available on request for fleet customers, according to Borsellino.

"Freight Ninja is committed to adapting and changing with technology. We are constantly updating our systems and processes so our customers’ payment information and assets are safe and secure," he said.

"We are now working on adding a feature that allows a driver to go to our website to see what available spots are open at all of our lots and reserve a spot as well as put in all their payment information along with signing the rental agreement," Dunleavy added.

The company prides itself on customer service, listing it as a top priority. And according to Borsellino, the customer service line is staffed and all of the yards are monitored 24/7.

"We don't rely on answering services or having our customers leave numerous voicemails before we get back to them," Dunleavy added. "We know that time is money and being responsive to our customers’ needs and concerns is critical to their and our success. It's something we take very seriously at Freight Ninja."

Freight Ninja plans to add additional locations nationally as it continues to provide solutions in the ongoing struggle to find truck, trailer and fleet parking. The goal is to have a presence in all major transportation hubs and port cities in the U.S.

To learn more about Freight Ninja, visit its website.

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