'An incredible need': County will at last get a parking lot for semi-tractor trailers

Palm Beach County is about to get its first commercial parking lot for tractor trailers — and it can't come soon enough for beleaguered drivers of the big rigs.

Fort Lauderdale-based Discount Truck Parking, a builder of truck parking lots throughout Florida, started clearing a 6-acre parcel at 7777 Southern Boulevard that will eventually accommodate as many as 200 vehicles in a gated facility with 24/7 security, air-conditioned offices and showers for drivers. About 80% of the vehicles are expected to be large tractor trailers. The site is just west of the turnpike, and was purchased for $5.5 million in September 2022.

"We expect this lot to quickly fill up," said Ariel Golan, a principal of Discount Truck Parking. "There is an incredible need for truck parking in Palm Beach County."

About the only legal place for truck drivers to park in the county is at the Turnpike's West Palm Beach service plaza. Recent visits by a Palm Beach Post reporter showed that drivers sometimes have to wait as long as an hour for spots to open up.

Golan said his company already has plans to build a second lot off Okeechobee Boulevard just east of the turnpike. It paid $2.9 million for that five-acre parcel in 2015.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there is only one parking spot for every 11 trucks on the highway. Drivers sometimes park on shoulders of roads or on off-ramps of Florida's Turnpike and I-95, creating dangerous situations. As many as 10 trucks are often parked on the south shoulder of State Road 7 at the Boynton Beach Boulevard intersection.

County to truckers in Acreage: You have until July 1 to find new spots to park big rigs

National truckers group says lack of parking has resulted in horrific accidents

George O'Connor, spokesman for the Independent Drivers Association, said the lack of parking for truckers is a national problem but seems to be especially bad in Palm Beach County.

With the lack of available parking spaces, drivers waste valuable time looking for parking. There are electronic devices that track their time driving; they can be fined heavily for violating the federal law that limits their driving time, Connor noted.

"That is why you see them on off-ramps and highways," he said, noting there was an accident in Illinois last summer when a Greyhound bus slammed into trucks parked on an off-ramp, killing three people and injuring 20 others.

While Connor said he was pleased to see that a private entity is responding to situation in South Florida, Connor said the ultimate solution is for Congress to approve federal funding for large parking facilities. "We are lobbying heavily for bills that would do so," he said.

Palm Beach County commissioners, anxious for the new lot to open, have instructed that permits be issued on an expedited basis for the the project off Southern Boulevard. The lot will also accommodate car haulers, box trucks, food trucks and RVs.

County planners have determined that access to the Southern Boulevard site will have to be off Pike Avenue. "We really want access off Southern Boulevard," said Golan. "We will work with the county to see if we can make that happen."

RELATED: Why Palm Beach County said big rig operators don't belong in The Acreage

Discount Truck Parking currently operates seven lots in Florida — three in Pompano, three in Orlando and one in Hollywood. Patrons often include drivers who simply need to rest; federal laws require long-haul truckers to rest for 10 consecutive hours after driving 11 hours within a 14-hour span.

Golan, too, said an issue for truckers has always been finding a safe place to park. Thieves target the trucks, stealing expensive equipment, he added, noting its lots are fenced in and have cameras operating at all times. No one gains access who does not belong there. There is an attendant on duty at all times. Once all of the permits have been obtained, Golan said the lot could open within three months.

Acreage truckers could park in the new West Palm Beach lot

Truckers who live in the Acreage area have parked their vehicles on their land for years but code enforcement, responding to complaints, has cracked down, citing more than 60 owner operators who now have until July 1 to find a new location to park their tractor trailers.

County zoning bars large trucks from parking in residential areas. Acreage residents complained that the trucks were ruining their quality of life and destroying the unpaved road system that was not designed to handle tractor trailers.

Golan said he would welcome those Acreage truckers to park their rigs in the new lot, noting that long-term deals can be negotiated. But it is not yet clear how much it will cost to do that. Golan said pricing has not yet been set but the Orlando lot charges around $25 a day, noting fees in West Palm Beach will depend on demand and market conditions.

LETTERS: Stop using The Acreage as a big-rig parking lot

More parking for truckers in Palm Beach County may soon be on the way. The Solid Waste Authority has agreed to allow a parcel of land it owns near Florida's Turnpike on North Benoist Farms Road in West Palm Beach to be used for truck parking. Specifics for the facility are not known, but it would be only temporary until the SWA determines what to do with the site. Originally, a $12 million recycling plant that would convert horse manure into horse bedding was supposed to be built but the SWA recently walked away from the project after four years of failed promises by the project sponsor.

County commissioners have also instructed staff to determine if zoning changes can be made that would make it easier for truck parking operators to build parking facilities in Palm Beach County in areas that would not impact residential communities.

"Whatever we can do to promote truck parking in non-residential areas is a positive," said Vice Mayor Maria Marino. "We need to get these lots open as soon as possible."

Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Parking for semi-tractors, big rigs finally coming to Palm Beach County