In the future, the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) will digitally provide data on the occupancy of truck parking spaces at motorway and federal road rest areas. The ministry aims to reduce the number of trucks searching for parking and to optimise the use of available spaces.
Increased transparency
“Using data from the truck toll system, the federal toll operator Toll Collect can systematically record the occupancy levels of truck parking spaces at rest areas nationwide and transmit this information in real-time,” states the BMDV in an official release.
Thanks to SID, this information will be published as open data in the federal “mobility library” (Mobilithek). On this digital platform, providers of truck navigation applications or the government-owned company Autobahn GmbH could access the data and integrate it into their applications. This would enable truck drivers to check for available parking spaces and use apps to find places to rest.
“Digitisation not only benefits drivers, who can better plan their rest times, but also enhances traffic safety on and along our motorways,” explained Susanne Henckel, State Secretary at the BMDV, during the contract signing.
Advantages and launch date of SID
SID will be developed gradually, with information about approximately half of the 1900 rest areas on German motorways available from the second half of 2025 to mid-2026. Integration of occupancy information from private parking operators is also planned.
“This innovative project will allow the logistics industry to locate currently available truck parking spaces in the future before approaching a parking area. It will facilitate finding a parking space and allow the driver to focus on the actual driving task,” highlighted Christian Hoffmann, President of BALM, on the benefits of SID.
According to Gerhard Schulz, Managing Director of Toll Collect, there is significant potential in the data generated daily during toll collection.
“SID demonstrates the practical value that can be derived from this data. In the future, toll system data could underpin public sector investment decisions, such as planning rest areas,” added Schulz.