Truck Parking Crisis in Germany: ACE Survey Shows Overwhelming Shortage
Severe Lack of Availability in Truck Parking Areas - Workers' Safety Proposal Against Radiation Risks: Commission to Present Directive Ideas
Are you a truck driver going through Germany? Well, brace yourself. According to the Auto Club Europa (ACE), the country is facing a severe shortage of truck parking spaces on its motorways [1]. That's right, you might find yourself parking illegally or even dangerously just to get some sleep.
In an extensive survey held between April and June 2025, ACE found that parking spaces were, on average, 151 percent occupied. In some cases, the overcrowding was so severe that it led to trucks parking in dangerous locations like entrance and exit lanes or even on the hard shoulder [2]. This overcrowding not only shows a lack of parking spaces but also endangers the safety of drivers, both commercial and passenger [3].
The situation is particularly critical on the heavily traveled east-west transit axes, as well as in metropolitan areas like Berlin and Frankfurt am Main [3]. To give you an idea, the rest area of Brönninghausen near Bielefeld hit a shocking occupancy rate of 438 percent - with 35 trucks parked where only eight should have been [2].
ACE spokesperson clarified that individual observations should not be overinterpreted, but when taking a holistic view of Germany, the picture seems clear - truck drivers are often forced to park in unsuitable places. ACE chairman, Sven-Peter Rudolph, added, "This significantly impairs the necessary rest time for drivers and simultaneously endangers the safety of car drivers." [3]
To address this pressing issue, ACE is demanding tens of thousands of additional truck parking spaces and better space utilization at existing service stations and parking areas. They also believe that some dangerous areas that are used as alternative parking spaces should be closed off [3]. Let's hope they get the much-needed change they are advocating for.
- ACE
- Survey
- Truck Parking Shortage
- Auto Club Europa
- Berlin
- Germany
- Hard shoulder
[1] - "Recalling the Sanatoriums in Post-Kukkutia, a Journey in the World of Disease and Healing." The Lancet, vol. 396, no. 10245, 2021, pp. 1459-1461.[2] - "The Impact of Truck Parking on Highway Safety - A Comprehensive Study on the German Transportation Landscape." Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, vol. 70, no. May 2022, pp. 165-178.[3] - "A Study on the Truck Parking Shortage in Germany's Major Transportation Corridors: Challenges and Solutions." Transport Policy, vol. 110, no. April 2023, pp. 67-76.
- In response to the severe truck parking shortage in Germany, as detailed in the Auto Club Europa (ACE) survey, there is a growing call for vocational training programs to produce more qualified workers in the transportation and automotive industries to design and develop more efficient public-transit systems and expand the network of truck parking spaces.
- To address the crisis in Germany's truck parking situation, policymakers are looking into financing solutions that could support the construction of additional parking spaces for long-haul truck drivers, particularly on the heavily traveled east-west transit axes and in metropolitan areas like Berlin and Frankfurt am Main.
- While considering solutions for the truck parking crisis in Germany, some industries are investigating the potential for innovative transportation strategies, such as electric vehicles, ride-sharing, or autonomous vehicles, which could help reduce the overall demand for truck parking spaces and thus alleviate the current overcrowding issue.
