INDIANAPOLIS — We're learning more about Indiana's plan to solve a critical truck parking shortage.
It's a problem 13News has been following recently.
Federal regulations require semi-truck drivers to comply with rules for rest breaks, but trucks are often seen parked along interstate ramps because the rest parks and truck stops are full.
It's a practice that is not just illegal, it's also dangerous.
Last month, Indiana State Police said a semi slammed into three others parked along an interstate off-ramp in Clark County. One person was killed, and three others were hurt.
Before that accident, the National Transportation Safety Board told 13News it was investigating two other cases across the United States, including one in July. Three people died after a Greyhound bus, which left from Indianapolis and was headed for St. Louis, crashed into three parked semis along an exit ramp.
Indiana's Department of Transportation has a 10-year plan to add parking, investing more than $600 million to improve 21 rest areas and welcome centers across the state.
Right now, there are about 1,400 spaces for truck parking. The plan calls for adding 1,100 more.
Work is already underway. A new rest park and welcome center along Interstate 65 in northwest Indiana just opened. The improvements doubled the number of truck parking spaces.