Five states get $62M in federal grants for truck parking

Which states are getting federal truck parking money in 2026?

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $62 million in truck parking grants to Kentucky, Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois under the BUILD grant program. Kentucky received the largest single allocation: $25 million to add parking spots at seven rest areas on four major truck corridors.

The BUILD grants (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) were part of a $1.73 billion package covering 127 highway, port, rail, and air projects across 52 states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the awards July 13.

Truck parking took $62 million of the total, or about 3.6 percent. Roads and bridges claimed $1.3 billion, roughly 77 percent of the funding.

What will Kentucky's $25 million buy?

Kentucky's $25 million will add new truck parking spots at seven rest areas on four major truck corridors. The announcement did not specify how many spots each rest area will gain or which corridors will see the work.

For context, a single paved truck parking space typically costs $15,000 to $25,000 to build, depending on site prep and utilities. At that rate, $25 million could fund 1,000 to 1,600 new spaces statewide if the money goes entirely to pavement and striping. Rest-area projects often include lighting, security cameras, and restroom upgrades, which push per-space costs higher.

How much did the other four states receive?

The announcement did not break out individual grant amounts for Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois. The combined total for all five states is $62 million, with Kentucky's $25 million accounting for just over 40 percent.

Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois will share the remaining $37 million. No project details were released for those states.

Why truck parking grants matter to owner-operators

Truck parking shortages cost drivers time and money. A 2019 FMCSA study found drivers spend an average of 56 minutes per day searching for parking. At 50 cents per mile and an average speed of 50 mph, that's roughly $23 in lost revenue per day, or $460 per month for a driver running 20 days.

Detention and parking violations add to the cost. Parking on a highway shoulder or in an unauthorized lot can draw a $150 to $300 citation in most states. A single ticket wipes out the fuel savings from a week of careful route planning.

Rest-area parking is free. Truck stops with paid parking charge $12 to $20 per night in most markets. A driver who parks at rest areas instead of paid lots saves $240 to $400 per month.

When will the new parking spots open?

The announcement did not include construction timelines. BUILD grants typically require states to complete environmental reviews and secure matching funds before breaking ground. Most projects take 18 to 36 months from award to ribbon-cutting.

Kentucky's seven rest areas could start seeing work in late 2026 or early 2027 if permitting moves quickly. Drivers should not expect new spots before mid-2027 at the earliest.

What else did BUILD grants fund?

The $1.73 billion package included $1.3 billion for roads and bridges, $136.8 million for port infrastructure, $169.9 million for transit projects, $87.7 million for freight and passenger rail, and $11 million for airport roadways.

North Dakota received $24 million to install modern pavement and 10 miles of high-tension cable guard rails along I-94. The Alaska Railroad got $8.5 million to widen the Port of Seward's freight dock by 300 feet. Texas's Port of Corpus Christi Authority received $24.3 million to modernize and lengthen railways at the Corpus Christi Inland Port.

The package also included $25 million for projects around the new Cleveland Browns football stadium in Brook Park, Illinois, for reconfigured freeway ramps and streamlined local roads leading to the stadium and surrounding entertainment district.

How this compares to other federal truck parking funding

The $62 million BUILD allocation is smaller than recent congressional proposals. The House advanced $200 million for truck parking in fiscal 2027 in a June appropriations bill, though that funding has not yet been distributed.

The BUILD program has funded truck parking intermittently since 2009. The $62 million for five states in 2026 represents one of the larger single-year allocations for parking under the program, but it still covers fewer than 10 percent of U.S. states.

What owner-operators should watch for

Kentucky drivers should monitor state DOT announcements for rest-area construction schedules. The four major truck corridors likely include I-65, I-75, I-64, and I-24, which carry the heaviest truck traffic in the state. Drivers who run those lanes regularly will see the most benefit once the new spots open.

Drivers in Wyoming, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois should check their state DOT websites for project details as those states release plans for their share of the $37 million.

Until the new spots open, the math on paid parking versus fuel routing stays the same. A driver who saves $15 per night by parking at a rest area instead of a truck stop saves $300 per month. That's enough to cover a fuel card fee, a factoring advance, or half an IFTA quarterly payment for a single-truck owner-operator.