SARASOTA, Fla. (SNN) – A Sarasota tech start-up is working to fix a national problem – a lack of parking for truck drivers.
They aim to do it through an online platform, called ParkPro.
“ParkPro will be, and is, the AirBNB of truck parking,” ParkPro Founder Tra Willaims said.
The platform will connect truckers, employers, and hosts.
Williams said the United States has more parking lots and parking spaces than all other countries combined, yet it had not been made available to those who need it the most.
“There are 11 trucks on the road for every one parking place,” Williams said.
ParkPro aims to make those available to drivers who need them.
Trucking is an industry we all rely on, as the backbone of shipping packages, supplies, and food.
So, we are all better off when the truckers are better off, and that is what Park Pro is helping do.
It will give various organizations the chance to support that mission by offering safe, reliable places to park.
“Every major city in America has a stadium, a civic center, a conference center, an arena,” Williams said. “There are major sport franchises across this nation who love and want to support the transport and logistics industry.”
It is those types of places that have tons of empty, unused spots when nothing is going on, and ParkPro would let them monetize on that down time.
Those areas also usually have a lot of restaurants, hotels, and other amenities, so it beats truckers pulling off to the side of an exit ramp for the night.
“Truck drivers are being forced to park in unsafe, really spaces they shouldn’t be forced to park in,” Williams said.
On ParkPro, truckers or employers find and reserve a spot, just like how people can go on Airbnb to find and reserve a room.
Especially during the holiday season when packages are being shipped left and right, it could really come in handy.
“I am confident that as Santa circumnavigates the globe, he needs a place to park,” Williams said. “And ParkPro wants to be that solution for him.”
He said hosts can start making their properties available on the platform starting in January, and it will be accessible to employers and then truck drivers in the following months.
He added that the Florida Panthers have been early adopters and will likely be their flagship host.