What Is the Standard Truck Parking Space Size?

Standard truck parking space size

It goes without saying that trucks with their trailers are much, much larger than the average car. So, when you need to park a truck, you can’t just part it in any random parking spot. You need to look for a parking spot that has enough clearance on all sides for the massive vehicle. So, how large is a truck parking space?

The size of a truck parking space will usually measure about 14 feet wide by 75 feet long, but it ranges from at least 10 to 15 feet wide and 60 to 80 feet long. The exact minimum dimensions are subject to local parking regulations, which can vary from place to place.

In this guide, I’ll go into greater detail about parking sizes for trucks, both semi, and pickup.

Truck Parking Space Size

The thing about truck parking spaces, just like trucks, is that they aren’t the same size across the world. If you look at the parking regulations for trucks in one state, they might vastly differ from the regulations in another.

The range of a parking space for trucks will be at least 10 to 15 feet wide by 60 to 80 feet long, with an average of around 14 feet wide and 75 feet long. Some places might require a minimum square footage per truck parking space and/or a minimum height.

How Much Space Does a Loading Dock Prepare for Parked Trucks?

How Much Space Does a Loading Dock Prepare for Parked Trucks

Many freight trucks’ final destinations will be at a warehouse somewhere in the country. The truck will pull up to the warehouse and carefully back up to the front of a dock door, where warehouse workers can easily load or unload the truck’s trailer.

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The exact measurements of a parking spot for loading and unloading goods will vary from warehouse to warehouse. It will also depend on the size of the truck’s trailer door in terms of height and width.

In many cases, the parking spot in front of warehouse dock doors will measure 10 feet wide and 60 feet long. That way, multiple trucks unloading their cargo at once won’t bump into each other, providing a safer environment for the warehouse workers and truck drivers.

Perpendicular vs. Angled Truck Parking Spaces

Perpendicular vs Angled Truck Parking Spaces

When it comes to parking a truck, you can park it perpendicularly (90° to the end of the parking lot) or at an angle (usually 45° or 60°). Now, is there a difference between the two in terms of truck parking spaces?

Not really. What you’ll find is that most places will have the same size requirements for both parking directions—e.g., 14 feet wide and 75 feet long or 10 feet wide and 60 feet long, depending on the location.

Can I Park a Semi-Truck on My Driveway?

Even if your driveway meets the minimum parking space requirements for a semi-truck, that doesn’t mean you can do so whenever you want. In places like California and Oklahoma, even bringing a semi-truck to a residential neighborhood is against the law. The only exception to this rule is when you’re loading or unloading a semi-truck.

However, if you own a private road, then you might fall into a gray area in terms of the lawfulness of parking your semi-truck.

Parking Space Sizes for Pickup Trucks

Parking Space Sizes for Pickup Trucks

There’s another type of truck worth mentioning—pickup trucks. These heavy-duty vehicles come with long beds in the back for hauling cargo like agricultural equipment or building materials. In terms of their size, they can be several feet longer than a sedan or hatchback.

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In many states, the minimum parking space for the standard vehicle should be 9 feet wide and 18 feet long. This type of parking space should be sizable enough to park even a full-sized pickup.

Compact parking spots, on the other hand, are limited to just 8 feet wide and 16 feet long at the bare minimum. A pickup truck can technically park in a compact space, but it will leave minimal clearance on all sides, and the bed might end up poking out of the parking spot by a couple of feet.

Is It Illegal to Park a Full-Sized Pickup Truck in a Compact Parking Space?

No, it’s not illegal, but you will put a ton of unnecessary stress on yourself and the owners of any adjacent vehicles.

A full-sized pickup truck will usually measure over 6 feet wide, while parking space for compact vehicles is just 8 feet. The wider your truck is, the less clearance you’ll have to swing open the doors, and the higher the risk of trading paint with other parked vehicles.

There is, yet again, another gray area where it could technically be illegal to park a full-sized truck in a compact parking spot. That is if you park in a commercial parking building, where a portion of the building is dedicated to compact vehicles. If you break the laws of the private company, you might be asked to leave or even charged with trespassing.

Reverse vs. Forward Parking a Pickup Truck

Reverse vs Forward Parking a Pickup Truck

As far as parking any kind of truck in a parking lot, you have 2 direction options—forward and reverse.

Forward parking a pickup truck allows for easier access into the parking space. On the other hand, reverse parking can take considerably longer to finally park the vehicle, especially if you’re not used to doing it.

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However, there is one huge benefit of reverse parking, which is that you can leave the parking space more quickly and safely than you would by reversing out of there. Reversing in the blind increases the risk of bumping into an oncoming car, so you have to be extremely careful when doing so. The precious seconds you save by forward parking will be for naught since it will take you longer to leave.

In the end, whether you want to forward or reverse park is entirely up to you. Unless the parking lot specifically requests that motorists park in a specific orientation, you can park whichever may make you more comfortable.

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BaronCooke

Baron Cooke has been writing and editing for 7 years. He grew up with an aptitude for geometry, statistics, and dimensions. He has a BA in construction management and also has studied civil infrastructure, engineering, and measurements. He is the head writer of measuringknowhow.com

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