Parking with additional security

Around 14,000 parking spaces are missing on Germany's highways. But even those drivers who do manage to find a space do not always get a peaceful night's sleep – for fear of theft. These are two problems that Bosch Service Solutions aims to solve with Secure Truck Parking, launched in 2017. "The idea is to create monitored parking areas where a space can be reserved in advance," says Sandra, who works at Bosch as an IT solution architect. Her colleague Dolores, Business Development Manager, explains: "Various access control solutions, such as the license plate recognition, allow access to the parking lot. This also enables us to know the exact occupancy, so that we can immediately direct users to vacant parking spaces."

The idea was inspired by input from customers in the logistics sector. "We've been offering GPS real-time tracking to the logistics sector for quite some time now, helping to secure our customers' freight. We found that the issue of parking repeatedly came up as a security concern," Sandra remembers. This is something that has an effect on various factors: "On the one hand there is the general road safety aspect, involving the risk of driver fatigue or incorrectly parked trucks. Then there's the question of the security of the freight and planning certainty for dispatchers and customers."

The two women work together in a core team of four. Dolores, who has worked at Bosch Service Solutions since mid-2017, previously gained experience as a management consultant in the mobility sector. Sandra worked for an airline as an IT manager until 2015. The size of the team and scope of the project deliberately started small. Dolores: "We aim to gain experience and grow together with our customers. Communication is important in this context. After all, this is the only way we can cater to real needs, especially when it comes to choosing suitable locations."

In order to create more parking space in the future, the team is drawing on the idea of the sharing economy. Sandra explains: "There are numerous trucking companies that have unused space when their own fleet is on the road. Why not make use of this parking space? The necessary infrastructural amenities, such as sanitary facilities, are usually available on site or can be easily put in place. By means of user registration and secured access roads, we can ensure that only authorized personnel access the site." Bosch is already working successfully with a company in Frankfurt. There are already several other interested parties.

Feedback from the ever-growing user community has been consistently positive so far. This is just one of many reasons why Dolores and Sandra are certain that the project will be a success: "Secure Truck Parking may be a niche service, but many people will benefit from it. These include trucking companies and their drivers, as well as all highway users. They will all be a little safer and more relaxed from now on."