Truck Stops What Exactly Do They Offer

Truck Stops

Truck Stops What Exactly Do They Offer

In the past, truck stops were much less improved than today. Getting gas, using the restroom facilities, and even getting a meal at that time was shocking.

It wasn’t until 1984 that Flying J opened its first truck stop with a full-service restaurant and shower/laundry facility.

Since then, many others have followed suit. You can now expect to find a variety of amenities, including:

  • At least one fuel station, many have more than one, sometimes as many as four or five pumps
  • 24-hour restrooms and showers
  • Restaurants serving a variety of foods from salads to fast food burgers or Mexican food
  • High definition television screens showing news, weather, sports, or even children’s shows
  • Shops are selling food items, truck accessories, and more

There are over 21,000 locations across the USA, but Australia has been able to get in on the act with around 20 of its own.

When you are on the road away from home, having reliable amenities that can be found is a must.

If essentials like restrooms, showers, and even food are not available, there will be delays for sure.

Most of all, it’s about spending less time away from families, especially children.

Secrets to know when choosing a truck stop

Experience is the best teacher when it comes to facilities. Instead of just pulling into what looks like a great spot, use your experience to help you decide which ones are right for your needs.

Always check out the facilities while looking for parking at some locations.

You may think it’s full, but there may be other options you can get to, whereas there may be no other option at another place.

Check your map for locations for their location and how far it is away from where you are headed.

The reason behind this has nothing to do with the amenities but safety. If the truck stop is close by, do you want to be by yourself when it’s dark?

Ask the locals in truck stops for feedback. Sometimes a place that may not look right to you may be just as nice a place as any other.

Being recommended by our own kind is always the best way to go when looking for what could become your new favorite stopover.

Be sure to find out the facilities before you pay for parking.

If there are no showers, you may not want to waste your money on a place that doesn’t offer them because if your truck stops near me, don’t have any, it’s too far out of the way, and then where will you shower?

Find out if the parking is safe and especially what security might be on hand.

You know some places offer a gate and key card for added safety, don’t hesitate to inquire about this while you are looking into the place.

A good service area will be open 24 hours a day even though most trucks are not on the road that time of day.

Having an area that is open all hours will make it easy to get your food, bathroom breaks, and even oil changes when you need them.

While most truck stop chains post their hours somewhere in plain sight, there may still be some that you miss too.

When the facilities are open 24 hours, the stores are too.

If you are looking for some quiet time or just somewhere to grab a bite before bed, what better place than one that is open all day and night?

There are lots of amenities on-site for some places while others have just a few.

It’s always good to ask questions about what they have to offer because if you don’t ask you won’t know about the good stuff.

Amenities make it easy for those who travel the road all day and night because they never have to leave their rig unless they want to do.

You can feel safe knowing that there are restrooms, showers, a place to get a meal, good security, and even good shopping opportunities too.

Is owning a truck stop profitable

The average annual revenue for a truck stop is around $15,000 per pump.

Yes, they are big business! If you think being in the service industry is easy, think again.

A report on this type of owner-operator indicates that they can expect to make between $40-$100K per year while only working part-time hours.

Even though most truck stops have a limited number of truck parking spaces, some have hundreds of them.

But even if it seems like they should be making an enormous amount of money from all those rigs using their space and amenities, that is not the case at all.

It’s hard work owning a truck stop, and many of them rely on other businesses to survive.

Truck stops do not make as much money off parking as you may think.

They make the bulk of their revenue from diesel sales, food, and restaurant sales, convenience store sales, hotel or motel rooms for overnighters, and even TV cable services because many truckers like to relax at night watching their favorite shows.

A truck stop is also classified as a travel plaza if it offers more than 10,000 square feet of retail space. There are over 5,500 travel plazas across the United States alone.

This is why you will see so many truck stops clustered together on the highway, but if you are looking for a place to stop because your rig needs some food or fuel, they may not be so close by after all.

But you can always use an app on your phone to find them quickly and easily. Truck stops are not hard to find at all.

Conclusion

Truckstop Chains are known for providing safe and clean facilities, but you must always be on the lookout for sketchy locations.

It’s important to ask questions about what exactly they offer before you decide to stay there.

So, don’t forget to look out for things like 24/7 restroom access, professional security staff, good food, laundry facilities, and hot showers too.

Always ask questions to see if they have what you are looking for, don’t just assume that it’s there.

We hope you enjoyed this post on Truck Stops What Exactly Do They Offer.

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