Photo Credit: Ira Wexler/NATSO
The successes and challenges the trucking industry experiences have a significant effect on the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas, which means staying current on trucking trends is crucial for businesses that serve drivers. What’s more, successful truckstop and travel plaza operators know that trends often result in new opportunities.
Stop Watch sat down with experienced industry leaders to gain their insights into the latest trucking trends and what they mean for highway-based businesses.
Increased Fuel Efficiency
As fuel efficiency increases and carriers embrace alternative fuels, truckstop operators will experience reduced demand for diesel fuel, said Roger Cole, editor of the NATSO Foundation’s Biz Brief. The same trend translates into passenger vehicles as well.
“Toyota announced that it wouldn’t be making gasoline passenger cars in 2040. That is 25 years out, but that is a dot they’ve put out there on the calendar,” Cole said, adding that Toyota has said it will pursue electric energy.
Embracing alternative power sources may be a solution for truckstop and travel plaza operators looking to diversify their offerings. “While I think it is still too early for many to jump into the natural gas arena, at the very least an independent operator ought to be educating him or herself on electric charging stations, compressed natural gas and liquified natural gas and the dynamics and watching to see when it is time to make an investment,” Cole said, adding that by educating themselves, operators can determine the benchmarks that have to be reached before they make an investment...