The Average Truckstops Offers Food, Fuel and More

In The Trucker’s Friend, de Vos lists 6,000 locations professional drivers can stop. “About 3,500 are just a convenience store with a pump. They are places that truckers fuel sometimes, but they don’t have any showers or parking,” he said.
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Knowing who your customers are can help you understand how to meet their needs. The truckstop industry represents a multi-billion dollar industry and serves as the home away from home for America’s professional drivers and place to rest and refuel for passenger vehicles traveling up and down America’s highways.

“When I think of a truckstop, I think of a place where a professional driver goes to get on with the daily grind of being a person,” said Robert de Vos, president of The Trucker’s Friend National Truck Stop Directory. “They really live at truckstops.”

In The Trucker’s Friend, de Vos lists 6,000 locations professional drivers can stop. “About 3,500 are just a convenience store with a pump. They are places that truckers fuel sometimes, but they don’t have any showers or parking,” he said.

That leaves 2,500 that offer the full service professional drivers seek out while on the road. “For drivers with a load to haul, if you’re not driving, you’re not getting paid. They would like to combine as many of their daily needs as possible. They want to eat, buy fuel and take shower,” de Vos said.

Full-service locations provide fuel, travel or convenience stores, fast- and/or sit-down food dining options, showers and parking. They may also offer additional services, such as barber shops, chiropractic care or chapels.

De Vos said there are 275,000 parking spaces among the truckstops. “Chains may have in the 75-125 range, some locations will have less and then you have Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa that has nearly 900 spaces,” he said.

{HBMHighway Business Matters is a brief semi-monthly newsletter created exclusively for companies that provide products or services to the truckstop and travel plaza industry. Highway Business Matters will keep you informed on trends, tactics, and tips to help you connect to the $65 billion truckstop and travel plaza industry. 

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