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04-20-2026 by Mindy Long AI’s Growing Role in Truck Stop Operations

Artificial intelligence is gaining traction across at truck stops and travel centers as well as their core customer base. The technology is helping operators and fleets increase profitability and efficiency, and it has the potential to reshare how operators do business.

“AI is rapidly evolving from a buzzword into a practical business tool that can deliver real, measurable benefits and is becoming the next practical step for productivity and efficiency. It is becoming more and more accessible and is being built directly into many of the everyday systems operators already use, including point-of-sale platforms, loyalty programs and fuel management solutions. As AI use advances rapidly in the coming years, it will become increasingly important for travel centers to understand the technology and its impact on the industry,” said Amy Toner, executive director of the NATSO Foundation.
04-20-2026
04-14-2026 by Mindy Long How to Innovate in Food Service: Lessons from Travel Centers

Innovation in food service isn’t just about trendy new menu items. For truck stop and travel center operators, food service innovation can help draw in customers, reduce friction and improve margins while also ensuring locations deliver food that people actually crave.

During the NATSO Connect Food Focus Forum at NATSO Connect 2026, three industry leaders shared practical ways to think about and execute innovation.
04-14-2026
04-09-2026 by Mindy Long Trucking’s Long Slump Gives Way to a Painful, But Promising Recovery

The trucking industry’s long downturn is finally easing after a years-long freight recession, but the recovery is being driven by decreased availability of capacity rather than increased freight.

Fleets and drivers are leaving the industry, and new truck purchases are running below replacement levels, gradually tightening capacity in what American Trucking Associations Chief Economist and Senior Vice President Bob Costello called a “supply-side cycle.”

“I’m going to let you decide if the glass is half full or half empty. I’m going to go with it being half full,” Costello said while speaking during NATSO Connect 2026 in late February.
04-09-2026
03-25-2026 by Mindy Long The Right Travel Center Signs Boosts Sales and Improves the Customer Experience

Signage is an important tool to bring in highway traffic, but locations only have a few seconds to grab drivers’ attention.

“Signage studies show that it takes about five seconds due to cognitive load to look at a sign and determine what that sign says,” said Curtis Dukes, director of digital solutions and integration for Sunshine Electronic Display Corp. “At 70 miles an hour, you only have three seconds.”

That’s why signage needs to be clear and concise. “Drivers scan. They don’t study a sign,” Dukes added. “Complexity will hurt you.”

During NATSO Connect 2026, Dukes told attendees that drivers are scanning signs for brand recognition, price advantage or a compelling amenity and recommended operators simplify their messaging so it can be understood at speed in real-world conditions.
03-25-2026
09-17-2025 by Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman NATSO Opens Registration for NATSO Connect 2026

NATSO, the trade association representing America’s travel centers and truck stops, announced that registration is now open for NATSO Connect 2026, scheduled to take place February 24–26, 2026, at the Clyde Hotel and Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM.

“The truck stop and travel center industry is a truly diverse and innovative community driven by a singular mission of advancing the industry’s future success. Through partnership and collaboration, NATSO’s members drive value and growth for all,” said NATSO President and CEO Max McBrayer. “I am inspired by these unique perspectives, and I look forward to meeting with NATSO’s truck stop, travel center, Chairman’s Circle and supplier members during my inaugural NATSO Connect.” 
09-17-2025
04-16-2025 by Mindy Long Great Ideas for Attracting and Retaining Travel Center Customers

NATSO’s Great Ideas! for Travel Centers Workshop at NATSO Connect 2025 brought truck stop and travel center operators to share innovative strategies and best practices that are helping set locations apart from their competition. This year, industry leaders shared their insights into meeting customers’ increasing expectations through great fundamentals.

“Carve out a niche and differentiate yourself from your competition,” said Dustin Trail, manager of Trails Travel Center.

Trail, along with Valkyrie Musarra, chief operating officer of Bowlin Travel Centers, and Keith Wade, owner of KEW Travel Center Consulting, kicked off the workshop with a panel discussion moderated by NATSO Foundation Executive Director Amy Toner on merchandising, food service and operations.
04-16-2025
03-26-2025 by Mindy Long NATSO’s 2025 Chairman Encourages Operators to Embrace Change

Change is happening throughout the truck stop and travel center industry, and Joe Zietlow, industry and trade association manager for Kwik Trip Inc. and NATSO’s 2025 chairman, said operators have to adjust to continue meeting the needs of their customers. 

While speaking during NATSO Connect 2025, Zietlow shared lessons from the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD, about anticipating, preparing for and managing change. The book follows four characters—Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw—who live in a maze and depend on cheese as their source of happiness and sustenance.
03-26-2025
03-19-2025 by NATSO Foundation OPIS Shares on Tariffs, Refining Trends, and the Future of Fuel Markets at NATSO Connect

Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst at OPIS, offered a keynote address during NATSO Connect 2025 and shared his insights into how tariffs, geopolitical events, and refining trends could shape the energy landscape in the coming years.

“Gasoline and diesel margins continue to remain on firm footing. I do not expect this to change,” he explained.
03-19-2025
11-25-2024 by NATSO Foundation The NATSO Foundation Introduces New Hybrid Networking Event at NATSO Connect

The NATSO Foundation is excited to announce a unique hybrid educational and networking event during NATSO Connect. The event, which will run from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Feb. 28, has been designed to foster meaningful connections between vendors and truck stop and travel center professionals, helping them address key challenges that keep them up at night.
11-25-2024

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