Topics: Operations

Truckstop Travels: Simple Elegance Welcomes Customers at the Petro Fargo

I always enjoy visiting Petro Stopping Center #61 in Fargo, North Dakota, it reminds me of what is good about our industry and how focused operators can create a positive shopping experience for drivers of all types. More

Ten Tips to Improve Safety

As we start a new year, it is a good time to revisit your safety program. How did your safety performance last year stack up? Were you better or worse than normal when it comes to slips and falls, food-borne illnesses, forklift injuries, back injuries, etc.? More

Physical Inventory Basics for Your Truckstop

In a perfect world there would be no need to count items in your store. If you diligently kept track of your purchases and sales you would know precisely what your current inventory is. But mistakes and outright theft are part of reality so in order to know what we truly have in the store’s inventory we must count it. More

Part II: Steps to Prevent the Sale of Alcohol and Tobacco to Minors

Today we’re going to look at similar procedures that can prevent the sale of tobacco to underage consumers. As I said, retailers who violate the law and sell these products to minors can face tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales, fines, embarrassment within the local community and significant costs in lost employees. Here are eleven steps to help prevent tobacco sales to minors. More

Focus on the Warm Winter Feeling, Not Just the Products

It was great to see operators like Stamart #5 preparing for the winter that will soon be upon us. The location had all the warm-you-up products for you and your truck, such as blankets, gloves, Howe’s, Power Service, ice alert thermometers, heaters, windshield wash and the like. More

More Best Practices on Shop Repair

In the September/October issue of Stop Watch, we featured operators’ best practices on shop repair. Information continued to come in after we went to press, so we’re adding to the story with this online-only peek into service center best practices from AMBEST. More

Pine Cone Travel Plaza's Sweet Tooth Heaven

NATSO’s President & CEO Lisa Mullings and I had the fortunate tasty treat opportunity to visit Pine Cone Travel Plaza earlier this year to learn about their operations and NATSO needs. More

Steps to Prevent the Sale of Alcohol and Tobacco to Minors at Your Truckstop

During our most recent NATSO Show Bonus Workshop, I received several questions about tobacco and alcohol sales sold to under age consumers. If not handled correctly, these two areas can cost truckstop/travel center retailers tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales, embarrassment within the local community and significant costs in lost employees. However, there are some simple steps your operation should be taking to avoid selling these products to under age consumers. We’ll look at those procedures as part of a two-part series. More

How to Protect Your Truckstop from Fraudulent Western Union Calls

NATSO has recently heard of truckstops receiving fraudulent Western Union tech support calls. Read how the scam works and how to prevent it in the future. More

Brix Your Fountain Drink Machine to Cut Costs

When it comes to fountain drinks, consistency is key. Truckstop and travel plaza operators sell many thousands of cups of soda annually, and the key to great tasting soda is ensuring it has the proper brix, which is the ratio of syrup to water. What’s more, if you’re not regularly brixing your fountain, you’re mostly likely dispensing more soda syrup than is necessary, and it is probably costing you thousands of dollars of profit annually. More

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