Truck stop

A truck stop (known as a service station in the United Kingdom,[1] a travel center by major chains in the United States and a roadhouse in rural Australia) is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), food, and other services to motorists and truck drivers. Truck stops are usually located on or near a busy road.[2]

Truck stop services

Smaller truck stops might consist of only a parking area, a fueling station, and perhaps a diner restaurant, or transport café (U.K. English).[3] Larger truck stops might have convenience stores of various sizes, showers, a small video arcade, and a TV/movie theater (usually just a projector with an attached DVD player). The largest truck stops, like Iowa 80 (the largest in the world),[4] might have several independent businesses operating under one roof, catering to a wide range of travelers' needs, and might have several major and minor fast-food chains operating a small food court. Larger truck stops also tend to have full-service maintenance facilities for heavy trucks, as well as vehicle wash services that can handle anything from passenger vehicles to large trucks. Some truck stops operate motels or have them adjacent. Most truck stops now offer separate fueling areas, often with dedicated entrances, for standard-sized passenger vehicles. The truck refueling area almost always offers dual pumps, one on each side, so large trucks can fill both tanks at once. (The second pump is referred to as the "slave pump" or "satellite pump.")

The fuel islands at many truck stops can get very crowded.

Australia

In Australia a roadhouse is a filling station (service station) on a major intercity route. A roadhouse sells fuel and provides maintenance and repairs for cars, but it also has an attached restaurant (usually a café or diner) to sell and serve hot food to travelers. Roadhouses usually also serve as truck stops, providing space for parking of semi-trailer trucks and buses, as well as catering to travelers in private cars. In remote areas such as the Nullarbor Plain, a roadhouse also offers motel-style accommodation and camping facilities.

Approximately two-thirds of truck stops are independently owned with the remainder being owned and run by 'Big Oil' brands such as Caltex, BP and Shell.[7]

Germany and Austria

In Germany and some parts of Austria there were newer official developments to the existing highway service station. The often state owned service stations on the highway were insufficient to deal with the growing number of lorries and the necessary stops for lorry drivers to rest. Since 2001, the traffic regulations of Germany Straßenverkehrsordnung include a road sign, Autohof, literally car yard or automobile court.

An Autohof is run by a private company, but the government provides the road signs at the highway, indicating an Autohof, if the facility:

• is no more remote from the highway than one kilometer
• can be approached by lorries
• provides at least 50 places for lorries, or at least 100 at higher frequented roads, those places must be apart from the places for other cars
• is open 24 hours a day, all year through
• offers gasoline service 24 hours a day
• offers meals from 11.00 to 22.00; other food for the rest of the day
• includes sanitary facilities for handicapped people and the proper needs of lorry drivers

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term "truck stop" is not in common use and the equivalent stops are motorway services. There are relatively few areas on motorways just for trucks to stop at. Most designated rest areas are used by every sort of motor vehicle.

On A roads (major routes which are made to a lower standard compared to motorways), a truck stop may have no refueling facilities but simply offer a place for tired drivers to rest and/or get food and drink in a transport cafe. They may not be signposted well, if at all.

Notable truck stop locations in the UK include:

• Ashford (M20, J10)
• Rothwell (A14, J3 )
• South Mimms (M25, J23/ A1(M), J1)
• Ellesmere Port (M56, J10)
• Chippenham (M4, J17)

United States

The truck stop originated in the United States in the 1940s as a reliable source of diesel fuel not commonly available at filling stations. This, coupled with the growth of the Interstate Highway System, led to the creation of the professional haulage and truck stop industries. They generally consist of, at the very least, a diesel grade fueling station with bays wide and tall enough for modern tractor/trailer rigs, plus a large enough parking area to accommodate from five to over a hundred trucks and other heavy vehicles. Truck stops should not be confused with rest areas or motorway service areas which cater mostly to cars and are often run by or leased from a government or tollway corporation.

In the United States in the late 1990s, Truckstops of America (T/A) changed its name to TravelCenters of America to reflect this marketing strategy. There is no exact distinction between "truck stop" and the newer term "travel center", but some differences are size, proximity to interstate highways and major roads, the number of services, accessibility to automotive and RV travelers, and a certain extra emphasis on facility appearance. Many truck stops chains such as Love's, Flying J and T/A also serve the recreational vehicle market. All the national chains have established customer loyalty programs to promote repeated patronage.

Corporatization

The economics of truck stops have driven most of the small, post-war operations out of business and they have been replaced with large corporate chains or franchises. Truck drivers are a captive market, because the trucks' size and local regulations place severe restrictions on where a truck driver can park. The initial investment in land, permits, equipment and maintenance requirements are large and growing: accordingly, some large truck stop chains have begun to cater to a wider range of the traveling public by combining trucks stops and traditional gas stations.

See also

• Caravanserai
• Dhaba
• Greasy spoon
• Iowa 80 – the world's largest truck stop
• Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores
• Pilot Flying J
• Rest area
• Road Ranger

External links