Travel Centers of America is failing and will declare bankruptcy within five years.

Chicken and egg.

Did the availability of in-truck cooking appliances coupled with the relative drop in wages over the years cause the drivers to stop patronizing the restaurants? Or did management kill off the restaurants in favor of more profitable fast food, leaving drivers who wanted to eat something that was once actually alive, no choice but to prepare their own meals?

We do know that the advent of management-controlled fuel cards removed the drivers' choice of where to stop in many cases, so the competition between truck stops became less about service and amenities and more about sucking up to megas with cheap fuel prices. What the driver wants doesn't matter any more. So more and more drivers get fed up with the micromanaging and loss of freedom and get out of the industry(or at least the OTR field), and they're replaced by untrained drones in automatic trucks packed full of cattle prods and tattletales, and OTR trucking continues its death spiral.

 

The decline is probably a combination of several things. Drivers have microwave and fridge in truck more today. The restaurants did not seem to care about the quality of the food and the service. Fast food places have improved their food quality. Plus the covid-19 forcing the closer of restaurants. I still think TA should have had some food to help the drivers, but maybe just not enough drivers to make money even on that.

 

i once bought a sub sandwich at a 7-11...looked really good, looked really loaded with lunch meats.

cannot recall the price

i opened it up, there was only 3 slices of lunch meat, all hanging out half way to make it appear it was loaded...

last time i ever spent any money at a 7-11.

never really had any convenience food from a truck stop, but if a WAWA can be thought of as a mini truck stop at times, (since they do have truck parking) then i had some of the best convenience foods there....!!!!!!

 

I know in MY line of transportation work, there never is nor shall be spare time for me to stop for a meal. May as well save a few bucks and bring something tasty from home.

 

The quality of the slop they serve is what did them in. That and their ridiculous prices.

look guys, i know y’all like the buffets but your poo is supposed to be solid & not stink worse than a septic truck.

 

the Iron Skillet in Florence is currently 11am to 9pm. Wrap your head around that....

 

Are they just trying to cut out the costs associated with switching over from breakfast? Try to order an omelet and the waitress spits on you?

Either way it's weird.

 

Another example of TA doing their best to destroy the best truck stops out there, Petro. White's in Raphine is 7AM-2PM. Go figure.