New Truck Stop. What do YOU want?

Free WiFi, good healthy choices in the resturant, a decently priced travel store not a travel store with outrageous prices, exercise room, nice clean showers, friendly staff, lots of parking. Where you plan on building this

Plenty more other drivers will provide more input

 

Prices competitive with Walmart. 200% markup is uncalled for and unnecessary. A real restaurant, no fast food. Big parking area with lots of light and security. NO LOT LIZARDS!!!

 

Asking a truck stop company to try to compete with the buying power of Walmart is sure asking a lot...tho the poster DID say no question is too far fetched ....

 

I would agree with the free WiFi. Ample parking is always a must. Please have enough showers to handle the amount of traffic you get. A large lot full of trucks and only 4 showers is not enough. The biggest thing I can think of is a well trained staff and having enough cashiers. Nothing is more aggravating than standing in line with 10 other people trying to buy twinkies while the one girl working the register is trying to figure out what is wrong with a drivers fuel card.

 

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How about enough bathrooms stalls to handle the traffic.

I hate when Truck stops have 100 parking spaces, car traffic out front. And only 4 stalls for every swinging #### that walks through the door.

It's even worse when said truck stop doubles as the local Greyhound station.

 

IF you will provide an exercize room, I suggest this to my own detriment but the longevity of the feature: No free weights. Too many stupids prone to injuries or theft of said weights.
Machines should be gym-quality, thickly cabled plate stack machines with plenty of weight on the stacks. Nothing stronger than a 300 lb. ticked off flatbedder. Or me.
Sign on the wall should be in red lettering, large, describing rules of conduct and personal responsibility; keep it short or they won't read it.
Don't crowd the machines together; it's not safe or comfortable. At least two fullbody (universal) machines and four cardio machines, preferably ellipticals and steppers. At least one treadmill. You will be very, very popular.
A television with a remote. Upscale would be tv screens on the cardio stuff with headphone inputs and a number pad for the cable station selection. (they have that at our gym and it is WAYYYYY cool!) You use your own headphones.
For maintenance, a dollar a visit. That takes care of most overhead and repair. Gyms now charge 5-10 for a drop-in visit, but few use it because of the price.
Oh, and a bottle of disinfectant and paper towels to wipe off the inconsiderate's sweat from the pads.
This is about a $10k investment that will not make money directly, but will help fill the parking lots. Design the room for that many machines even if you can't put them all in at once.

 

How big of a truck stop are you looking to build and where?

Lots of shower stalls (it sucks having to wait over an hour for a shower stall). A professional driver's down time is not unlimited, they need to get in and get out in a timely fashion.

Large capacity restrooms: 4 wheelers use them too.

Decent laundry facilities (6-8 washers and dryers each minimum)

Sufficient staff to clean the facilities 24/7 x 365.

etc...

 

I agree with the free wi-fi. If I stop there and find I have a good wi-fi connection, I do make a mental note of it and I will be back.

But, the first and main thing you need is a parking spot. That means a big parking lot. Asphalt isn't necessary, gravel is fine. There are a lot of places that have great eateries, tv rooms, game rooms, and what not, but all of that doesn't add up to a hill of beans if I pull in there at 9:30 pm and can't find a parking spot.

Also, a bone to pick with all the truck stop chains, what in the hell happened to the 2 liter bottles of soda? For years I would get a 2 liter for a buck or two and have enough to drink for the entire day. Now they sell 1 liter bottles for $1.79. That's all anyone carries any more. So now I'm expected to pay $4 for the same amount of soda? 2 liters are a rarity anymore. Also, we drivers are usually in a hurry. Hot food that we can grab in a hurry and eat while we are driving, roller hot dogs and what not like the Pilot has. That'd be great.

 

What about those mom and pop places up in the north east? That one up in Springfield, Mass comes to mind. 200 parking places, and a bathroom with one toilet.

And the greyhound traffic...yeck! I don't know how many times I've sat in a stall and the next stall was occupied by a guy who got off the bus and was smoking crack, getting his fix.