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

At least at Loves & PFJ they have apps, which I use all the time to start the pump. The PFJ app being the superior of the two because it retains the DL# and State whereas with loves it must be entered each time (but at least from the warmth of the truck interior).

I received an email from TA not long after the post earlier that invited me to use their app to pay. The TA app will not accept my CC, it says that the card is not allowed or something metaphorical to that.

Has anyone successfully used the TA app to start the pump?

 

Has anyone successfully used the TA app to start the pump?[/QUOTE]

I had the same problem with not being able to use the app to pay for fuel, and would also second how stupid their kiosk system is.

 

I hope the TA doesn't go out of business. I prefer the Love's for fueling, showering and staying the night if I can get a spot in time. That said, we need all the parking and truck stops that we can get. It would be a real loss to this industry if TA went out of business and the stores not being replaced. I park there from time to time and I appreciate every single truck stop out there, even if they're not my preferred ones.

 

Obviously whatever TA is doing it’s not working in their favor. Charging for parking,increasing prices on products and/or services,lackluster customer service and dismal appearance of some locations-it’s like they’re trying to focus more on being a travel center for 4 wheelers than a service for the truck drivers they’re supposed to serve.

They’ve alienated their primary customer base.

If they keep doing what they’re doing now they’re going to be consigned to the history books,just like a bunch of good truck stops from the past. Only this time,a lot of people won’t have good memories about them.

 

Their is a new love's on north side of Chicago and the older TA that's been there forever. The loves parking lot was full and the TA was only 1/2 full or just the free parking was full. TA has to see the reserved parking must be killing their business. Plus no restaurants/food for the drivers now. It like TA/Petro said screw the drivers we don't care. Both truck stops are full by 5 pm as fare as free parking. So TA/Petro would be my last choice because I don't want to pay to park, then not even have any food options. So we just play on getting to a loves before everyone else, or stop in afternoon get fuel and showers at loves. Now you don't even have deal with TA/Petro unless you really need a parking stop and can't find any other place to park.

Even the ELDs maybe changing trucking and truck stops. Because drivers can't just stop for 1.5 hours or longer in afternoon for lunch or dinner and lose all that time in restaurants because the service is so slow. Back with paper logs it did not matter you could keep driving as needed.

 

I’ve found the new rules you can take a 3 hour break and it pauses your 14 hour clock.

But yeah, in a few years someone with a LOT more money than me is gonna be able to nab a LOT of real estate in a bankruptcy fire sale. I can only hope whoever that person is wants to stay in the trucking business. I can’t stand when old, small truckstops go under and instead of leaving the lot open they block it off and let it rot while doing nothing with the property.

The old Shendoah Plaza in OH springs to mind. 3 acres of blacktop and they won’t use it.

 

I do agree, but I think most of us also know another reason they block those lots off: they don't feel like cleaning up after the bad-apple decorum-less drivers.

I wonder.. might there be a way for TA to divest itself off Petri like how PFJ divested itself of Road Ranger a while back? (The crazy thing is it seems Road Ranger is doing even better as it's own entity and even built one or two new ones since then.) I'd hate to see Petro go under just because TA can't get its act together...

 

Likewise. Except for some poor exceptions (Oklahoma City) I’ve always found the Petros to be superior to TA. Having that “C” curve entryway to the restrooms so you don’t have to handle a germ ridden door is pretty common sensical. Also, the Petro in Joplin, Mo is run extremely well.

 

TA's on the whole having consistent hot water over pilot and their constant issues/out of services.