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

The idea of a truckstop providing a sit down restaurant is definitely "old school" but it was a part of the culture to have one. Most drivers were happy to fuel, park, eat and sleep even if it wasn't an elite 5 star restaurant. The chance to socialize about your day and all the other BS that went with the job was OK. Now drivers want to eat in their trucks which means a loss of income for the owners therefore they either lease the restaurant space to an outside chain or close it up altogether. Paid parking will probably become normal too because their profit is shrinking.

So no sit down restaurants so you can enjoy yourself inside your cab, paid parking for every spot on the lot with no free spots, $20 or more for a shower and when you fuel you can drive out the exit without entering the store. Not the truckstops of old and not the ones I care to see. Pretty soon they will be like having truck parks similar to rv parks. Glad to be retired.

 

Old days there were no cell phones. No microwaves in the truck etc
So that alone is a huge part of the decline and TS need to get a known brand. Good or bad like Denny’s or IHOP to draw customers passing by in

I agree with the entire profit loss thing and am in the process of ordering a big bunk truck just for that
Carry my living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom with me

 

Right you are, my friend! Sorry I haven't been on here as much lately. Life has gotten busier even with the virus still hanging around. Hope you and your family are well.

 

I'm just guessing here, but I would say that truck stops have changed recently because trucks have changed.

40 years ago they offered more amenities to drivers because drivers didn't have them in their trucks. Their trucks were a basic steering wheel and a bed. Most didn't even have a TV with rabbit ears unless it was a tiny DC powered thing that couldn't pick up the local baseball game across the street. No inverters, no microwaves, nothing. So truckers struggled to bring any kind of food from home so they had to eat at each location each night. Now, I bring 2 weeks of food with me in the truck only needing a gallon of milk and some fresh greens for salad halfway through. That's it. If I buy anything from a truck stop its because I choose to, not HAVE to. And 99% of what I buy I get at Loves free with points. Once or twice a year when I'm stuck at a FJ with a Cinnabon kiosk I'll treat myself to one or two of those delicious cinnamon rolls.

Trucking used to be a real big deal. To live in a box for weeks at a time eating at truck stops was something to really respect. Now with all the amenities of home, it's not that big of a deal anymore. I mean I have 2 fridge freezers, a 32" HD tv, DirecTV with HD dvr, a gaming laptop, 2 cell phones and two 10" tablets. One as a backup. I have more stuff in the truck than I do at home. I can't really say I'm suffering out here. I have free unlimited wifi hotspot through my company cell phone. Almost NOBODY offers that. I stream TV all day long, I hit 140gb in April.

 

I go back to 1969 when I started driving. I drove B, U and R model Mack daycabs with no AC, no P/S and no sleepers. Open the vent and side windows and floor vent. Roof vent on U and R. We had no bunks so a piece of 5/8" plywood across the seats with a sleeping bag worked. You would see my feet hanging out a window. I also had a rope hammock to hang under the trailer on a breezy day. All meals were sit down truck stop restaurants like Mom & Pop, Pure, Buckhorn, Country Pride and Iron Skillet. Those were the best of times compared to today. Things were simpler, cheaper and you were respected and everyone seemed happier. How I miss those days.

 

Welcome to Petro in Perrysburg OH/Toledo sorry no food on the weekends. You can eat on Sundays and the fuel island deli is open

 

This is more to people not wanting to work and collect that high unemployment vs a low wage job.

 

Theclabor shortage is real everywhere not just truck stops .....eventually people will start clising doors if they can not staff enough to make money

 

So where are all the people that were employed before the china virus?

Labor shortage, not really. A shortage of able bodied people capable of working but refusing to work, most likely. Official numbers below:

The number of people unemployed in the US peaked in April 2020 at 23,109,000. There are now 13,297,000 fewer people unemployed in the country. From a post peak low of 9,710,000 in March 2021, the number of unemployed has now grown again by 102,000. US employment and jobs data (including jobs lost/gained) is also available.

US Unemployment Rate and Total Unemployed | Department of ...
www.deptofnumbers.com/unemployment/us/