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

I'm sure the Moon family owns this huge mega truck stop and franchises to TA so it will not go away just rebranded.

 

The old abandoned TA just east of Amarillo was decent too. But the current Amarillo location where the old 76 was is just average.

 

One thing we have to give credit to TA and Petro for: as bad as Country Pride (and occasionally Iron Skillet) can be, they still are the only full-service chain restaurants out there besides Sapp Brothers and the independents.

 

Heck yeah! Bite sized water bottles!

 

I noticed a hodgepodge of remodeling projects at TAs about 12 yrs ago. I thought they’d be gone by now. But they’re still around, and some of the projects came out decent, most are shabby jobs. The predatory reserved parking at TA and Petro, is very disappointing. But Drivers and Companies pay. Loves parking lots are getting bigger, that’s good. But the stores, and showers seem like a glorified Pilot. I can’t say I like any of them. Depending where I’m at. It’s the one with best showers. Doesn’t matter, TA, Petro, or Loves. Occasionally an old J. Usually it’s cheaper to pay cash, than buy 50-60 gallons of non discounted fuel. I try not to stay any longer than needed. Plenty of places to shop, eat and even Park besides the Truckstop.

 

My thoughts exactly. No one else offers full service with sit down restaurants. They are my first choice and I sure hope that they survive and correct any problems they have. Their parent company, Hospitality Group needs to have someone who knows how to operate these once great truck stops. Thanks Bthomann.

 

The problem is, most of those facilities date to the 60's, and it shows. They were old when I started in the 80's.

Flying J was my go to for years until the Pilot took over. Hard to believe how much they've let them run down since then. And since they've put those tall curbs in at so many Pilot/FJ locations, I can't park in there anyways, can't get rear deck over the curb, even with overlift engaged. I'm 90' when loaded, and I'm not leaving a car sticking out that far into an aisle.

Used to use Loves a lot. But not so much now that they've become a stop for the megas. They used to have the best fuel prices, not so much anymore. Give big discounts to the megas, shaft the small guys.

Get a real good discount at Sapp Bros, and they're clean, although their parking isn't the best.

Petro, especially the franchises, are usually top of the list. Good discounts through NASTC card, and good eats. Clearwater has the best pizza around. It's on par with the best pizza from the southern burbs of Chicago, i.e. the best pizza on earth.

 

The other night I stopped at a truck stop like no other truck stop I have ever been to. It was well lit, nice wide marked spaces, garbage cans placed where needed, restrooms out on the north forty so you didn't have to walk all the way into the main building, nice green grass areas with trees and flowers, outside seating area, pleasant employees that greeted me when I walked inside, a 24 hour full menu sit down restaurant with the hottest waitresses I have ever seen, nice clean showers and restrooms, a separate area for the cars and rv people, decent prices on goods, and then suddenly my alarm went off and just like that the dream was over. Poof.

 

Yeah it had to be a dream because the pigs in this industry would #### sure screw it up in 3 to 5 months.