Truckers what do you want from Truck Stops?

A little Clorox goes a long way!

 

Hey, I need something more than to just nibble on some toast in the morning!

 

It's really nice when you run a lot of the same routes and you get to know where all the good eating spots are. The bad thing is Covid took out a bunch of the mom and pops café that were so sweet. My definition of a good breakfast. Three eggs over medium hashbrowns Bacon biscuits and gravy. Or better yet if you're in the right spot, huevos rancheros with beans and bacon and tortillas..

 

I would agree that angled parking that is sight side angled would help. A lot of Petros have blind side angled spots. And adding a bunch of bobtail parking, especially in areas where there are a bunch of commercial warehouses would help free up some full spots so everyone needing a spot can have a chance to get their rest.

And I would add that there needs to be enforced "No Parking" areas. Some of these places are a nightmare to navigate thru with all the drivers who refuse to park in a designated spot and just go 2 or 3 deep on the curb, and they do it even if the lot is only half full. Park in a lined spot or be towed.

 

Someone mentioned the Boise Stage stop.

Had breakfast there on Friday at 5:05 AM. Corned beef hash, eggs, hash browns, a sleepy smile from the waitress. Acres of parking. Pot holes and all.

Unfortunately, the BEST part of those old truck stops is being closed down. The fuel desk with the trucking supplies (the log books, bungees, oil, coolant, etc) were in the middle of the fuel lanes. Four or more lanes on each side. You could pull in, walk two or three lanes to the desk, authorize the fuel, walk back, fuel, check your oil, etc, and walk back in to grab the receipt and a gallon of oil. The staff had a full view of all the lanes, and would get on the PA system and tell someone to move if they needed. In - fuel - out.

Now? It’s a trek, and then you have to wait on the bus load of Chinese tourists to pay for their bottle of water and package of M&M’s so you can get your receipt. Then trek back across ten fuel lanes to your truck. So it becomes in - trek - wait - trek - fuel - trek - find oil and wait - trek. Heck, you need a nap after all that.

In business, you have to start by serving the customer. Now, I realize the customer is the CARRIER, because the CARRIER determines where the driver stops for fuel, so this whole exercise is largely academic. That said, if you want to serve the DRIVER, spend some time analyzing the tasks the driver has to accomplish at the truck stop. Separate the commercial drivers from the bus loads of tourists. Shorten the TIME the driver has to spend to get the services you want to offer. For example, drivers should be able to put themselves in line for a shower way before they get there. We’ve all gotten used to the wait for showers and random availability, but the current way of doing this is flat out a show of disrespect to drivers. To be honest, the old style community showers were WAY better because you could just walk in and take a shower. Imagine that? Then, now I’m showing my age….

Time is the most critical limiting factor to a driver. Focus on serving the drivers with respect for THEIR cost of time.
In - fuel - out. Reserved parking, reserved shower times. Comp paid parking if fuel is bought.

Quit running truck stops like Turkish Bazaar’s.