New Services Replace Fuel as Profit Focus

ruck stops are no longer just pit stops where drivers can take on diesel fuel for their rigs and chicken fried steak for themselves. They have become full-service travel centers that cater to fleet operators and drivers, offering high-tech communications, 24-hour maintenance and repair, and on-site shopping and entertainment.

People who run these businesses said they are counting on profits from new services and bigger facilities to offset dwindling margins on fuel sales and to cover the rising cost of operations. The changes are expected to accelerate a move in favor of large national and regional truck stop operators at the expense of independently owned truck stops, several experts said in interviews.

“We’re being Wal-Marted,” said Melvin King, president of the North American Truck Stop Network. King ran five Bobber Travel Centers in Illinois and Missouri until 2002, when he sold out and joined NATSN, a nonprofit association based in Sullivan, Mo., that assists truck stops with marketing and merchandising programs.