Whatever you want to call them—Highway Havens, Motorway Meccas, Travel Centers, Truck Plazas, or just plain Truck Stops—they are all truck stops. The vast pipeline that ensures the nation has access to almost everything it needs is made up in large part of them, and that makes them an important component of it all. But compared to when trucking was just starting out, truck stops have changed drastically.
Trucks were mechanically unreliable and unable to transport heavy loads in the early days of cross-country trucking. The majority of so-called truck stops in the 1920s were merely repair shops. Over time, some started providing sandwiches and coffee to hungry motorists while they awaited repairs. The American truck stop didn’t undergo significant change until after World War II, save for the occasional bunkhouse for weary drivers behind the repair garage and the addition of a diner.
As is frequently the case when a nation is at war, necessity leads to innovation. The war effort during World War II required dependable transportation to move heavy cargo across the nation to shipping ports. That same technology was put to use in peacetime following the war. Truck manufacturers like Kenworth, Mack, and Peterbuilt started making models that could reliably transport goods across the nation while towing much heavier loads.
The need for a quick and effective interstate highway system was the final obstacle to be cleared in the expansion of the trucking industry. In response, President Dwight D. The National Interstate and Defense Highway Act of 1956 was signed by Eisenhower. That was the beginning of the 47,000-mile network of freeways that now runs coast to coast and from border to border across the nation. The emergence of a new industry—the great American truck stop—was made possible as a result, and it flourished. After the repair shops of the 1920s, the truck stop has undoubtedly come a long way.
They are now essential to maintaining the flow of cargo in America. In the past, a truck driver’s access to whatever necessities they required was restricted to what could be transported inside the truck’s cab. The modern truck stop has changed all of that. Today’s truck plazas offer almost everything that travelers in our nation require, aside from coffee, a hot meal, and some social interaction. Showers and convenience stores selling standard items like snacks and toiletries are available at even the most basic truck stops. However, some of the truly full-service Highway Plazas found along interstates resemble small towns.
These mega-malls of the highway offer everything a driver in need of a break from the open road, including acres of parking space for big rigs. In addition to movie theaters, chapels, and occasionally live entertainment, some of them have barbershops and dentists on-site. At the Midway Truck Stop, a large truck stop on Interstate 70 in Missouri, Willie Nelson once performed a live outdoor concert there.
In today’s world, truckers’ rest stops have even evolved into hubs of comfort and communication. Many truck plazas provide electrical, heat, and air conditioning hookups for drivers’ cab and sleeper units to prevent them from having to let their big rigs idle and waste expensive fuel. Additionally, most truck stops offer Wi-Fi so that truckers can stay in touch with their loved ones and the trucking company during what can be lengthy periods of time on the road.
Think about how crucial the businesses that line our interstate highways are to the people who transport our nation’s cargo day in and day out throughout the year the next time you and your friends or family are on a road trip and you pull into a highway stop to refuel, stretch your legs, or grab a slice of pie. They provide them with a location where they can purchase everything they require to resume driving. They are the backbone of our interstate transportation network.