An increasing number of trucks coming into North Dakota from Canada is boosting demand for truckstops along Interstate 29.

U.S. Customs says the number of trucks coming south across the border in North Dakota and Minnesota rose from 318,895 in 1996 to 335,038 last year at 24 border crossings. The number of trucks crossing the border at Pembina, ND, increased from 148,000 to 175,301 during the same period.
Reasons for the increased truck traffic include the North American Free Trade Agreement and the development of Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a major freight hub.
Arch Simonson recently opened a new truckstop at the junction of Interstate 29 and U.S. Highway 2. The owner of several gas stations in Grand Forks, Simonson says, "we weren't really in the truck market, but we saw an opportunity there."
In recent years, several large truckstops have opened near Pembina and along I-29, as well as I-94 in Fargo.