Iowa 80 TA Truckstop, located in Walcott, Iowa, will be celebrating its 45th year of serving America's professional drivers in 2009.

Standard Oil built and opened the truckstop in 1964. At that time, Iowa 80 had two diesel pumps, one lube bay and a small restaurant. In September 1965, Bill Moon took over management of the truckstop for Standard Oil.

In 1984 Bill Moon and his wife Carolyn purchased the truckstop from Amoco and started remodeling and expanding. The shop bays were closed to build state-of-the-art private showers and a driver's area, both of which were very rare in a truckstop at the time. In 1989, Iowa 80 added a new store probably most famous for, other than its chrome selection, the 1918 Oldsmobile hoisted above the cashier island.

Three years later, in 1992, Iowa 80 Truckstop expanded its fuel center and became a
Truckstops of America franchisee. Truckstops of America would also serve as a connection to the trucking fleets that had grown over the years. And one year later, Iowa 80 opened its TA Service Center.

In 2006, a new multi-million dollar Super Truck Showroom was added at Iowa 80 Truckstop. It houses more than 67,000 square feet of chrome, stainless, lights and other trucking accessories to browse. The showroom also includes three big rigs on display that sport the latest accessories and a wall of lights allowing drivers to see what every single type of available light looks like when it's illuminated. A custom shop houses vinyl graphics, custom T-shirts, embroidery center and laser engraving.

There are 24 private showers located on the third floor, along with a library, drivers den, movie theater, barber shop, dentist, chiropractor, laundry facilities and a balcony. The food court was also expanded and now includes Wendy's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Express and Dairy Queen/Orange Julius.

"We are always looking to improve the Iowa 80 experience for our customers," says Delia Moon Meier. "We've expanded Iowa 80 Truckstop 25 times in the last 45 years and we're not ready to slow down yet."

More info: www.iowa80truckstop.com