"Truck Stops Pump Up Image." That was the headline in this weekend's USA Today, talking about the trend of truckstops morphing into gleaming travel centers that court four-wheel traffic as well as the big rigs.
The story highlighted TravelCenters of America's new flagship location in Lodi, Ohio, the first truckstop to feature a Starbucks coffee restaurant.

USA Today isn't the only media outlet to report on this; a week earlier, the Associated Press ran a very similar story, also featuring the Starbucks-loaded Lodi TA.
This trend is nothing new to truckers or the trucking industry. NATSO a few years ago changed its name from the "National Assn. of Truck Stop Operators" to simply "NATSO." What used to be Truckstops of America is now TravelCenters of America; Muralt's Truck Stop in Missoula, Mont., changed its name to Muralt's Travel Plaza five years ago. Beth DuPont of Jubitz Truck Stop near Portland, Ore., told USA Today that what's happening to the truckstop industry is "similar to what happened in Las Vegas - now it's a family destination."
"Nobody even likes to call them truck stops anymore," Mark Rowan of Pilot Corp. told the AP.
Some truckers grumble that truckstops are selling out by catering to four-wheelers. Walt Muralt of Muralt's Travel Plaza tells the AP, "drivers, especially the old school drivers, are getting increasingly upset because they want the truckstops to cater to them."
Others, however, point out that many truckstops are much nicer overall than in the "good ol' days."
For instance, the AP story notes that the Lodi travel center replaced the old one-story, brick Truckstops of America building that opened in 1984. "The front door opened into a parts store and a smoky, brown hallway led to a cramped video parlor and a restaurant with brown tile and orange plastic," writes AP reporter Paul Singer. Roger Cole, who runs four Petro locations in the Southeast, tells Singer the place was "state of the art at the time. Back in the '70s, an idea of a TV room was a place with six hardback chairs."
Today, it's "a gleaming red, white and blue roadside attraction." TA is spending $300 million to renovate 109 of its 121 company-owned stores. Some of its franchisees are updating, as well.
Both pieces attribute the change to lower margins on diesel fuel. When the original Lodi TA opened, diesel fuel sales were the main source of profit. But the margin on a gallon of diesel has dropped from 15 or 20 cents a gallon to less than a dime, according to AP's Singer, and truckstops - excuse me, travel plazas - have been looking for other sources of revenue. Starbucks, anyone?
USA Today reporter Kitty Bean Yancey writes, "the image of truckstops as grimy asphalt jungles crawling with hot-pants-clad 'lot lizards' and amphetamine pushers is changing." And isn't that a good thing?