Truck stop
A truck stop (known as a service station in the United Kingdom,[1] a travel center by major chains in the United States and a roadhouse in rural Australia) is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motorists and truck drivers.
Larger truck stops might have convenience stores of various sizes, showers, a small video arcade, and a TV/movie theater (usually just a projector with an attached DVD player).
The retail stores in large truck stops offer a large selection of 12-volt DC products, such as coffee makers, combo television units, toaster ovens, and frying pans primarily targeted towards truck drivers, who often spend extended periods of time on the road.
Most long-haul tractors have sleeping berths, and many truck drivers keep their diesel engines running for heating or cooling for the sake of comfort.
Because idling diesel engines make considerable noise (and are a source of pollution) they are often banned from such use near residential areas.
Since 2001, the traffic regulations of Germany Straßenverkehrsordnung include a road sign, Autohof, literally car yard or automobile court.
On A roads (major routes which are made to a lower standard compared to motorways), a truck stop may have no refueling facilities but simply offer a place for tired drivers to rest and/or get food and drink in a transport cafe.
[citation needed] This, coupled with the growth of the Interstate Highway System, led to the creation of the professional haulage and truck stop industries.
They generally consist of, at the very least, a diesel grade fueling station with bays wide and tall enough for modern tractor/trailer rigs, plus a large enough parking area to accommodate from five to over a hundred trucks and other heavy vehicles.
In Louisiana, truck stops that meet certain criteria are allowed to have on-site casinos that can operate up to 50 video poker gaming devices.
According to John McPhee's book Uncommon Carriers, truck stops in rural areas are typically very safe and wholesome.
[8] The economics of truck stops have driven most of the small, post-war operations out of business and they have been replaced with large corporate chains or franchises.
