Iowa 80
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Iowa 80 is the world's largest truck stop, located along Interstate 80 off exit 284 in Walcott, Iowa. Set on a 220-acre plot of land (four times larger than an average truckstop and two & a half times larger than Disneyland) -- 75 acres of which are currently developed -- the site receives 5,000 visitors daily, and features a 67,000 ft2 main building, parking for 800 trucks, and 15 fuel pumps. Four-hundred fifty employees staff the megaplex.[1][2]
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[edit] History
Bill Moon, a regional manager for Standard Oil, purchased the land and built the original truckstop in 1964 along the emerging I-80, the 3,000 mile highway which would directly connect San Francisco with New York. "As they were building I-80, my father was responsible for finding land and building truck stops for Standard," says his daughter Delia Meier.[1] Initially a small white enamel building surrounded by cornfields, it housed a modest truckers store, a one lube bay and a restaurant. Bill Moon took direct control in September of 1965, and eventually purchased the site from the corporation in 1984. In 1992, the year of Moon's death,[3] it became a Travelcenter of America franchise, though the facility is still owned and operated by the Moon family.
[edit] Facilities
[edit] Exterior
In addition to the ample parking and truck scales, Iowa 80 offers fifteen fuel stations, twice that of an average truck stop; a small convenience store is located right on the fuel island. The pump stations feature a nozzle on each side, so they can fill both tanks simultaneously. A seven-bay service center offers diagnostics, minor repairs, oil changes, tire rotations. The 'Truck-o-mat' can wash trucks and their trailers using a combination of machine- and hand-washing. Even the engine is washed, using a wand which sprays 180 degree water at 15 ppi2 (50 times stronger than an average garden hose) to wash away grime, salt, & oil, and to help find oil leaks. The fifteen-minute wash typically costs around fifty dollars.[2]
[edit] Interior
[edit] Trucker's Warehouse Store
This two-story, thirty-thousand square foot showroom is the largest trucker's store in the country.[4] It features 75,000 items for sale, including a collection of chrome accessories, books, DVDs, CB's, cell phone accessories, apparel and cleaners, chrome stacks, and bumpers. Most striking are the three decked-out show trucks -- one on a rotating platform -- and the 20 x 40 ft2 wall displaying 500 illuminated truck lights. A vinyl graphics shop, custom t-shirt shop, and embroidery center are located in the store.[1]
[edit] Food Services
In addition to Blimpie, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut,[5] The Iowa 80 Kitchen offers a fifty-foot salad bar and 'home-cooked' meals, serving 1 million cups of coffee and 90 tons of meat annually.[2] The restaurant itself can seat 350 patrons, and a banquet room expands the total capacity by 60.
[edit] Other Facilities
Truckers can relax in one of the twenty-three private shower & toilet rooms (which may be requested from the gas pump), the two game rooms, or the Driver's Den Lounge, complete with leather chairs and fireplace. Iowa 80 also features a business center with fax machines, logbooks & trip report forms, working stations, and "everything you need to run an office."[1] More unusual are the 60-seat movie theater and on-site barbershop. The most unexpected facility, though, may be the dentist's office. The dentist usually arrives at around 2pm, after finishing at his regular clinic, and works for six or seven hours; some of his patrons are local residents rather than truckers.[6]
 A wide shot of the exterior captures the scope of the building's size. |
 The exit-ramp sign boasts this is the "World's Largest Truckstop". |
[edit] Notes
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d The Big Road and a BIG Truckstop: Iowa 80
- ^ a b c Modern Marvels: Truck Stops. The History Channel.
- ^ IOWA80.COM - Trucking Accessories for Kenworth Peterbilt Freightliner Mack Volvo International - IOWA80.COM
- ^ http://www.rennerarchitects.com/iowa80.htm
- ^ iowa80truckstop.com
- ^ WALCOTT: Iowa-80 Truck stop a city in itself - A Q-C Century - Progress 99
