Photo credit: Darren Schulte/NATSO
More and more businesses are expanding their services and creeping into territory that was once served primarily by the truckstop and travel plaza industry. Interstate convenience stores are adding diesel fueling lanes and expanding services, big box retailers are adding quick-service foods, interstate restaurants are adding gasoline fueling lanes and confectionary products, and motor carriers are adding driver services and conveniences to their distribution centers.
“You hear about different and or new adjacent competition, but sometimes it doesn’t sink in until you really see it,” said Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership.
During a recent presentation for NATSO’s board of directors, Schulte compiled photos of businesses that are expanding their presence on or near the interstate high-way system, such as WaWa and Buc-ee’s. “When you see a Buc-ee’s and you see 80 to 120 fueling stations, you understand its significance,” he said...