Did you ever wonder where the largest truck stop in the world is located?

By David McClelland

It is called "Iowa 80" and is located along Interstate 80 off exit 284 in Wolcott, Iowa.
Walcott had a population of 1,528 in the 2000 census. Iowa 80 is set on a 220 acre plot of land and 75 acres are currently developed. The site receives 5,000 visitors daily and features a 67,000 sf Main Building, parking for 800 trucks and 15 fuel pumps. 450 employees staff the mega-plex. I-80 is the 3,000 mile Interstate that directly connects San Francisco and New York.

Bill Moon, a regional manager for Standard Oil, bought the land for Standard Oil and built the original truckstop in 1964. In 1965, he took direct control of the station and in 1984, he purchased the station from his employer. In 1992, the year of Moon's death, it became a Travelcenter of America franchise although it was and is still controlled by Moon's family.

Outside, the station features pump stations with a fuel nozzle on each side so they can fill both of the truck's tanks simultaneously. A seven-bay service center offers diagnostics, minor repairs and 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 water spray that is 180 degrees F at 15 psi. The 15 minute wash typically costs about $50.

The Truckers Warehouse Store is two stories and 30,000 sf. It features 75,000 items for sale including 500 illuminated truck lights on one wall. They sell just about anything that a trucker would need on his long-haul routes. They also added a Trucking Museum in a separate building. More than 30 antique trucks are on display from Bill Moon's collection of over 100 old trucks.

They have a variety of food services including Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Wendy's, Blimpie, Dairy Queen and Orange Julius. The Iowa 80 Kitchen offers a 50 foot-long salad bar and "home cooked" meals. They are said to sell 1 million cups of coffee and 90 tons of meat annually. They can serve 350 patrons at one time.

Truckers can relax in one of 24 private shower and toilet rooms. There are two game rooms and one Driver's Den Lounge complete with leather chairs and a fireplace. They also have a business center where everything a trucker would need in an office is available, including telephones, fax machines, log books and trip report forms. There is a 60-seat movie theater and a barber shop. Most unusual is the dentist's office which usually opens at 2 p.m. and is open for 6-7 hours to service the truckers. Across from the dentist's office is a chiropractic clinic run by a tracker turned chiropractor. He offers chiropractic adjustments and Department of Transportation physicals.

When one walks in the front door, there is a gift shop with every sort of knick-knack that you ever heard of and many that will be new to you. You will also see about a dozen antique autos scattered throughout the facility. All in all, it is worth the stop if you are traveling through Iowa at any time of the year. I have friends who live here, but are from Iowa and stop at Iowa 80 every year and say it is "quite the place" and recommend it.