Keep on Trucking

Keep on Trucking

Refuel, relax and recharge at Iowa 80, the World’s Largest Truckstop

By Haley Banwart

Stretching east to west from the Missouri River to the Mississippi River, Interstate 80 is home to miles of rolling Iowa farmland and roughly one-third of the state’s sprawling urban centers. Along the busy route, thousands of cross-country trucks haul freight and deliver essential goods and services while ordinary traffic weaves in and out.

At mile marker 284, just north of Walcott and near Davenport, the history and daily on-goings of this high-performing highway system collide at Iowa 80 – the world’s largest truck stop.

Destination for All Drivers

Since 1964, Iowa 80 Truckstop has served as a home away from home for countless truck drivers and everyday travelers. Bill Moon, Iowa 80 founder, initially scouted the location for Standard Oil as sections of the first interstate highway systems were being built.

Situated just six hours from Detroit and Omaha, and only three hours from Des Moines and Chicago, the site was an ideal pit stop for truckers looking to refuel their rigs along the interstate.

A year after Iowa 80 opened, Moon took over as the location manager. He spent the next two decades getting to know the needs of his customers as Interstate 80 was completed and the number of daily truckers and travelers grew.

In 1984, Standard Oil decided to sell the facility. Recognizing the potential to expand the business as their own, Bill and his wife Carolyn eagerly leveraged everything they had to purchase the truck stop.

What started as a small store, restaurant and dusty gravel parking lot quickly grew into a thriving roadside epicenter focused on providing specialized services and amenities for drivers.

“It was never the Moon family’s goal to expand Iowa 80 into the world’s largest truck stop,” says Heather DeBaillie, vice president of marketing at CAT Scale Company/Iowa 80 Group. “It was just something that happened as a result of Bill and Carolyn’s passion for the business and desire to reinvest in their customers.”

“Iowa 80 Truckstop continues to operate and maintain its title as the world’s largest using the same philosophy on which it was founded – providing a safe, clean and welcoming environment that offers something for everyone,” she shares.

Going the Extra Mile

Today, Iowa 80 sits on a 225-acre plot with 75 acres of the site currently developed into 900 parking spaces, 42 gas islands, 16 diesel lanes and a 100,000- square-foot main building that welcomes approximately 5,000 customers per day.

Many grab-and-go menu options are available at the truck stop food court and convenience store, and the Iowa 80 Kitchen can seat up to 300 hungry travelers who stop in to enjoy a home-cooked meal.

To accommodate the nomadic lifestyle of truckers, the truck stop houses a dentist, barbershop, chiropractor, private showers, workout room, laundry facilities, TV lounge and a 60-seat movie theatre. A gift store, custom embroidery and vinyl shop, fuel and service centers, truck wash, scale and pet wash are also available.

One of the more recent expansions includes the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum, which displays a large collection of antique trucks, original petroliana signs and vintage gas pumps.

Perhaps even more impressive than the expansive scale of the facilities and conveniences offered, Iowa 80 is proudly open 24 hours a day, seven days a week – a feat made possible by 500 dedicated employees who work around the clock to provide a high level of service to customers.

“We’re a family-owned company, and as co-workers, we support one another like family,” says DeBaillie. “The novelty of being the world’s largest truck stop certainly attracts visitors, but it’s the work ethic, knowledge and hospitality of our employees that keep drivers coming back.”

Visit Iowa 80 Truckstop on I-80,Exit 284.