How did the Iowa 80 Truckstop become such
a destination for drivers?

Delia Moon Meier: "Back in the early '60s, my Dad, Bill Moon, was working for Standard Oil, helping them find sites for truckstops along what was then the practically brand-new Interstate 80.

"He came to this site, right near the Mississippi and the Illinois line, and decided it was 'the perfect spot.'

"They built the stop here, and a year later, my parents leased it from them. And in 1984, they bought it from Amoco.

"And no sooner did he become a truck stop operator than Dad began making Iowa 80 the largest and most unusual truck stop in the world."

How large is Iowa 80?

"We have over 225 acres of parking places, stores and shops, all devoted to truckers and their needs. We can park over 800 trucks at a time, and we serve more than 5,000 customers every single day.

"One indicator of our size is the number of showers we have for truckers. There are 24 of them, and although we have a television display system to tell you when your shower is ready, it's almost useless, because there's almost never a wait.

"We have 15 fuel islands for trucks, and one of them is 28 feet wide to handle trucks hauling oversize loads.

"It's all about providing the products and services our trucking customers want and need. Nothing is more crucial to our success than that."

How are you fixed for food?

"We have a 300-seat full-service restaurant with a 50 foot-long salad bar. If you prefer fast food, you'll find a Wendy's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Express and Dairy Queen in our food court.

"And if you're really in a hurry, there's a Blimpie sandwich shop out in the Fuel Center."
 
How comprehensive is the service center?

"We offer everything from oil changes to minor engine repairs, plus full three-axle alignments. And, of course, we feature a couple of Dad's inventions, our Truckomat truck wash and our CAT Scales.

"We believe trucks should be washed gently and carefully, by human beings with brushes, not with harsh chemical strippers, and our Truckomat system does just that.

"Plus, we offer CAT Scale weighing services, just as we do at over 1,000 locations across the country. That's another of Dad's inventions."

What about other needs?

"We have a nice, comfortable drivers' lounge with big-screen TV, plus a Dolby Surround Sound movie theater, a game room, a laundry, a two-chair barber shop and a dentist. Plus, a gift shop.

"At Iowa 80, we try to remember that drivers are often a long way from home, so we try to supply some of the comforts and conveniences they're missing."

Drivers love Iowa 80. Your annual Jamboree is one of trucking's major yearly events.

"Dad started the Jamboree in 1979. He wanted to thank the truckers who give us their business. Since then, every year, we do everything we can to make those two days in July as enjoyable as we can for our trucking friends."

How many people come to the Jamboree?

"Attendance this year was over 32,000 truckers and their families. And that's a thing we like very much, that not only do we attract truckers, but that they want to bring their families too.

"They bring their children, even their pets. And we have open mike talent shows and a pet beauty contest along with live music, carnival rides, food and games to make it a memorable two days for every trucker who attends.

"The Jamboree is not just a truck driver event, but a community event too, drawing in people around us in Iowa and nearby Illinois."

Editor's note: Real Answers covered the 2005 Walcott Truckers Jamboree in Volume 10, Issue 2. Click on "archive search," enter the word "Walcott" in the search engine and click on "Go."

"The Jamboree is sort of the pivotal event of each year. It seems like almost everything that happens is either leading up to the Jamboree or getting started right after it.

"It's a rush to get everything done in time, and no sooner are we done than we have to get to work on next year."

What kind of big events have you had?

"We opened our new, expanded chrome shop. At over 30,000 square feet, this 'Super Truck Showroom' alone is larger than many truckstops. We carry over 75,000 different items including one of the most complete stocks of chrome and accessories you'll find anywhere."

Complete is right. The day we were there, we saw 13 different steering wheels on display!

"We're trying to be that one stop for every trucking need. And, of course, for those truckers who just can't get here, we offer our complete stock of chrome and other accessories on our web site, through the catalogs we mail out. They're even available via computer kiosks right in the store."

Plus you've got three trucks in there!

"We wanted to make it easy for our trucker friends to imagine how their vehicles would look with new chrome and accessories, so we put a Freightliner, Kenworth and Peterbilt right in the Showroom.

"The Peterbilt, a 379 we call the 'Cornpatch Cadillac,' is on a turntable that rotates slowly so you can see all sides of it as you shop. The Kenworth is a W900 we call the 'Blue Ox,' and our red Freightliner Classic is pulling a full-size trailer with a mural painted on the side of it."

What's the mural?

"We call it 'America the Beautiful,' and it depicts this great country from the point of view of Interstate 80, which of course, runs from coast to coast."

How did you get these trucks in there?

"Well, you see the giant wall of glass near the 'Cornpatch Cadillac.' We drove the trucks in, then put up the glass."

You've also got one of the largest personalized apparel and accessories shops we've ever seen.

"We call that 'The Custom Shop,' and we offer embroidery, engraving, business cards, vinyl decals - just about anything you can imagine can be made into personalized artwork.

"Our computerized embroidery machines can stitch words or customer-supplied artwork onto hats, shirts, towels, jackets, etc.

"And the same computerized system lets us create custom artwork for banners, laser-engraved plaques and frames. It's a way for drivers to make the things around them just a little bit more 'theirs.'"

What's next for Iowa 80?

"Probably the next big thing will be our 'Iowa 80 Trucking Hall of Fame.' Another of Dad's passions was antique trucks. He loved them and he collected them. In fact, he was one of the founding members of the American Truck Historical Society.

Delia and Dave Meier at the helm of their 1916 Mack AC, the first one ever made.

"Over the years, we've been adding to Dad's collection, and we now have over 100 antique vehicles. We're going to use them to create rotating displays in a special building we've built to house them.

"It's down the street from our headquarters building, and when it's done, we'll be showing about two dozen antique trucks at a time, together with our extensive collection of antique gas pumps and signs.

"With the addition of The Trucking Hall of Fame, Iowa 80 should become - even more than it already is - a destination not just for truckers, but for everyone."

We thank Delia and Dave Meier and everyone at Iowa 80 for being so helpful to us as we prepared this story. And, we point out that we're not through with Iowa 80 yet. We'll be bringing you a story on the Iowa 80 Trucking Hall of Fame in a future issue of Real Answers.