Iowa 80 Truckstop to celebrate anniversary

This photo shows two Standard Oil trucks parked outside the Iowa 80 Truckstop in 1964. (Courtesy Iowa 80 Truckstop).

The Trucker News Services

12/31/2008

WALCOTT, Iowa — The Iowa 80 TA Truckstop will be celebrating its 45th anniversary in 2009.

Iowa 80 began operating in 1964 in a small, white enamel building in the middle of Iowa cornfields just west of the Mississippi River.

When Standard Oil built and opened the truck stop, Interstate 80 wasn’t even complete.

When it opened, Iowa 80 had two diesel pumps, one lube bay and a small restaurant operated by the Peel Family.

In September 1965, Bill Moon took over management of the truck stop for Standard Oil, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“My father had an amazing ability to see things that others couldn’t. He always said that Walcott was the perfect spot,” Delia Moon Meier, Moon’s daughter and Iowa 80 senior vice president.

Under Moon's management, the truck stop began to grow and in 1984 Moon and his wife Carolyn purchased the truck stop from Amoco.

Now that it was theirs, the Moon family was able to remodel, update and expand the restaurant and truckers store. The shop bays were closed to build state of the art private showers and a driver's area, both of which were very rare in a truck stop at this time.

In 1989, Iowa 80 added a new store probably most famous for, other than its chrome selection, the 1918 Oldsmobile hoisted above the cashier island.

Three years later, in 1992, Iowa 80 Truckstop expanded its fuel center and became a Truckstops of America (now TravelCenters of America) franchisee.

This move gave Iowa 80 the opportunity to associate with a nationally recognized name and at the same time maintain its independence. Truckstops of America would also serve as a connection to the trucking fleets that had grown over the years.

And one year later, Iowa 80 opened its TA Service Center.

In 2006, a new multi-million dollar Super Truck Showroom was added.

It houses more than 67,000 square feet of chrome, stainless, lights and other trucking accessories.

The Super Truck Showroom also includes three big rigs on display that sport the latest accessories. The Super Truck Showroom also features a wall of lights allowing drivers to see what every single type of available light looks like when it’s illuminated. The vinyl graphics, custom T-shirts, embroidery center and laser engraving are all housed in a one-stop Custom Shop where drivers can see their designs come to life.

An elevator from the Super Truck Showroom can take drivers to the third floor and one if its 24 private showers, library, drivers den, movie theater, barber shop, dentist, chiropractor, laundry facilities and a balcony where drivers can overlook the Super Truck Showroom.

The food court was also expanded and now includes Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Express and Dairy Queen/Orange Julius. The convenience and gift stores have also undergone complete makeovers.

“We are always looking to improve the Iowa 80 experience for our customers,” Meier said. “We’ve expanded Iowa 80 Truckstop 25 times in the last 45 years and we’re not ready to slow down yet.”

This coming year also marks the 30th Anniversary of the Walcott Truckers Jamboree, the biggest professional driver celebration in the country. The Jamboree is scheduled July 9-10, 2009.

The Iowa 80 TA Truckstop is part of the Iowa 80 Group that also owns Joplin Petro Truckstop, Joplin, Mo.; Oak Grove 70 Petro Truckstop, Oak Grove, Mo.; Kenly 95 TA Truckstop, Kenly, N.C.; Truckomats in North Little Rock, Ark.; Temple, Ga.; Effingham, Ill.; South Holland, Ill.; Indianapolis; Walcott, Iowa; Joplin, Mo.; Oak Grove, Mo; Kenly, N.C.; Hebron, Ohio; Oklahoma City; Laredo, Texas; Wytheville, Va.; IOWA80.COM; Iowa 80 Trucking Museum and CAT Scale Company.

Lyndon Finney of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at editor@thetrucker.com.