Turn your odometer back 30 years to 1972, and go for a run. At that time, large sections of the Interstate system were still under construction, and few businesses existed at the exits other than truckstops.

One of those was Truckstops of America. In 1972, TA was a group of six truckstops recently incorporated by industry visionary Phil Saunders. Earlier truckstops were often mom-and-pop outfits on state and federal roads. But it was clear that the vast new ribbons of Interstates would carry far more travelers and freight haulers who would need bigger, better facilities to keep them going.

Still, compared with today’s roadside oases, the truckstops of the early 1970s seem pretty basic. But they were a giant step forward in serving a growing army of truckers.

Three decades ago, you’d find business was slower-paced and there were far fewer conveniences. For instance, you’d find no automated fueling system. A young "lineman" would fuel your truck for you, but the paperwork was precisely that – paper – and took time to process and approve.

Inside, you’d find a small convenience store with limited merchandise, a small restaurant (no fast-food restaurants), and one big shower room divided into stalls for some limited privacy.

Few trucks had sleepers of any size. If you had to lay over, you might get a room in the truckstop motel or a bed in one of its sleeping rooms. You could unwind in the Drivers Lounge watching one of the TV’s three or four channels or play some pinball. (1972 saw the debut of HBO and the advent of “Pong,” the first commercial computer game.)

If your truck had a mechanical problem, the mechanic might help you work on it or at least loan you some tools. The shop did not do much beyond change oil or patch tires.

There were fewer women and minorities behind the wheel. Many drivers wore fleet uniforms, while cowboy hats, boots and broad belt buckles were practically a uniform for “independents.”

How times change

This year marks TA’s 30th anniversary. To mark this event, Road King asked veteran TA employees and some long-time drivers to reminisce about what truckstops were like three decades ago and to comment on what’s changed and what’s remained the same:

Our bread and butter

Mike Hinderliter, TA's senior vice president of sales, started in 1975 as a manager trainee in the tire shop at Brookville, Pa. Now, as part of TA's senior management, he helped direct the shift in the 1990s from Truckstops of America to TravelCenters of America.

This was more than a name change accompanying the consolidation of TA with National Auto/Truck Stops, (the old Unocal 76 chain), both of which were owned by a private equity investment firm. It involved costly renovations of older locations and building new ones that were brighter and more comfortable than anything the industry had seen before. TA stocked scores of new brand-name products prized by consumers, and added quick-service restaurants to complement its sit-down, full-service restaurants.

Most of the investment has been on the trucker side of the business, such as expanded shops with ASE-certified mechanics and round-the-clock service; new marble showers and restrooms; and automated systems to buy fuel and showers without waiting in lines.

As travel centers, TAs are designed to attract local and non-trucker customers. But the changes also benefit the professional drivers who make up the majority of customers.

"Our bread and butter was, is and, I believe, always will be professional drivers," Hinderliter says. "They will always constitute the lion’s share of our business, because these are the guys and gals who are out there on the road every day.

"I think an honest driver today would say that maybe it looks like the travel centers are being built to accommodate a different clientele. But all the goods and services inside are far better for the driver than they were 20 years ago. The offerings are far more substantial than they were 20 years ago. His quality of life on the road has been improved, as has the quality of what he’s purchasing."

TA also updated 76's customer loyalty program by creating the TA RoadKing Club™, which rewards frequent fueling customers with discounts and other perks.

"Our goal has been and will be to offer consistent, top-quality services and products, to make our locations convenient and pleasant for all our customers and to eliminate as much as possible lines and other hassles for our professional drivers."

Train, train, train

Lance Davis, general manager at the San Antonio TA, has worked at nine different TAs and watched the company grow from 17 locations to more than 155. He said the biggest change has been "in the training, the scope of work, the amount of business we do.

"Training has improved for our employees," Davis said. "We used to hire a mechanic, put them out there, a truck would come in and they’d do the work. Now there is much more training. And more training for employees helps serve customers better."

Commitment to service

Ray Roland started in the shop at Lamar, Pa., in 1973 and now is general manager.

"The customers have changed. We've gone from a primarily owner-operator-based business years ago to a lot of company trucks now. Years ago, customers did a lot of their own work on trucks. When I started, everything we sold in the shop was listed on one sheet of paper. At that time, we just offered very minor repairs. Shops were a convenience to fueling customers and not primary revenue sources as they are now."

"There have been a lot of changes, but one thing has not changed since we opened in June 1972. That is our customer service, our drive to meet customers needs. It's no different today than then – we drive just as hard now as 30 years ago to meet and satisfy their needs. It's more important now even than back then to give good customer service."

New kinds of customers

Allan Buhite, general manager at Lodi, Ohio, started as a lineman in high school. "The biggest change that I've seen is the number of women in trucks and the increase in drivers of different ethnic backgrounds. We have a very diverse customer base."

Now as then, truckers love gadgets. Buhite recalls early pocket calculators cost $70 or $80 but sold like crazy. Lodi is testing a wireless Internet service and Buhite believes it, too, will be wildly popular.

In pursuit of cleanliness

Barbara LeMasters, the Wheeling, W.Va., general manager has 40 years of truckstop experience including 24 with TA. "One thing that hasn’t changed: cleanliness. We must have clean restrooms and showers. Drivers like nice, hot showers. TA has always placed major emphasis on clean, well-stocked restrooms and showers. We make sure they have everything for a good experience."

Meeting new needs

"TA has always been able to change to meet the needs of the trucking companies," such as Pronto Pay, the expanding menu of shop services, tire programs, and nationwide warranty programs, says Thomas Moore, general manager at the Brookville, Pa., TA.

This extends to the appearance of TAs, he said. "TAs now are pleasing for everyone to pull into, not just drivers. After we renovated, people would come in and their eyes would open wide and they’d say, 'Wow.'

"We've gotten faster in our overall speed of service. Drivers are under a lot more stress now. They've got more time constraints put on them. We operate an efficient shop to keep these guys going. We also make sure we've got anything a driver would need here. A driver said to me the other day, 'If you can't find it at TA, then you don't need it'."

Let's eat!

Ivan Wagner, director of risk and insurance at TA, started at the Boron truck stop at Lamar, Pa., as a grill cook in 1972. After college, he hired on as an assistant restaurant manager in 1977 at the Brookville TA. He spent years as a manager at various TAs before moving to the corporate offices.

"We were the first to bring fast-food into the truckstop, with a Burger King in the early '80s, and to have a healthy focus by adding salad bars around 1977 at Brookville," he says. Buffets were another early innovation.

As TA grew, it standardized its food offerings to reduce costs and improve consistency. But the same menu from coast-to-coast quickly gets boring. So in the early 1980s, TA introduced its Country Pride concept and developed regional menus to provide greater variety to its customers.

In the '90s, TA developed its Fork in the Road restaurant concept, and, after acquiring TravelPorts of America, it kept the Buckhorn restaurant concept. It also added more quick-service restaurants to its locations.

Over the years, TA experimented with ways to serve drivers faster and more efficiently. The Ashland, Va., TA in the '70s installed a conveyor belt to deliver dishes to drivers. Trouble was, if a driver up the line saw something he wanted, it never made it to the hungry customer who had ordered it.

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

A woman couldn't always count on finding a shower or respect at a truckstop, recalls Pat Rauschnot, who speaks with long experience. She has spent 34 years as a motor coach driver, as a co-driver with her husband, Herb (1997's Truckload Carriers Association Independent Contractor), and as an owner-operator. She placed second this year in TCA's independent trucker competition.

Three decades ago, most showers were men-only. A woman often had to squeeze in a shower when the place was empty, with her husband or some other male on guard.

Respect was another issue. Women truckers had to prove they could handle the job as well as – if not better than – her male counterparts. "Even today, some men still treat you like you should be home and taking care of kids," Rauschnot says.

Truckstops, truckers and trucking have changed for the better – and the worse, she says. "In the old days, the truckers would sit and stop and talk around the tables in the restaurants. It's a lot more rush today, and people aren't as friendly.

"A lot of the old truckstops were little mom-and-pops. They didn't always have good showers, but the food was really good and cheap," she said. "Today, the big truckstops have clean showers, but the food is not the quality it was at the home-cooking places."

But older spots lacked many services truckers expect in modern roadside oases. "Some have beauty shops and barber shops. You can do your Christmas shopping in the stores. You've got fax machines and repair services and tire banks – all those are good."

Whatever you want

Tom Winters has hauled freight for 37 years. Today he's a safety director with First Fleet, with 6 million lifetime miles and two Highway Angel awards. He remembers a "truckstop" off the still-uncompleted I-80 that was just a big tent with construction heaters for warmth and vending machines for food and drink. He'll take today's truckstops anytime, thank you.

"The older truckstops would fuel your truck for you and some would even park it while you went in to eat and shower. The showers were one big room like the service, with no privacy at all. A lot of them had bunkrooms where you could get a bed, usually in a two-man room.

"When Pure Oil and the TAs opened, they had more merchandise drivers needed and were cleaner than a lot of smaller places. They had better food, usually a lounge where you could unwind, bigger parking lots that were better cared for and usually blacktopped. And they had private showers – the first I recall had a row of shower stalls, with wooden benches on the wall and pegs to hang clothes.

"I think truckstops have changed for the better. For one thing, they have got a lot of accommodations old ones didn't have, especially for drivers who spend weeks on the road. Movie rooms, barbershops, places to get your boots shined, fast-food places.

"They have the buffets and usually good food and plenty of parking, although it can be hard on weekends to find a parking space. Some are like mini-malls-- they've got just about anything you'd want."