For nearly 35 years, Mike Swanson and his family have been helping truckers get what they need to get back on the road and finish their job.

As general manager of the Grand Island West TA at Alda, Neb., Swanson has a front row seat to the changing nature of the trucking business. His family opened this location in 1969; Swanson took over as GM 12 years ago.

"When my parents first opened, the longest truck was 45 feet," Swanson says. "Now the trailers alone are longer than that."

There's also a greater diversity in the truckers who stop by to fuel up, rest up or fill up.

"We have the world travel by our place," Swanson says. "I really enjoy the variety of people we get to meet."

As much as change is a constant, some things about the Grand Island West TA haven't changed. The Country Pride restaurant is known far and wide for the strawberry shortcake it serves year-round, as well as its mouthwatering homemade cakes and ice cream.

The location is also known as a good place for drivers to take a break and get some rest, because they're in a rural area about 100 miles west of Lincoln, says Swanson.

Besides a fully stocked travel store, the Grand Island West TA also provides truckers with a drivers' lounge and a laundry room, as well as showers, weigh scales and permit services.

"We try to service the drivers as quickly as possible, so that they can get moving," Swanson says. "Our job is to keep them going so that they can get back on the road and do their jobs."

The Basics

• Grand Island West TA
  
• Where: I-80, Exit 305, Alda, Neb.
• Phone: (308) 382-5902
  
• Fax: (308) 382-5709
  
• Parking: 125
  
• Showers: 7
  
• Gasoline brand: Conoco
  
• Service bays: 2
  
• Restaurant: Country Pride