Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/687054
72 | Overdrive | June 2016 ReaRview B efore the proliferation of large truck stop chains came to grace interstate highways, one-off mom-and-pop establish- ments found on two-lane highways were the norm. In the 1960s, the peak of such operations, Overdrive offered an advertising outlet for those small businesses to make their locations, prod- ucts, services and amenities known to the nation's inde- pendent truckers. Small ads promoted the stops, some referred to as on-highway "terminals." Unlike the gleam and overall uniformity of today's efficient operations, the truck stops of yester- year offered a downhome, sometimes gritty feel, and often a distinctive character. As the 1960s ended, however, Overdrive's truck stop ads became larger and more colorful as the interstate system fostered larger operations with greater amenities. Eventu- ally many small truck stops closed or were absorbed by the big chains establishing a national reach. Highway retreats BY JAMES JAILLET THE DIFFERENCE A DECADE MAKES | The ad below for the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa, self-dubbed the World's Largest Truckstop, ran in the September 1965 issue. The photo above ran with an ad in the mid-1970s. DISCOUNT DITTIES | Bunks were a common amenity in the 1960s, offering a no-frills place to nap or stay overnight. Also, a sign of the times in the L+F ad: "We have one of the last 5¢ phonographs left in the U.S.!" LOUNGING AT THE TIKI OASIS | Themed truck stops, such as the Tiki Truck Stop, were common in the 1960s. To see more 1960s-era ads for independent truck stops of the period, visit OverdriveOnline.com/rearviewads