The Best Pit Stops for American Truckers

Long-haul truck drivers spend days or weeks on the road, and they know exactly what makes a stop worth it. To uncover the best places to pull over, Lance Surety Bonds surveyed 176 U.S.-based truckers about their favorite brands and top priorities when choosing a gas station or truck stop. From cleanliness and safety to food and parking, their insights spotlight the stops that help drivers rest, refuel, and get back on the road faster. They also reveal why certain stops should be avoided.

Key Takeaways

• Truck drivers rank Love's Travel Stops as the No. 1 truck stop in the U.S.
• Texas is the best state for truck stops, followed by California, Georgia, and Arizona.
• Dallas is the best city for truck stops, followed by New York City and Los Angeles.
• When deciding where to stop, cleanliness (63%) is more important to truckers than food quality (38%), fuel prices (36%), or overnight parking availability (21%).
• 59% of truckers say dirty or broken bathrooms are a dealbreaker when choosing not to stop somewhere, more than unsafe surroundings (51%) or high fuel prices (35%).
• Truck drivers reported going 3 days on average without showering while on the road.

Truck Drivers Rank the Best Places for a Pit Stop

Across thousands of miles of open highway, truckers have strong opinions about where they prefer to stop and where they don't. Some locations go above and beyond to make the experience cleaner, friendlier, and more reliable for professional drivers.

Love's Travel Stops came out on top as the No. 1 truck stop or gas station chain among drivers, beating out Pilot Flying J (No. 2) and Wawa (No. 3). Truckers praised Love's for delivering consistent quality across multiple categories.

Truckers ranked Texas as the best state for truck stops overall, thanks to high-performing stops and amenities throughout the state. California followed in second place, with Georgia and Arizona tied for third. At the city level, Dallas, Texas, took the top spot, followed by New York City and Los Angeles.

More than half of drivers (51%) said they sometimes go out of their way for a specific stop, while 27% said they often or always detour to visit a favorite location.

Truckers' Top Stops for Food, Fuel, and More

The best truck stops aren't just located conveniently along a route. They also stand out in categories that matter most to drivers on the go.

Love's Travel Stops led overall, but it also ranked No. 1 in 9 out of 11 truck-stop categories. Truckers rated it highest for clean bathrooms, safety, food, parking, fuel prices, showers, friendly service, Wi-Fi, and even music.

Though not as widespread nationally, Wawa and Sheetz stood out in select categories. Both landed in the top 3 for food. Wawa also earned high marks for cleanliness, safety, and customer service. These are qualities that matter just as much as fuel prices on long hauls.

What Matters Most to Truckers When Choosing Where to Stop

When it comes to pulling over, drivers rely on more than habit. They have a clear list of needs.

Cleanliness topped the list, with 63% of truck drivers citing it as the most important factor when deciding where to stop for a break. It ranked higher than food quality (38%), fuel prices (36%), or the availability of overnight parking (21%).

Drivers also base their choices on familiarity. Nearly half (49%) choose stops they already know, while 45% prioritize stops close to their route. Word of mouth and online reviews tied next, at 38% each. Women were 12% more likely than men to choose stops based on proximity to their route, while men were 32% more likely to rely on advice from other drivers.

Many truckers are also interested in mobile tools that make finding a stop easier. The app feature they most wanted was real-time parking availability (36%), followed by live fuel pricing (31%) and mobile ordering for food or showers (30%). Only 1 in 10 drivers said they prefer in-person service over mobile options.

Why Truckers Avoid Certain Stops

Long-haul truckers know that not all pit stops are created equal. They shared the issues that would make them avoid a stop entirely.

The top dealbreaker when considering a truck stop was dirty or broken bathrooms, as 59% of drivers said that would make them turn around and leave. Unsafe surroundings (51%) and high fuel prices (35%) were the next most common reasons to skip a stop.

Men were significantly more likely than women to be put off by rude staff (32% vs. 18%) or high fuel prices (39% vs. 29%). Women, on the other hand, were more sensitive than men to poor lighting (34% vs. 23%) and a lack of food options (26% vs. 16%).

Conditions on the road can take a toll. Truckers said they go an average of 3 days without showering. Nearly half (48%) admitted to experiencing "rest stop rage," or frustration from poor conditions and overcrowding. That number jumped to 53% among women, while just 45% of men said the same.

Clean, Safe, and Worth the Detour

For truckers spending long hours behind the wheel, the right pit stop can make a real difference in comfort, safety, and morale. This survey shows that clean bathrooms, reliable amenities, and a sense of safety matter far more than the lowest fuel price. Brands like Love's stand out by consistently meeting those basic needs, while poorly maintained stops quickly lose drivers' trust. In the end, the best truck stops are the ones that respect drivers' time, health, and hard work.

Methodology

We surveyed 176 U.S.-based truck drivers to understand what matters most when choosing where to stop, what makes a stop worth detouring for, which gas station and truck stop chains they prefer, and which ones they avoid. The survey explored driver priorities around safety, cleanliness, pricing, food, showers, and mobile features, as well as the emotional and practical dealbreakers that shape their on-the-road decisions.

The gender breakdown of respondents was 64% men, 35% women, and 1% nonbinary. Nonbinary respondents were excluded from gender-specific comparisons due to low sample size. The average age of participants was 38. The data was collected in November 2025.

About Lance Surety Bonds

Lance Surety Bonds is a trusted provider of surety bonds for freight brokers, motor carriers, and logistics professionals across the country. We help transportation businesses meet federal and state bonding requirements with fast approvals and competitive rates. Whether you're applying for a freight broker bond or need help staying compliant, our team makes the bonding process simple and stress-free.

Fair Use Statement

The information in this article may be shared for noncommercial purposes only. If you use or reference this content, please include a link back to Lance Surety Bonds with proper attribution.