Simmon's Truck Stop

[2xR]

I stopped this past Sunday at the old Simmon's Truck Stop in Bracey, VA on I-85 @ exit #4. A long time ago it was a Union 76 and the big orange ball would shine like a beacon as you crossed the lake heading north out of NC. It has been "the" truck stop in that area since the early days of my career (it's really old).

I went there to eat Sunday lunch. I was starving. I parked and be-bopped on inside, turn the corner towards the restaurant, and, BAM!!! I ran into a locked door. Then I noticed the signs. The restaurant has closed, permanently, it appears. The sign thanked their loyal customers for all the years of business, and, it thanked their employees for their years of loyal service. I guess they waited until the last minute to tell them, too.

I, for one, am gonna' miss dining there. I suppose, next they'll shut the whole truck stop down.

 

[Mike]

Truck Stops have been going downhill ever since those old 76 signs went away. The good ole days when you could just pull up to the fuel island, give the "thumbs up", and the guys/gals out on the fuel island commenced to filling up your tanks, cleaning your windshield, and checking all your fluids.

Remember those days? Back when trucks didn't get abandoned on the fuel island while the driver was eating dinner and taking a shower......

 

[SuperGreen]

You would think for $600+ purchases they'd have figured out a way to keep that going.

 

[FlatBroke]

You would think for $600+ purchases they'd have figured out a way to keep that going.

Yea, but they are not making that much off of that $600.00 as they were off that $150.00 too $275.00 purchases years ago.

There is a truck stop on 40 in Texas that does this, or at least they used too. I was only through there a couple of times a few years ago.

But, since I am no longer allowed to fuel at maw and paws and ONLY at Pilots...I don't even look anymore.

 

[Mike]

Commercial fuel stops starved out the customer service that used to exist in real truck stops. Not only that, the oil companies did the same thing. There was a time that truck stops owned by oil companies would set up shop really close to a competitor that sold the same brand of fuel, and the one owned the oil company would simply starve them out.

In order to stay in existence, those good truck stops had to cut their fuel prices down to the point that they were no longer able to offer these services, and in cases of being in competition with an oil company owned fuel stop, they would have to actually take a loss at the pumps in order to get the truckers business.

They managed to survive for a while, but ultimately, most have went out of business, and if any are still out there providing full service, they are extremely few and far between.