A day at Flying J

Chris McElhaney (right), general manager of Flying J's San Antonio location, notes that 85% to 90% of his facility's business is comprised of diesel fuel sales. His boss Marc Feole (left), Flying J's regional manager for south central Texas, looks on.

Flying J's Foster Road facility outside San Antonio offers parking for 250 to 260 trucks. "We are full every single night," McElhaney noted. "This is a 26-year old facility so we are constrained a bit by space. Could we use more parking? Of course we could."

Flying J's parent company, Pilot Flying J, has long claimed that it serves "the best coffee on the Interstate," which is a claim Fleet Owner put through its own taste test almost five years ago.

Flying J's Foster Road locale outside San Antonio offer six "shore power" stations for truckers to hook up to while parked; an amenity rolled out about a year ago, McElhaney said.

Flying J offers five reserved parking slots at its Foster Road facility right now. Paying for truck parking, though, is still not something many drivers favor.

Feole said Flying J "did it's homework" in terms of providing more fresh food selections. "Drivers like fresh fruit and hard boiled eggs because they can easily consume them while driving," he explained. "Salads are popular because you can eat them easily when parking in the truck. We’re continuing to introduce healthy food options as drivers are more health-conscious and there is more of a concern about driver weight and fitness."

Flying J's Foster Road facility still offers an Arcade game room. McElhaney said this room "gets busy" when truck drivers begin rolling in to park for the night; a process that begins between 4:30 pm and 5 pm every day.

Truck stops trying to provide a little bit of everything on its retail shelves; especially for truck-related needs such as engine oil, parts and the like. "It's about increasing the convenience for the driver and fleet," noted McElhaney. "They will do anything they can not to have to stop at three different places."

Consumer goods such as T-shirts, hats and sunglasses all sell very well at Flying J's Foster Road site, McElhaney added.