Best truck stops in America: the biggest by published parking, and what makes one worth the detour

Every driver has a favorite stop, and a few stops are famous across the whole country. Some are known for sheer size, some for the food, and some because there is always a space at 22:00. This guide looks at the biggest truck stops in America by a measure you can check, the truck parking each one publishes, and at what makes a stop the best one for your night.

We set one rule for this page: no invented rankings. Every number comes from the stop's or the company's own page, with the date we checked it, and the measure for "biggest" is stated plainly.

How we measured "biggest" and "best"

• Biggest means the number of truck parking spaces a stop publishes on its own site. Parking is the measure drivers care about most, and it is a number a stop can state and a driver can check.
• Best depends on what you need, so we list the criteria instead of scoring stops: truck parking, showers, food, a certified scale, truck service and easy access from the interstate.
• Sources: each stop's or chain's own pages, read in October 2026. We did not visit or test any stop, and we use no ratings, reviews or third-party lists.
• Gaps: many large stops do not publish their truck parking count. Those are listed after the ones that do, marked "not published."

The biggest truck stops we could verify

The table sorts notable truck stops by the truck parking spaces each one publishes. Use the chips to show only stops with the services you need.

The stops, one by one

Iowa 80 Truckstop, Walcott, Iowa

The Iowa 80 Truckstop sits at I-80 exit 284 near the Mississippi River and has been open since 1964. It calls itself the World's Largest Truckstop and lists 900 truck parking spaces, 24 private showers on its third floor, a CAT scale, a Truckomat truck wash and a truck service center. Beyond the basics it lists a trucking museum, a dentist, a chiropractor, a barber shop, a movie theater, a workout room, a pet wash and a laundry center. It also hosts the Walcott Truckers Jamboree. For a driver crossing Iowa on I-80, it is a stop many plan the day around.

Jubitz Travel Center, Portland, Oregon

Jubitz is off I-5 at exit 307 in north Portland. It says it grew from two fuel lanes into a 26-acre truck stop over more than 70 years, and lists 300 well-lit truck parking spaces, including reserved parking and spaces for bobtails. The site also lists a lounge and grill, an inn and a cinema, and fleet services. For drivers on the West Coast, it is one of the few stops with that much parking in a major metro area. If you run I-5, it is worth knowing before you reach Portland at rush hour.

Joplin 44 Petro, Joplin, Missouri

Joplin 44 is run by the same group as Iowa 80. It lists 8 quick serve restaurant choices including a Black Bear Diner, 18 private showers, a certified CAT scale, a laundry center and a large gift store, with a space-themed building and two full-size semi trucks on display inside. It does not publish a truck parking count on its homepage.

Kenly 95 Petro, Kenly, North Carolina

Kenly 95 is on I-95, the corridor FHWA's national survey named first for truck parking shortages. It lists 7 quick serve choices plus an Iron Skillet restaurant, 11 private showers, a certified CAT scale and a laundry center, with a 65 ft lighthouse modeled on the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse out front. It does not publish a truck parking count on its homepage.

POSTED: FHWA, Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey (2015), Executive Summary · checked Oct 2026

Chain stores with published counts

The big chains publish parking per store, which lets you compare. As examples from their own store pages: Love's in Tacoma, Washington lists 160 truck spaces and 8 showers; TA Mobile in Grand Bay, Alabama lists 89 overnight spaces, a CAT scale, laundry and a 5-bay shop; and Pilot in Willard, Utah lists 52 public and 13 prime spaces with 4 showers. Most chain stores are smaller than the independents above, but there are far more of them. Our list of truck stop chains covers each chain's size and rewards.

Why there is no honest "top 10 biggest" list

Lists of the ten biggest truck stops are popular, but most of them cannot show their numbers. Many large stops do not publish their truck parking count, and no public agency ranks individual stops. FHWA's national survey counted truck parking by state, not by stop, and found that most private truck stops have fewer than 100 spaces. That makes a 900-space stop truly unusual, and it makes any ranked top 10 without published counts a guess.

POSTED: FHWA, Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey (2015), Executive Summary · checked Oct 2026

We will add stops to the table when they publish a parking count we can check.

What makes a truck stop the best one for you

Size is one measure. For a single night, these matter more:

• Parking you can get. A big lot near a city can still be full by early evening. A smaller stop an hour earlier on your route may be the better choice.
• Showers with a short wait. Shower counts on the store page tell you how long the line might be.
• Food you would pick. A real restaurant beats a hot case after a long week.
• A certified scale. For checking your weight after loading, before the state scale does it for you.
• Truck service. A shop that can fix a tire or a light at night can save a load.
• Access. Easy on and off the interstate, on your side of the road, with room to turn a 53 ft trailer.
• Safety. Lighting, cameras and a lot that feels watched.

The truck stop guide covers each of these in more depth.

Tips for a night at a very big truck stop

A 900-space lot works differently from a 60-space one. A few habits help:

• Note where you parked. Write down the row or take a photo of the nearest sign. At night, every row of trucks looks the same.
• Plan the walk. The far end of a big lot can be a long walk from the building. Carry a light and wear something bright.
• Fuel at off-peak times. Big stops draw big crowds at the fuel islands in the morning. Fueling the night before can save a wait.
• Get your shower number early. More showers also means more drivers wanting them.
• Check for events. Big stops host shows and driver events that fill the lot. If a big event is on, plan a backup stop or arrive early.
• Use the services you planned for. A stop with a dentist, a barber and a scale is a chance to handle errands that are hard to fit in at home.

How to find the best stops on your route

The best stop is the one you can reach legally, with time to spare. Use a truck GPS to set the route for your truck's size and weight; our guide to the best trucker GPS covers what to look for. Then use a multi-brand app to see the stops along the way; truck stop apps compares them. The trip planner lays out a run day by day, so you can see which famous stop lands near the end of your clock and which one is best for lunch.

A 26 ft box truck fits into far more stops than a tractor-trailer, but should still park in truck spaces at a truck stop. Big independents like these usually have room for both.

Great stops and your dispatcher

A stop worth the detour is only worth it if your day ends there. A good dispatcher can plan delivery times and reloads so that a run across Iowa ends in Walcott, or a night on I-95 ends somewhere with showers and food instead of a dark ramp. At HaulStop we keep a list of the stops you like and plan around them, and every load waits for your yes. The OTR dispatch page shows how a long run is planned, and the HaulStop home page covers the rest.

The short version

By published truck parking, the biggest truck stop in America is the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa, with 900 spaces, followed by Jubitz in Portland, Oregon, with 300. Joplin 44 and Kenly 95 are known for their size and services but do not publish parking counts. No honest top 10 exists without published numbers. The best stop for you is the one with the parking, showers, food and service you need, inside your hours. More guides are on the road guides page.

Sources

• Iowa 80 Truckstop: homepage, FAQs, Fleet Services and Experience pages (checked October 2026)
• Jubitz: homepage (checked October 2026)
• Joplin 44 Truckstop and Kenly 95: homepages (checked October 2026)
• Love's store page, Tacoma WA; TA store page, TA Mobile; Pilot Flying J store page, Willard UT (checked October 2026)
• FHWA, Jason's Law Truck Parking Survey (2015), Executive Summary (checked October 2026)