This sign is one used by a good UK truck Stop as you can see it offers a range of facilities, but not all truck Stops have their own or any all night parking.
A Truck Stop can be just simply that, a place for a Truck to stop, in northern Australia I have personally observed that a Truck Stop (sometimes written Truckstop) is simply a space made on road sides for a Truck to Stop,, stop however to British Truckers (or Lorry drivers) it means to many an overnight stop with facilities, however this in fact may NOT have a Transport Cafe or rest building as a part of its facilities. It’s also true to say that a Transport cafe may not be an overnight stopping place or park. Truck Stop does slide off the tongue easier than Transport Cafe, but, The term, "Transport Cafe" is as equally used as Truck Stop where it applies. To conclude this observation on the Term Truck Stop it is accurate to say that it may mean different things to different people, however the English Language,, per se,, would have it meaning simply and accurately a place for a truck to stop, nothing more and nothing less.
Summing up further a Transport Cafe is definitely somewhere to eat, whereas a Truck Stop may also well be, and perhaps even should be, but may not be,,,,,,,, sorry to run on with an appreciation of that explanation, but the English Language and the correct meaning of these words should not be forgotten.
The use of the word Truck in respect of the vehicle it represents is not by any means 100% used by the population in the UK to describe this vehicle,,, many use Lorry,, with regard to an overnight parking place the term Lorry Park is often used and can be considered to be the predominant term rather than Truck stop, simply because the term truck stop may not be a place where a truck can stop to park for the night, or any longer period in the case of commercial operators who offer the service. Many or some drivers will regard the term Truck Stop to mean food and overnight parking, but there are instances where an operator using the word Truck Stop offers food, and parking whilst you eat only, so such an appreciation is not written in stone.
In the UK the oil company BP, had a number of, (now in 2004/2006 five of them (four in 2007) are owned by a consortium) what they call, "Truck Stops" scattered about the UK, these have most facilities for Drivers often for 24 hours a day, apart from a small period of cafe only closing which can be at Saturday noon, until Sunday noon or early morning.
Most Truck Stops or Transport Cafes are independents offering in some cases an even broader service.
Facilities are
Transport Cafe
Secure parking
Motel type accommodation
Drivers Washing facilities
TV room
Games Machines
Pool tables
Washing Machines (laundry)
Shop for various goods
Also some large stops have other entertainment.
(The following paragraph was written in 2001/2). As technology moves on Transport cafes or Truck Stops could have plug in facilities for a telephone line, Satellite TV, and every other need. In America I understand the first such facility is available and perhaps others have followed already. The Lorry or Truck driver with his or her laptop plugs in and surfs the web whilst at rest from the comfort of their air-conditioned cab. The price of lap tops in the Uk is still high for many truck or lorry drivers, and me, but as this price drops then in the UK we will see a demand for this facility at truck stops.
UPDATE April 2006. Technology has moved on at a fast pace and surfing from the cab is easily within the grasp of drivers. The method of communication has not been landline plug in, it had become Wi Fi by Hot Spots but no transport cafe in the UK has supplied this service even though it is cheap to provide. I have lobbied some but to no avail. There is another method of communication for your lap top computer in the cab, well two in fact that are possibly better than Hot Spots,, these are via a plug in cell card that connect to mobile phone provider networks, they offer a service which charges by the amount of data not the connection time. This varies depending on provider from 50MB to 250MB for the same price, and is currently about £20. This has the advantage for lorry drivers in the UK, in that they can actually use it almost anywhere, where as hot spot services are none existent in overnight lorry parks as I write.
The same Laptop can also receive analogue & digital TV with an external antenna or Arial, as is the UK term proper. A home intended tabletop antenna is very suitable but the driver would need to park with his/her cab facing (or right angles) the rough direction of the transmitting antenna on most occasions. The antenna can be placed in the window area, a yagi antenna is 100% the best, fancy disk shaped enclosed antennas can work in good signal areas but a yagi (looks like a herring bone) is better and much cheaper and needs no preamplifier. All these antennas are broadband (cover all frequencies) reception types, in other words they are not the best for any given transmitting antenna, they are a compromise and able to collect a reasonable signal from any transmitter. To elaborate further a tabletop antenna could be made (might even be) to be the best for any one of the three different area frequency ranges in the UK but it would be economically impractical in my opinion. A driver could if really keen and in a poor reception area suction cup the antenna to the cab roof, place a plastic bag over it sealing the bottom with tight tape to prevent the rain entering the cable or antenna,,, it may seem a little odd but this is 100% technically good whilst stationary of course on those cold winter nights. Remember to put a drip loop in the coax cable to prevent rainwater entering the inside of the vehicle if you do this. If you are amongst buildings or trees rotate the antenna in all horizontal and vertical & in-between angles to find the best signal.
In 2007 we have Wi FI connection facilities (mainly indoors hotels pubs) all over the UK called HOT SPOTS,, this when offered externally means a vehicle can park and then connect by radio link to a local node/router and surf the web, get mail etc, also mobile phones allow your computer laptop to link to them and via their cell net connect to the web. In addition to this a cell card can be plugged into your laptop and again connect to the internet via the cell phone network, each have their advantages currently.
I am only aware of one Transport Cafe/Truck Stop in the Uk which offers such a service which is sad as installation is cheap as chips, as the saying goes,,
Wherever you are reading this page from, down in OZ or NZ land, Canada, and the USA, drive with care and always remember, some one loves you and needs you to be alive tomorrow.
UK Truck Stop Transport Cafe Lorry Park lists whatever you wish to call them!