Bert’s Travel Plaza in Wellsville, owned by Keim TS of Sabetha, captured national attention this month when it won the #1 Best Independent Truck Stop award from Trucker Path, a widely used mobile app for truck drivers.
“We didn’t know there was a competition going on. Our goal was to give travelers what they wanted, clean toilets, a choice of hot and good food, drinks, clean showers, laundry, etc. said Bud Keim. “But the key to success is service. We were lucky to find the right people to staff the store and then we retired. It was the staff, led by Kim Jackson of Wellsville, who made the award possible.
According to www.truckerpath.com,”Trucker Path uses in-app driver ratings, reviews, and feedback to determine the top 20 independent and chain truck stops. The top five lists are then created by voting on these locations by users of the Trucker Path app. Each Best Truck Stops installation receives a window sticker honoring the location.
“Driver ratings of truck stops reflect locations that offer the best parking, the best food and a range of other amenities,” said Chris Oliver, CMO at Trucker Path. “Driver recognition means these facilities are the right place to stop based on their features and customer service. This year’s winners are what drivers tell us are the best chain and independent truck stops from over 6,000 locations in the Trucker Path app.
Bert’s Travel Square
Bert’s Travel Plaza was built in 2019 and 2020 and opened May 1. Data shows that there are an average of 1,000 to 1,200 people a day who frequent the Wellsville facility, and there are 45 to 50 employees to help them.
“Our expansion strategy includes the KC area. The site Bert’s was built on was originally designed to be a main terminal for Keim TS. But in addition, there was enough room at the west end of the site, a few meters from I35, exit 198, to build a travel store with enough parking for more than 100 trucks. So we decided to develop the site to achieve both of these goals,” Keim said.
Regarding any future changes, Bud explained that there are many lots at the Wellsville site that have not been developed and ideas are being considered for future logistics growth.
According to Keim, many services are offered at the Wellsville facility, including four showers, a drivers’ lounge, laundry machines and 24-hour cleaning service inside the store. Outside the store are six truck refueling islands and 12 car and RV refueling islands. There’s also a scale and laundry bay on-site as well as “very kind and responsive staff.”
The main gasoline brand currently at Bert’s Travel Plaza is Shell. The foods they offer are Champs Chicken, BluTaco, and Hunt Brothers Pizza, along with many other packaged goods.
They hope to continue to have happy customers and keep the high ratings on the Trucker Path app.
“Kim and her team are top notch. Every day she continues to learn about this industry and always tries the “new things” in this industry. Most of those insights come to him from other drivers and what they see on the road,” Keim said.
Fairview Travel Square
Construction on the Travel Plaza in Fairview began on March 14 and they plan to open before the end of this year.
Compared to the Wellsville site, Fairview will be smaller with less traffic than on a freeway near Kansas City, however, they will be able to accommodate many people daily and they aim to receive comparable reviews.
“The Fairview store and square footage is smaller than Wellsville, but we will still offer the same travel services with a few new additions,” Keim said. “The goal is to offer as many services as our space allows.”
A traffic study was conducted by a national brand restaurant at the Fairview site and there are 8,500 total vehicles using the Interstate 75 and 36 junction daily.
“Our goal is to stop them,” Keim said.
At Keim’s Long Haul Truck Wash there are already showers, bathrooms, a laundry room and a lounge. The new facility will have cleaner restrooms, gas/fuel and food options.
“This location will also have a corner on the convenience store and we are negotiating with a branded ‘quick-service restaurant’ to fill this space,” Keim said. “[The brand] is still not conclusive. I can tell you that we are in discussion with major brands. After winning the Best Truck Stop award, our phones rang in congratulations and prompted us for what we were doing in Fairview. »
The facility will likely employ 12 to 15 people, and the Keims plan to provide 24-hour service, depending on nighttime activity.
About Trucker Path
Trucker Path, the North American trucking industry’s most comprehensive and widely used mobile app for truckers, is used by over 1 million drivers. The online platform’s unparalleled capabilities provide access to vital, up-to-date information on truck stops, real-time parking availability, fuel prices, weigh station status, bridges- scales, washing places and much more. State-of-the-art technology, designed to mitigate inefficiencies in the transportation industry, provides navigation assistance with a truck-optimized route, and its TruckLoads freight matchboard connects drivers, carriers, and brokers .
