Truck stops are an essential facility in our country because travelers need to hit the refresh button after spending many hours on the road. Some of the best truck stops are equipped with showers that do not cost a lot of money to use.
How much is a truck stop shower? To take a shower at a truck stop, you might need to pay between $12 to $15, and the shower often comes with a fresh, clean towel to dry yourself with afterward.
If you are considering building your own truck stop, a detailed breakdown by Profitable Venture highlights that you might need between $2,000,000 and $4,500,000. This amount will cover all the essential truck store components such as a convenience store with a fuel station, a weigh station, a restaurant, a mechanic station, a parking station, and marketing costs.
How Do You Shower at a Truck Stop?
You can shower at a truck stop by simply walking up to the front counter and then asking to pay for a shower. Once paid for, wait for your number to be called then you will be shown to your shower room.
When you walk up to the front counter and request a shower, you pay the stipulated amount. For most truck stops, the prices range from $12 to $15, and the exact price depends on individual truck stops.
Once you have made the payment, you will be handed a ticket. The contents of this ticket are usually your number and the code to your shower room, meaning you’ll need to keep this ticket safe.
At some truck stops, there is a screen that displays the number on each ticket to show whose shower is ready and when it is your turn, your number will appear on this screen. At some other truck stops, the attendant just announces your number and lets you know that your shower is ready.
You will be shown to your shower room when it is ready. To enter, you will have to input the code given to you after you made the payment. This can either be just a key card or a pin that you will input at the door, depending on the kind of security used at the truck stop.
The shower room contains the bathroom section and another section with a sink, toilet, and other amenities you will read about below.
In highly reputable truck stops visited often by a lot of truck drivers or just more people than usual, the wait for a shower might take a while, sometimes ranging from 30 minutes to an hour.
There is usually a small lounge available to hang out while you wait, games are also made available to truckers in some truck stops, and you can just walk around the store or just get a meal, whichever you prefer.
Initially, truck stop showers were created for truckers but the clientele for these truck stops has spread to other road users, including people who have had to drive long distances and need a shower to freshen up.
Do Truck Stop Showers Provide Towels?
Yes, truck stop showers provide towels. These towels are clean and readily available in each shower room just like in hotel rooms, but if you are uncomfortable with using these towels then you can just bring yours with you.
Multipurpose towels are best to use when using the shower, since their rugged durability and versatility of use. One such towel combination from the Sea to Summit Store. Offering a washcloth, towel, and 40 ml container of biodegradable soap. The washcloth and towel are composed of polyester and nylon microfiber, guaranteed to dry you no matter how wet you may get. All packaged in an easy to carry gray zipper bag. Click here for more information!
Apart from the fact that there are sometimes a lot of people waiting in line to use the showers at truck stops, another reason the wait takes a while is that a janitor or shower attendant cleans and sanitizes the room after every shower.
The process of maintenance consists of more than just cleaning up, and it includes replacing the towels and bathmats with fresh ones just for you.
In most truck stop showers, there are two sections, one contains the actual shower, and you will find these items in the other section:
- Toilet
- Sink
- Mirror
- Fan
- Hooks (for your clothes and towels)
- Stole
- Blow dryer (not always available)
- Mints (these are complementary and not always available)
You should have a bag of toiletries ready if you want to shower at a truck stop. Here is a list of things that should be in your toiletry bag:
- Toothbrush, Toothpaste, and Dental floss:
Brushing your teeth gives you a fresh feeling, especially when you have been driving quietly for a while. You should take your dental care products along since these are not available in truck stop showers.
- Soap, Shampoo, and Hair Conditioner:
While some truck stops showers have a bar of soap available to use in the shower and shampoo in pump dispensers, it is recommended you go with yours, especially if you have sensitive skin.
- Hairbrush:
It is quite easy to look disheveled when you do not run a brush through your hair after a shower, so having a hairbrush in your toiletry bag is important.
- Flip flops:
Flip flops are recommended to protect your feet from germs during a shower since you have no idea where the last person’s feet have been. If you do not have flips flops, you can purchase them at some truck stops.
- Scrubber and Extra rags:
If you are uncomfortable using the rags available at truck stops, then just take yours or you can have a scrubber in your toiletry bag if you prefer the feel of a scrubber over a rag.
- Contact case and solution:
This is important if you use contact lenses. It is ideal to place your lenses in their proper case instead of on just any surface.
- Clean clothes:
You will agree that putting your dirty clothes back on after a shower almost defeats the purpose of taking a shower in the first place. So, taking fresh clothes along can be extremely helpful.
You can also take razors, lotion, and deodorant with you if you want, even though they are not always necessary.
If you are having issues with finding all these items on your own, investing in a toiletry travel kit can solve this problem with ease. Have a look at this Toiletry Travel Convenience Kit, which includes everything from 2-in-1 shampoo to under-arm deodorant. This travel kit can even make it through TSA scrutiny and is perfect for when you have little to no options for getting yourself clean and presentable. Click here for more information!
There are some truck stops that are better than others in terms of the variety and quality of services that they offer travelers. Some of them are:
- Iowa 80; located in Walcott, Iowa.
- Jubitz Travel Center; located in Portland, Oregon.
- Dysart’s Restaurant and Truck Stop; located in Hermon, Maine
How Long Are Showers at Truck Stops?
Showers at truck stops usually have a limit ranging between 30 to 45 minutes. A lot of truck stops do not have a time limit, but you should try to stick with this range since other people might be waiting in line.
For a lot of truck stops, the priority is your comfort, so there is no limit on how long you are to spend in the shower. However, the truck stops that choose to place time limits usually stick to 30 to 45 minutes.
When you are showering at a truck stop with no time limit, it is easy to just relax and take your time while you are having a shower after a tedious drive. You should try not to exceed 45 minutes since taking too much time can affect the schedule of other drivers waiting for their turn.
Recently, a 36-year-old man in Iowa stayed in a truck stop shower for over 4 hours, which is way past the time limit. According to the news report, the police had to be called in leading to the man’s arrest.
Also, according to the CDC, the average shower should last about 8 minutes. So, if you are going to spend a lot longer than 8 minutes, it should be to groom yourself or empty your bowels.
You should note that waiting for a shower usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour. This wait time is because the shower rooms need to be cleaned and sanitized after each use to make them more comfortable for the next person to use.
How Much Do Truck Stop Showers Cost?
| How much is the usual cost for showering at a truck stop? | Usually, it’s around approximately 12 dollars. unless depending on if the company has a membership, it usually ranges from 8-15 USD. |
| Is it worth the cost? | Since they are made for on the road truckers, yes. Though sometimes it can be extremely hard to shower depending on where you are, it’s especially useful for days of non-stop driving. |
Can You Share a Shower at a Truck Stop?
Yes, you can share a shower at a truck stop, especially if you are sharing it with your travel friend who is someone you know and trust. In such a case, you can ask for an extra towel if you need one.
When you pay for a shower at the counter, you are given a ticket with the code to your shower room on it, without this code no one else can enter. So, you might need to share this code with your shower partner, so no one gets locked out.
Some truck stop showers provide stalls for showers instead of private rooms though. Also, if you are low on cash and you cannot afford a shower, a truck driver might let you share a shower with them if you ask nicely or they might let you use their shower credit.
Sharing a shower does not automatically mean you have to use the bathroom together, you can both take turns, while one person showers the other can brush their teeth or something else.
This solely depends on your relationship with your shower partner, of course. If you are with your spouse or partner and you want to shower together at the same time, you can do that.
How To Get Free Showers at Truck Stops?
A common way to get free showers at reputable truck stops is if you purchase a certain amount of diesel fuel, usually 50 gallons or more. We all enjoy freebies occasionally and getting free showers from time to time is no exclusion.
Buying 50 gallons of diesel fuel every time you want to get a free shower at a truck stop is a lot but, there are other alternatives like:
- Asking a driver if they have an extra shower credit that they can share with you. This can save you about $10 to $15, depending on the truck stop.
- Picking up truck stop reward cards at any major national truck stop chain. These reward cards allow you to accumulate points, and then you can redeem these accumulated points to get free services including a free shower.
There are time limits on shower credits, usually a week, so use up your shower credits before they expire.
You can earn free shower credits at truck stops like Love’s Travel Stops, Pilot Flying J’s, and TA-Petro’s.
Do You Tip at Truck Stop Showers?
Yes, you can tip at a truck stop shower. You can seek out a shower attendant and leave them a dollar as a tip, but you are not expected to. Most of those showers are very neat and leaving a tip seems like a pleasant way to appreciate the caretakers.
Quite often, you might leave a tip for the waiter or waitress after your meal at a restaurant because of their great service, The same way, you can tip the shower attendant when your shower room is very neat and when there is a clean, dry towel available for you.
Even if these attendants do not expect tips, nothing stops you from tipping them. Cleaning a shower immediately after somebody else uses it can be tasking. If a truck stop shower remains neat despite constant use, it shows that the shower attendants are doing an intensive job.
Reputable truck stops have showers that are like those you will find in hotels or inns. These truck stops are chain establishments, having several branches across the country. Unfortunately, some independent truck stops do not hold up to this hygiene standard.
If you require a shower and the truck stop shower closest to you is an independent, unknown stop, ask to see the shower before you pay for it, as most establishments will not provide you with a refund if you have a change of mind.
Based on a list made by Truckers News, here are some independent truck stops that maintain lofty standards, making them highly rated:
- Bert’s Travel Plaza, Wellsville, Kansas:
Reviews from local guides stated that they had clean showers, affordable laundry prices, great food, truck wash on-site, and a large parking area for trucks.
- Big Apple Travel Center Joplin, Missouri:
At this truck stop, there is no truck wash available. However, the restrooms and showers are clean, nice meals available, and the costs of gas and diesel are great.
- Boise Stage Stop, Boise, Idaho:
Here, they have nice, large showers, a great truckers’ stop, and a nice restaurant.
