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NATSO Publishes Safety Guide for Truck Stops and Travel Centers
The foundation’s new publication covers employee training, theft prevention and roadside repairs, bringing several parts of travel center operations into one resource.
The NATSO Foundation has released a safety guide that brings together the risks travel center employees encounter at the register, on the fuel island and beside vehicles awaiting roadside repairs. The resource addresses a business in which retail sales, heavy truck traffic and maintenance work can share the same property.
Announced July 20, the Truck Stop and Travel Center Safety Guidance Toolkit covers employee training, cash handling, theft prevention, parking security and fueling, along with building maintenance and roadside service. According to the foundation, contributors include Pilot Company, Suncor, Parker’s Kitchen and Mitten Inc. NATSO Foundation’s announcement
The guidance discusses protective equipment, preventing injuries from overexertion and handling confrontations. It also addresses surveillance, pump fraud and the layout of parking areas. Those subjects span the responsibilities of cashiers, property managers and roadside technicians.
The foundation’s earlier reporting shows how specific those procedures can be. In a September 2025 article, Darren Goetz, a Mitten executive, described counting and changing cash drawers only when at least three employees were present at the counter. Suncor described moving cash into a safe once a preset threshold was reached. Both examples concern the exposure of employees as well as the money being handled. NATSO’s cash handling coverage
Travel centers with underground fuel tanks also have environmental duties governed by their applicable tank programs. EPA publishes a separate operation and maintenance manual, with equipment-specific procedures and recordkeeping forms for owners and operators. The requirements apply to the fuel storage system and need their own assigned personnel and maintenance records.
The 21-page toolkit is available through NATSO for $250. NATSO credits sponsors of the foundation’s 2026 fundraiser with supporting its publication.