Every day, millions of Americans pull off the interstate to grab a coffee, fill their tank with gas and drive away without a second thought. Building a place they trust enough to do that so seamlessly is the entire game. And almost no one is talking about it.
My business partner, Val Amiel, and I co-founded LV Petroleum, starting with zero employees. Today, we operate over 80 travel centers, 180 quick-service restaurants and 30 convenience stores across the United States, supported by a workforce of more than 5,000 people.
In 2024 alone, we grew revenue by 75%, expanded our truck stop locations by 133% and grew our workforce by 536%.
None of this happened in a glamorous industry. In fact, I’d argue it’s usually one that nobody pays much attention to.
The Industry Nobody Talks About
The travel center sector doesn’t get the kind of breathless press coverage that goes to AI companies or direct-to-consumer brands. There are no splashy product launches. No viral moments.
What there is, however, is an enormous customer base that almost no one else is building for properly. When we discovered that 83% of those behind the wheel on the road are professional drivers, we set out to capture that market by becoming a reliable presence for it.
Professional drivers are not a niche. They are the backbone of American logistics. They move consumer goods, food, medicine and raw materials across 3.8 million miles of U.S. roads. And for decades, the infrastructure built to serve them ranged from barely functional to badly neglected.
Val and I saw these gaps and built a business around closing them.
Building for the Driver
When I entered the fuel business, the insight I discovered that changed everything was that professional drivers were the most underserved customers in retail, and nobody was treating them like it.
Long-haul truckers don’t just need diesel. They need a safe place to park overnight, a hot meal that isn’t vending-machine food, a clean shower after 600 miles, laundry, a lounge where they can sit without being rushed and, above all, trust that wherever they stop, the experience will be consistent, safe and worth their valuable time.
That trust doesn’t happen naturally. We built it deliberately, establishing high standards around cleanliness, well-maintained facilities and a staffing model designed to keep locations running 24 hours a day. Each of our TravelCenters of America locations functions like a full-service hub: diesel lanes, truck parking, sometimes for as many as 145 rigs, sit-down restaurant options, private showers, laundry facilities, drivers’ lounges and CAT scales. In an industry where a bad experience when taking a break from the road can cost a driver hours and peace of mind, reliability is the product.
The Road Ahead
We are currently working on the LV Performance Center, an in-house training program to standardize operations and develop the next generation of site leaders. By investing in our employees through training cohorts on truck services, we can trust that employees across the nation will be able to provide the same consistent service that LV Petroleum promises.
My advice to anyone trying to get here: Find the gap – the thing people are driving by without a second look – and build something worth stopping for.
Guy Madmon is the co-founder of LV Petroleum, a leading nationwide network of travel centers, gas stations, and quick-service restaurants based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has built businesses by acquiring and improving underperforming assets, with a leadership style rooted in hands-on operations and community engagement.
