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dizposition

Sell your truck stop

Travel centers and truck plazas, with aging tanks and a zoning file nobody could reproduce today. Leased or owner-operated.

Truck Stop at a glance

Typical deal size
$3M – $25M
Lease structure
Absolute NNN, or owner-operated
Typical term
15–20 years
Escalations
5–10% every 5 years
Pilot Flying JLove'sTA and PetroBuc-ee'sQuikTripIndependent operators

Overview

What truck stops are really worth

Our read

A truck stop is one of the few commercial properties that genuinely cannot be replaced. Municipalities across the country stopped approving them — the overnight parking, the noise, the traffic, and the fuel volume make them politically impossible in most jurisdictions — and a large share of operating plazas exist as legal non-conforming uses that could not be entitled today at any price.

That scarcity has become more valuable as federal hours-of-service rules collide with a national shortage of legal truck parking. Drivers must stop; there are not enough places to do it. Parking count has quietly become a more durable value driver than diesel volume.

What complicates the asset is what is under it. Large-volume diesel systems, decades of truck washing and waste oil, and tank infrastructure with defined useful lives make environmental exposure a permanent feature rather than an occasional problem. Owners tend to treat that file as something to keep quiet. It is more useful as something to lead with, because the buyers who can price it are the only ones who will not walk.

Valuation

How we underwrite it

The method

We underwrite the site's position first — which exit, which direction of travel, and whether a 53-foot rig can enter, fuel, park, and leave without a difficult maneuver. Access geometry constrains volume permanently and cannot be fixed with capital.

Parking count is weighted heavily and separately from fuel. It is the scarcest thing the sector sells and the most defensible against a newer competitor.

The tank system gets its own underwriting: age, wall construction, leak-detection history, remaining life, and state trust fund eligibility. Environmental exposure is priced rather than avoided, and a site with testing and an active plan is easier for us to value than one with no history at all.

The zoning file is read as part of the asset. A legal non-conforming truck stop is valuable precisely because it cannot be reproduced, and confirming that status is worth more than another year of fuel volume.

What moves the number

  1. 01Interstate access quality — which exit, which direction, and whether trucks can get in and out without a difficult turn
  2. 02Truck parking count, which is the scarcest commodity in the sector and increasingly the primary draw
  3. 03Diesel volume and inside sales, since fuel margin is thin and the store carries the profit
  4. 04Tank system age, wall construction, and whether the site qualifies for state trust fund coverage
  5. 05Ancillary revenue — showers, scales, restaurant pads, and truck service bays
  6. 06Zoning permanence, since many jurisdictions will not approve a new truck stop at any price

Capital markets today

10-yr Treasury
5.24%
4.12% a year ago
SOFR
3.87%
4.2% a year ago
30-yr mortgage
7.28%
6.3% a year ago
CRE loan delinquency
1.53%
1.57% a year ago
CRE prices, YoY
6.58%
-2.7% a year ago

Sources: FRED DGS10, 2026-10-01 · FRED SOFR, 2026-10-01 · FRED MORTGAGE30US, 2026-10-01 · FRED DRCRELEXFACBS, 2026-04-01 · FRED COMREPUSQ159N, 2026-01-01

Diligence

What a buyer actually looks at in a truck stop

  1. Check 01

    Underground storage tank records and trust fund eligibility

    Truck stops carry large-volume diesel systems. Tank age, construction, and leak history define the environmental tail, and state trust fund coverage can be the difference between a manageable liability and an unmanageable one.

  2. Check 02

    Truck parking count and circulation study

    Parking is the scarcest commodity in the sector. How many trucks can actually stage overnight, and whether a 53-foot rig can circulate without backing, drives both volume and value.

  3. Check 03

    Diesel volume and inside sales history

    Fuel margin is thin; the store, showers, and service bays carry the profit. Volume alone does not tell you whether the site makes money.

  4. Check 04

    Phase I and Phase II environmental

    Decades of diesel handling, truck washing, and waste oil make environmental review non-optional and frequently productive.

  5. Check 05

    Zoning status and non-conforming risk

    Most jurisdictions will not entitle a new truck stop. A site operating as legal non-conforming cannot be replaced if the use lapses, which makes the zoning file part of the asset.

  6. Check 06

    Septic, water, and wastewater capacity

    Showers, restaurants, and truck washing generate volumes that rural systems were not always designed for, and capacity limits cap expansion.

Backfill risk

What happens if the tenant leaves

The tenant-goes-dark scenario

A truck stop is among the hardest commercial properties to replace and among the harder ones to repurpose, which cuts strongly in the owner's favor on the first count and against on the second.

Replacement is close to impossible in most jurisdictions. Municipalities do not approve new truck plazas — the traffic, the noise, the overnight parking, and the fuel volume make them politically difficult almost everywhere. A great many operating truck stops exist as legal non-conforming uses that could never be entitled today. That scarcity is genuine and it is the core of the value.

Repurposing, by contrast, is difficult. The site is built around fuel islands, canopies, and acres of truck circulation, and the tanks in the ground narrow the field of alternative users considerably. When a truck stop fails, it usually fails because the traffic moved — a rerouted highway, a competitor at a better exit — and traffic is not something capital can fix.

The strongest sites are the ones with parking. Federal hours-of-service rules mean drivers must stop, and there is a national shortage of places to do it legally. Parking count has become a more durable driver than fuel volume.

Why this matters to you

Every buyer prices the tenant-goes-dark scenario, whether or not they say so out loud. It is the largest hidden input into the cap rate you get offered.

Understanding it before you go to market is the difference between negotiating and being negotiated with.

Who sells to us

Situations we see most often

  • Independent operator retiring with no successor to run a 24-hour business
  • Owner facing a tank replacement or upgrade deadline they will not fund
  • Family operation where the next generation has no interest
  • Site that lost volume when a highway was rerouted or a new plaza opened at a better exit
  • Operator wanting to sell the real estate and continue running the business

Buy box

What we buy

  1. 01Travel centers and truck plazas, $3M to $25M
  2. 02Leased and owner-operated
  3. 03Aging tank systems and environmental history
  4. 04Legal non-conforming sites

Process

How selling to Dizposition works

The full process
  1. Day 0

    01

    Send us the property

    Address, asset type, and the lease if there is one. That is enough for us to start.

  2. 02

    We underwrite it

    Our underwriting runs the income against current market pricing and the cost of capital. No lowball anchor.

  3. 10 minutes

    03

    You get a firm offer

    In 10 minutes, with the math shown. You will know exactly how we got there.

  4. As fast as 30 days

    04

    Close on your timeline

    As fast as 30 days, or as slow as you need. We are the principal, so the date is yours.

FAQ

Selling a truck stop

My tank system is old and needs replacing. Can I still sell?

Yes, and it is one of the most common reasons owners in this sector call. A tank replacement is a defined cost. We price it into the offer rather than requiring you to fund it, which is what a conventional buyer's lender would insist on.

A newer plaza opened at the next exit. How much does that hurt?

It depends on which direction the traffic runs and whether they took your parking or just your fuel. Diesel volume moves quickly to a better facility; overnight parking demand is stickier because drivers stop where they must, not where they prefer. Tell us and we will underwrite it honestly.

Can I sell the real estate and keep operating the truck stop?

Yes. Sale-leaseback is common here and often the right structure for an operator who wants capital out of the dirt without leaving the business.

My site is a legal non-conforming use. Is that a risk?

It is normal in this sector and it is also part of what makes the site valuable, because it cannot be replicated. What matters is whether the non-conforming status is documented and whether abandonment risk exists. Send us any zoning correspondence you have.

How long does it take to sell a commercial property to Dizposition?

You get a firm written offer within 10 minutes of sending us the property. If you accept, you can close in as little as 30 days — most of that is title work and your own timeline. There is no listing period, no marketing, and no waiting on a buyer's financing contingency.

Can I sell my property as-is?

Yes. We are the buyer, so there is no lender requiring repairs and no inspection contingency to renegotiate against you. Deferred maintenance, a failing roof, an aging tank system — we price it into the offer rather than asking you to fix it first.

Can I sell with a tenant in place?

Yes, and in most cases a tenant makes the property more valuable to us, not less. We will ask for the lease, a rent roll, and any estoppel certificates. You do not need to deliver the property vacant.

What if my lease is short-term or about to expire?

Short remaining term is one of the main reasons owners come to us. A conventional buyer needs lease term to get financing, which is why short-dated assets sit on the market. We underwrite the real estate and the backfill prospects rather than the remaining term alone.

What if the property is vacant?

We buy vacant assets. Pricing shifts from an income approach to what the building and land are worth to the next user, which is a different calculation — but it is one we do routinely rather than one that disqualifies the property.

Do I need a broker to sell to you?

No. We buy directly, and there is no commission because there is nothing to market. If you already have a broker, we will pay them. Selling without one saves the commission, but you should understand you are also giving up price discovery — a broker's job is to find out whether someone will pay more than we will.

What documents do I need to get an offer?

The address and the lease are enough to start. To finalize, we will want the rent roll, the last two years of operating statements, the title commitment, any existing survey, and any environmental reports you already have. You do not need an appraisal or a broker package.

How do you determine your offer?

We underwrite in-place income against what the space would re-lease for, adjust for capital needs and any environmental tail, and apply a cap rate supported by comparable transactions. We show you the inputs. If you disagree with an assumption, we would rather argue about the assumption than about the number.

What are typical seller closing costs?

Title and escrow fees, any transfer or recording tax owed in your state, prorated property taxes, and payoff of any existing debt. Because we are the buyer, there is no commission and no marketing cost. Transfer tax varies significantly by state and is often the largest single line.

Will I owe capital gains tax when I sell?

Usually yes, on the gain above your adjusted basis, and depreciation recapture is taxed separately from appreciation. State treatment varies. This is a question for your CPA before you sign, not after — the structure of the sale can change the answer.

Can I do a 1031 exchange?

Yes. A 1031 exchange lets you defer federal capital gains by reinvesting in like-kind property, subject to a 45-day identification window and a 180-day closing window from the date you sell. You must have a qualified intermediary in place before closing — it cannot be arranged afterward. Most states conform to federal treatment, but a few do not.

Can I sell if I am behind on payments or facing foreclosure?

Yes, and speed is the reason to move early rather than late. We can close on a defined date, which is what a lender or a receiver generally needs to see. Send us the payoff figure and any notices you have received.

Can I sell a property I inherited or that is in probate?

Yes. Probate sales take longer because the court timeline governs, not ours, and multiple heirs need to agree on the price before anything can close. We are used to working around both. Inherited property also generally receives a stepped-up basis, which can change the tax math substantially.

What if there is environmental contamination?

Send it anyway. Environmental history is one of the most common reasons a conventional sale falls apart, and it is one of the reasons owners call us. We price the remediation and the residual liability into the offer rather than walking away at the Phase II.

Is there any cost or obligation to get an offer?

None. There is no fee, no listing agreement, and no obligation to accept. If our number does not work for you, you keep the underwriting we showed you and we part ways.

Markets

Top markets we buy truck stops in

10-minute offer

Ready to sell your truck stop?

Send us the property and the lease. You'll have a firm offer, with the math shown, in 10 minutes.