TransCanada Truck Stop getting an update, Trukkers Restaurant Remains Open
This is not an advertisement.
Yes Trukkers Restaurant is one of our advertisers.
Yes this article is going to be totally biased.
Not only have I loved Trukkers for over 30 years, I was married to a trucker (my late husband Carl). When the kids were grown I went with him as his swamper. This truck stop is a well-loved institution in Redcliff.
Cardlock Construction Estimate
On Wednesday I spoke with construction workers on site - the new DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) tank will be up and running in about 6 weeks. Because this fluid is so corrosive, the tank is made of fibreglass. DEF was mandatory in all new highway tractors starting in 2010 (our last truck was a 2006 International Eagle, double bunk, 46,000 rear ends, bunk heater - about $135k back then).
Owl News - Fibreglass DEF Tank
Coquihalla Rest Area Feb 2012 - Kelly Allard
The store side is to be completely gutted.
They will be replacing all the showers and other amenities, making the truckers very happy.
I have spent far too much time in showers that were cold or dirty.
Don’t get me started about the unheated pit toilets on the highways
Wintertime is very challenging for female truckers and/or swampers.
Trukkers Restaurant Is Still Open
Aug 19 2026 - Beef Dip with fries - Owl News
The restaurant will be open during this time.
I stopped in for a beef dip and green tea.
It was delicious.
The place was full.
The service was excellent.
Reminiscing
I moved to Redcliff with my family when the truck stop was only 6 months old - the only other truck stop in Medicine Hat at the time was the Husky on 16th Ave.
The TransCanada Truck Stop was built in September 1988, the restaurant was always called Trukkers.
A full truck stop with a 24/7 restaurant, a store with all the stuff a driver needed (and some things they didn't), showers, laundry and a drivers lounge was very welcome at that time.
My late husband Carl liked to browse through the store after we had a meal at the restaurant. He was always on the lookout for cool t-shirts, bandanas, and sometimes he bought stuff he actually needed, like logbooks (commonly called lie books) or CB antennas.
This was in the days before every receipt was time stamped so any self respecting trucker had 2-3 log books depending on where they were running. If you got called into the scale or the border crossing, you need to bring the correct log books or risk getting put out of service. Now that the logbooks are electronic, it's not as easy to fudge the books anymore.
Chatter on the CB was always interesting to listen to. There was always two in the cab, one was set to the emergency channel - this is how you called for help when you ran into trouble. You hoped someone was within radio range, especially in the mountains.
I marvelled at how Carl knew which channel to turn to depending on which state/ province we were in.
Truckers would warn each other of road hazards, weather, radar traps, and if the scale was open or not.
Those who had too many hours would pull over until the scale house closed.
The CB slang was a whole other language - chicken coops, bubble gum machines, bear bait...
Locations got new names too -
Speedy Creek (Swift Current), Cow Town (Calgary), Shy town (Chicago), Hog Town (Toronto)
CB trying to hide his leash - late 2011 - Kelly Allard
There would be other chatter - travelling through Nevada in 1988, we heard the Kinky Little Kittycat giving directions to her brothel (they are legal down there).
One guy in Modesto California was trash talking truckers (his girlfriend had apparently run off with one).
In 2011 we rescued a kitten.
His name?
CB (of course)
It stands for Citizens Band or Cute Bastard, take your pick.
Bassano, winter of 2011-12 - the fog was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Back in those days, long before cell phones, the restaurant booths had phones for the truckers to
Call dispatch (and get yelled at for not driving a rocket ship that can go 100 kph faster than the posted speed limit, fly over construction, avalanche control road closures, accidents, adverse weather, etc )
Make delivery appointments,
Arrange service for the truck and /or trailer, or
Maybe just call home and hope someone was there so you could speak to a friendly voice.
As cell phones became the dominant form of communication, CBs and booth phones fell by the wayside.
Trukkers Has Never Changed
At the Trukkers restaurant, coffee was bottomless, meals were generous, tables were big enough to do your paperwork and the friendly service was excellent.
The booth phones are gone and it is no longer open 24 hours but the rest has never changed.
There was ample parking and easy access to the highway. Many drivers get paid by the load or the mile. Every minute those wheels are not turning means the trucker is not making money.
During the pandemic when the world shut down, Trukkers was giving free hot food to truckers who stopped in. The sit down service was not allowed at the time so they brought hot meals out to the truckers who were working to keep goods moving.
The prospect of this truck stop being restored to its previous glory is Exciting
Being able to stop, get fuel, shower, wash your clothes while you get a hot meal at the attached restaurant makes it an attractive stop for truckers.
As a female having an actual toilet to flush and an ability to wash your hands (especially at a certain time of the month) made places like this a must stop.
Long haul truckers are a rare breed, willing to work long hours and travel remote highways in all weather conditions for not enough rewards. They give up family celebrations, holidays and a regular schedule.
I and many others look forward to the re-opening of this local institution.
