Trucking Firms Ready To Hit Road Cheap Land, Open Spaces Lure Companies To West Plains

At Broadway and Interstate 90 in the Spokane Valley, commercial trucks crowd the gas pumps, scales and hotel parking lots.

On the West Plains, the few businesses are spread out on dusty, grassy fields. A row of used trucks for sale overlooks the freeway.

Those trucks are a sign of things to come.

Many in the trucking industry say the West Plains will become their new Spokane County hub within the next 10 years, replacing Broadway and I-90. Several trucking companies have already moved, bought land, or made plans to relocate to the West Plains in the next few years.

The reasons why are simple. Land’s cheap. Freeway visibility and access is great. And there’s plenty of room to expand.

“Everybody in the trucking industry wants to be near everybody else in the trucking industry,” said Dan Alsaker, president of the Broadway Group, which owns the Broadway/Flying J truck stop at I-90 and Broadway.

Most of the proposed development is centered south of the freeway at the Medical Lake exit and north of the Fairways Golf Course.

The Broadway Group plans to move its massive truck stop to a 27-acre plot south of the freeway near the Medical Lake exit.

Northland Peterbilt Inc., which makes and services trucks and truck parts, owns 50 acres in the same area and plans to move within the next 10 years.

Freightliner Trucks owns 15 acres and plans to move its service, sales, and body shop business there from an outgrown location at 5615 E. Third by 1997 or 1998. Already, the company has opened a used truck sales center on four acres overlooking the freeway.

Western States Cat, a truck engine builder, owns seven acres in the area and plans to use it either for expansion or for an additional business location.

Peirone Produce Co. has submitted plans to Spokane County for a produce shipping warehouse and truck garage that would occupy nine acres on the West Plains.

The Holiday Inn Express plans to open a 60-room hotel near the Medical Lake exit in the spring of 1997, driven in part by the growth of the trucking industry.

Cummins Northwest, a diesel engine building company, recently moved to the area from its outgrown location at 3904 E. Trent.

Despite the growing number of businesses interested in the West Plains, some people in the trucking industry say Broadway and I-90 is too well established to be abandoned.

“We don’t expect any change in our business. The business is centered around here,” said Neal Williams, president of Williams Equipment Co., a Kenworth truck dealer located at 6420 E. Broadway. “For everyone that moves out there, there’s a couple moving closer to us.”

Indeed, the area surrounding Broadway and I-90 is like trucking Disneyland. Motels offer truckers special rates, and signs advertise truck repair, truck washes, certified scales, parts, rental, leasing - every service imaginable.

Still, many within the industry say when the Broadway/Flying J truck stop moves, other businesses will follow. The truck stop provides one-stop shopping for truckers who need food, lodging, fuel and service.

“Once Broadway pulls out of here, we’re going to have lost that natural draw,” said Terry Carlson, president of Peterbilt. “Eventually, we’re going to have to go where the truck stops are.”

Soil removal and structural analysis has begun for the new truck stop, which will occupy eight to 12 of the 27 acres. The rest of the land will be used for a motel and fast-food restaurants, Alsaker said.

The $4 million, 11,000-square-foot truck stop will include a 125-seat Saks Family Restaurant, a self-service deli, convenience store, lounge, showers and business communications center with fax machines. The overnight parking lot will handle 200 rigs, compared to 80 at Broadway and I-90.

The truck stop will employ about 100 people.

In moving to the West Plains, the truck stop is doubling in size, driven by the industry’s own growth.

From 1993 to 2003, the freight transportation industry - which includes trucking, airlines and railroads - is expected to grow 24 percent, from $439 billion to $544 billion a year, says research prepared for the American Trucking Association Foundation.

Though airline and rail freight transportation are growing rapidly, the trucking industry still takes in three out of every four dollars earned by the freight industry. The trucking industry is expected to grow 21 percent from 1993 to 2003, from $344 billion to $417 billion.

During that same time period, demand for commercial trucks is projected to increase 14 percent and miles driven by truckers, 34 percent.

In Spokane, that growth is visible as companies outstrip their locations.

Last month, Cummins Northwest tripled its space when it moved to a new 28,700-square-foot complex on the West Plains. The company was landlocked on its former East Trent site, but now has room to expand.

Peterbilt’s Carlson said his company has two acres at 6214 E. Broadway now and needs 10.

“Twenty years ago, we had more land than we knew what to do with,” he said. “Today we’re parking trucks on top of each other.”

A similar problem is faced by Freightliner, which is wedged into its site on East Third.

“We are out of room,” said Ken Cook, president of Freightliner. “The truck traffic in this area of town makes it difficult for trucks to get around. Our customers don’t want to be down here. They want easy access and easy to find.”

Also, said Cook, “As the industry grows, which it is, the problem is only going to get worse, not better. You’ve got to be planning for the future.”

That’s why companies in the trucking industry are snatching up land on the West Plains.

“Obviously, it’s a step toward advance planning. Hubs have a tendency to develop their own momentum,” said Pete Edmunds, director of marketing for Western States Cat. “You’re better off being a little early than a little late, if you’re cost-conscious.”

And, for companies looking to be where the action is, the price west of Spokane is right.

Land on Broadway is going for $6 to $8 per square foot, compared to 80 cents to $1.25 per square foot on the West Plains, Carlson said.

“That’s why people are moving,” he said. “It’s a numbers deal.”

Though the influx of companies makes business more convenient, it brings problems too.

System TWT, a trucking company, moved to about 45 acres on the West Plains in 1984. There have been few theft problems, said Jim Williams, the company president. But now, with more businesses moving to the area, Williams is increasing security and planning to install a fence.

Last week, fuel was stolen from some trucks on his property.

“It’s not necessarily good for me,” Williams said. “People that hang around truck stops … more things start to disappear.”

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