Drilling Deep: What to do about food trucks at rest stops?

When food trucks were allowed to start selling their products at rest stops on many of the nation’s highways earlier this year, it marked a significant shift from years of policy that mostly kept the trucks on the road but the food off of an exit.

Yes, there were vending machines at the rest stops. And in some states where the interstate was part of a road more controlled by the state, like the Pennsylvania Turnpike, there were full-service stops. But for those small rest stops with minimal facilities, hot food was a pipe dream.

The food trucks changed that. But they were allowed there because of the pandemic. Will they be allowed to stay after it starts to ease?

Jessica Gandy is an attorney with the Institute for Justice in Washington, a group that among other things looks to knock down barriers to small businesses. She and her organization have taken an interest in the food trucks. She joins Drilling Deep host John Kingston to discuss her group’s views on why the trucks should be allowed to stay and whether the Institute is going to fight for that permission.