United States and Canada
In the United States, many of these areas emerged throughout the beginning of the century as a response to the progressive increase in traffic of goods and services, as well as travelers who began traveling long distances due to the widespread use of the internal combustion engine to power both cars and trucks. Although the original purpose was to facilitate rest for truckers as well as provide them with lodging facilities, many of these truck stops have diversified, becoming points of tourist attraction and concentration of motorists. Such is the case of the so-called Iowa 80") in the United States, a service area located on Interstate Highway 80 that connects New York with California that also hosts an annual event to showcase both classic and modern heavy trucks with different levels of customization. The same occurs with another establishment called Carl's Corner in the state of Texas, known for having an auditorium where country music singer Willie Nelson performs and also being the first point known to supply biodiesel fuel in the area.
In popular culture, rest areas also attract visitors related or not to the world of road transport. Many have seen truck drivers as "the last cowboys" for their nomadic lifestyle of their profession, showing these rest areas as part of their meeting points where they socialize with each other, something commonly shown in popular culture through film and television.
Country, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, Tex-mex "Tex-mex (music)") and Western music styles are often associated with these types of establishments. In the same way, multiculturalism has reached these spaces due to the proximity of the US to Mexico, managing to permeate Mexican regional genres into them due to the coexistence in these spaces that transport both cultures.
Mexico
Being a Latin American country, the characteristics of the rest areas in Mexico are more particular although no less interesting than those of the neighboring country. Similar to what was mentioned in the previous point, the roads do not have the same quality as those of the neighboring country and there are few free interstate highways in good condition, the travel times are longer, however the rest areas here have a similar history since they originate since heavy transport in the country began to proliferate according to the needs of the country, both the 20s, 30s, 40s and others were very frequent times of improvised stops even in private and to a certain extent family homes.
It was around the 1950s, when a gradual improvement began on many roads and, above all, more vehicular traffic, both freight and passenger, the service areas began to proliferate in a discreet way between Pemex brand gas stations and certain vacant lots that were adapted to the sale of food locally, and over the years, both on toll highways and free access roads, there were all types of rest stops that could range from simple establishments on the route to larger establishments. which may be similar to stops located in the United States.
Therefore, the history of rest stops is also related to the movement between the states of the republic but at the same time it also allows you to know the familiarity and warmth provided by the hospitality of every corner of the country, you can even eat certain dishes from the region in improvised stops as in other larger establishments that even recently are beginning to have franchises. Others also include gas stations that include convenience stores, and large complexes that encompass almost all types of commerce for civilian travelers and transporters, both in cargo and passenger modes. In the latter, on long trips, the intercity bus driver can give a certain amount of time to get off the unit so that they can eat, go to the bathroom or buy souvenirs from the place where they have said rest stop.
Similar to what the Country music genre is, for Americans and partly for Canadians, the Mexican truckers and transporters who frequent these places are familiar with genres such as those played by mariachis, ranchera music, cumbia, northern music, vallenato (although it is Colombian, it is also heard), grupera music, as well as other more popularly known genres, even these tastes have crossed the borders to be spread among truckers of Latin American origin who work in the United States.