Modern Marvels: Heavy Metals

Catering to more than twenty million truckers, truck stops are bigger and better than ever. These mega-pit stops are essential to the trucks and truckers that haul eight billion tons of freight annually. Tour the world’s largest truck stop that offers fuel, food, parking, private showers, a movie theater, a dentist office, and a barbershop. Look at how 18-wheelers can power up their rigs with a high tech parking lot hookup called IdleAire; complete with heat, air conditioning, a telephone line, a computer with high speed internet, and of course satellite TV. We’ll also see how 30,000 gallon underground diesel storage tanks are manufactured. And we’ll weigh and inspect a truck while it’s barely slowing down. In an interview with Willie Nelson, we’ll explore one of the most unique truck stops in the United States and the revolutionary fuel it sells: biodiesel.