050120_layout_AllPages

THETRUCKER.COM
b Sonic from page 25 b
Features May 1-14, 2020 • 27
Within a few years of Tommy and Julie
opening their Sonic, a Love’s broke ground next
door. Tommy said a representative from Love’s
even noted their Sonic as a “check” in the “pro”
category when considering where to open their
newest location. Having Love’s nearby has
helped with a shortage of truck parking, a situation
Tommy said he became acutely aware of
when truckers parked along the truck route at
the Sonic overnight.
Manager Tana Coleman, who has worked at
the Valliant Sonic for five years, said she sees
between 15 and 20 trucks come through each
day and that her team tries to prioritize truckers
and get them back on the road quickly.
“I know that the truckers really appreciate
being able to pull up to the stall, and they tell us
constantly that they don’t ever get that kind of
attention,” Coleman said. “They never get anyone
to bring their food out to them where they
don’t have to get out of their trucks.”
Although the Valliant Sonic opened its dedicated
truck route in 2013, about five years later
Sonic franchise owner Ricky Davis saw a similar
need in the town of Fordyce, Arkansas. With
a population of nearly 4,000, Fordyce is another
community that benefits from truck traffic related
to the timber industry in southeast Arkansas.
Davis, who has been in the Sonic franchise
business for more than 40 years, said he was
looking to remodel the current Sonic location
in Fordyce. After some thought, he decided to
move the location near the U.S. 67/167 bypass
Courtesy: Tommy and Julie Dorries
Julie and Tommy Dorries opened the Sonic in
Valliant, Oklahoma with a truck route because
Julie’s father was a long-time trucker and the
logging industry is essential to their small town.
instead of in the center of town. This location
allowed him to purchase two acres of land for a
lower price. That amount of space made it easy
to accommodate truckers.
“When we take on a project, we always
take into consideration the community we are
going to be in and the traffic we are going to
have,” Davis said. “The timber industry is big
[in Fordyce].”
The truck route at the Fordyce Sonic provides
a menu that will reach a semi truck’s window,
and it also offers steps so the carhop can stand
eye-level with the driver. Davis said the investment
in the menu and route was not necessarily
significant, but the return has been impressive.
“I’ve had trucking companies from across
the nation call me and tell me, ‘Thank you for
taking care of our truckers. Everybody hates
Courtesy: Ricky Davis
In Fordyce, Arkansas, truckers can pull
through a dedicated truck route and receive
window service as if they were in a car.
us, so we appreciate someone actually doing
something for us,’” Davis said. “It has been
pretty cool to get that feedback. It has done well.”
At the end of the day, these two Sonic
owners represent a dedication to the men
and women who keep America moving,
which is an appreciation Davis can proudly
say he has.
“Being a trucker takes a lot. When you
have a to park a truck it takes a lot (of space),
Courtesy: Tommy and Julie Dorries
Shown above is an employee at the Valliant,
Oklahoma Sonic with a local truck driver who
frequents the truck-friendly location.
and most people don’t want them there,” Davis
said. “They’re thought of as a hindrance, but
they don’t hinder us at all. This really worked
out, and it is a good addition.” 8