Giving a 50 year old fuel brand a modern voice
01 — Project details
Northstar Truck Stops has been serving Southern California truck drivers for over five decades.
They’ve got everything a driver needs: fuel, food, showers, fleet cards, loyalty programs. However, their brand felt dated and flat. They wanted to modernize how they talked about themselves without losing the friendly, approachable voice they were known for.
I worked directly with the owner to rewrite the company homepage and help shape the overall voice. He didn’t hand me a full wireframe or brand guide. We just had his raw notes and a few rough ideas about what they wanted to say as a company.
From there, I helped clarify the structure, pulled out the most important messaging, and wrote new copy that felt more human and welcoming.
02 — Creative process
Leading with clarity, not corporate jargon
We focused the revamped copy around four clear benefits:
Value (great prices, Chevron fuel, loyalty perks)
Convenience (clean restrooms, fast service, modern amenities)
Hospitality (friendly service that makes you feel at home)
Longevity (50+ years of proven reliability)
We also made sure truckers could immediately do what they came for: check fuel prices, find a location, or sign up for rewards.
03 — Results
The new copy is warm and conversational, but still sharp.
No fluff or corporate nonsense. Just a direct, friendly voice that makes it easy for customers to understand what Northstar offers and why it matters. The owner was thrilled with how it turned out. It finally felt like their site actually sounded like them.
Admittedly, this project was some years back, and today I would approach the copy differently, making it shorter, punchier, and injecting more personality. That said, the owner of Northstar is still very much happy with the website copy and has been using it for the past 3 years.