The Algorithm is Driving: How I-95 Taught Me Your Customer Journey Has Been Rerouted

For decades, the I-95 corridor between DC, New York, and New Jersey had a rhythm. We knew the stops. We knew the "Shotgun" rider’s sacred duty: managing the AAA TripTik and navigating the paper maps.

In those days, you pulled into a state-run rest stop, walked to the customer service counter, and actually spoke to a human to ask about road conditions or which bridge to take. It was a predictable, linear customer journey.

Decades later, I realized while driving this same stretch: I am no longer in charge of where I stop.

The Car is the Customer

We drive a Tesla. We bought it specifically because the Supercharger network is extensive on this route. But this decision changed something fundamental about our travel behavior.

We rarely stop at traditional rest areas anymore. The car’s navigation algorithm calculates our battery levels and routes us to Superchargers. Surprisingly, these aren't usually at the official rest stops. They are at gas stations—specifically places like Wawa and Sheetz.

Suddenly, I understood the cult following of Wawa. I wasn't their target demographic initially. I didn't plan to go there. My car took me there. The algorithm decided that for the next 20 minutes, I was a captive audience for their hoagies and coffee.

Once, the car even routed us to a casino and a ShopRite mall. The "customer journey" was literally reprogrammed by the hardware.

The Ecosystem Shift

Your business might be losing customers not because your product failed, but because the ecosystem moved. Traditional rest stops didn't get worse; the "vehicle" of the customer (the EV algorithm) bypassed them entirely.

Ask yourself: What underlying technology dictates where your customer physically or digitally "stops" today?

The Canyon of Commerce and Litigation

The other dominant feature of the I-95 corridor today is the sheer volume of trucks. It feels less like a highway and more like a conveyor belt for Amazon warehouses.

And where there are trucks, there are lawyers. The billboards are relentless. It’s a dystopian comedy: giant signs asking, "Injured in a truck accident?" appearing every three miles.

There is a dark irony to it. You are driving 70 miles per hour, surrounded by 18-wheelers, trying to read a billboard with small text from a law firm promising to help you if you hit the very truck you're currently trying not to hit while reading their sign. It’s the only industry that advertises its services at the exact moment and location you might tragically need them.

Future Disruptions

If the shift from "Rest Stop" to "Wawa" happened this fast, what is next? The corridor is ripe for disruption:

• High-Speed Rail: Real, frequent trains that make the drive obsolete.
• The Tesla Cafe: Why settle for a gas station corner? Dedicated EV lounges will become the new "Third Place."
• Inductive Charging: Roads that charge your battery while you drive, eliminating the stop entirely.

One disappointment remains: Connectivity. Despite being the economic spine of a developed nation, the internet connection is spotty. My car frequently loses signal, confusing the navigation or—worse—cutting off a podcast right before the punchline.

We now run two navigation apps on two different devices for redundancy. We have futuristic propulsion, but 1990s connectivity.

The Takeaway

Your business relies on customers who are "traveling"—physically or through a sales funnel. If their mode of travel changes, their stops change. Don't be the rest stop wondering where all the cars went. Be the Wawa that installed the chargers.

What is the "Supercharger" in your industry that is rerouting your traffic?

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Sources

• Personal observation, I-95 Corridor travel, January 2026.