The isolation aspect is quite frightening too. Truck stops are often in somewhat remote areas. When you're alone at a truck stop at night and you start experiencing these ghostly things, there's a feeling of being trapped. There's no one around to easily turn to for help, and you're just stuck there with the possibility of some supernatural presence.
The unexpected appearances are really scary. Like the phantom hitchhiker suddenly showing up by the roadside and then vanishing when you stop. It gives you a shock.
The unknown. For example, in some stories, there are unexplained noises or disappearances. You don't know if it's a person playing a prank or something more sinister. It could be a supernatural entity or a criminal, and not knowing is what makes it so scary. In one story, a trucker heard whispering outside his truck at night, but when he looked, there was no one there. It sent shivers down his spine just thinking about what could have made that noise.
The sudden appearances are really scary. For example, when a semi truck just shows up in the middle of nowhere, like on an empty desert road or a foggy mountain pass. It gives you no time to prepare for it.
Haunted aspects are really terrifying. Like when there are reports of seeing ghostly figures in or around the truck. It gives you the creeps just thinking about it. Also, strange noises that seem to come from the truck when it's empty or not supposed to be making any noise can be very unsettling. Imagine being in a quiet place and suddenly hearing a loud bang or a screeching sound from an old truck.
Another story involves a truck stop restroom. Drivers have reported feeling an icy cold presence when they enter. There are whispers of a woman in white who haunts the restroom. Legend has it that she was murdered there many years ago, and her spirit lingers. Some say they've seen her reflection in the mirror, even when no one else is in the restroom.
The idea of the ice cream itself being tainted or cursed is also quite scary. For example, if the ice cream is described as having a strange color, a bad smell, or making people ill after consumption. It turns something that is usually a source of joy, like an ice cream from a truck, into a vehicle for horror.
A really terrifying rest stop ghost story involves a bus that stopped there late at night. All the passengers were asleep except for one. That passenger saw a white - haired woman floating outside the bus window. She seemed to be looking at each of the sleeping passengers one by one. Then she vanished. But when the bus left, it had engine problems and the driver said he felt like something was trying to hold the bus back, as if the ghost didn't want them to leave.
Since I don't know the 'the horror truck story' well, generally in horror stories involving trucks, the large size and power of the truck can be a scary element. It could be used to run over people or chase them in a menacing way. Also, if there is something hidden in the truck like a monster or a dead body, that would add to the horror.
One scary truck stop story is about a driver who heard strange knocking on his truck's door in the middle of the night at a desolate truck stop. When he looked out, there was no one there. But the knocking continued. He got so spooked that he drove away immediately.
The lack of escape. A bus stop is a fixed location. You can't really run away easily if something scary shows up. In some stories, the bus that is supposed to be the means of escape is either late or doesn't come at all. This feeling of being trapped while something scary is approaching is one of the scariest parts of these bus stop stories.
The sense of the unknown in '30 ghost stories' is really terrifying. You don't know why the ghosts are there or what they want. For example, a character might be constantly followed by a shadowy presence, but they can't figure out who or what it is. It makes the reader or listener feel very uneasy. Another scary part could be the settings, like old, abandoned buildings where the ghosts are said to haunt. These places are often described in a very eerie way, with creaking floors and dim lighting, which adds to the overall scariness.