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May 11, 2013

* USA - CONFERENCE FROM Jimmy Haslam, ABOUT Pilot Flying J INVESTIGATION

* Ohio - Jimmy Haslam will address hundreds of trucking executives about Pilot Flying J investigation

(Photo from Wikipedia: A Pilot Travel Center branded location in Lost Hills, California)
Cleveland,OH,USA -North Ohio/The Plain Dealer, by Alison Grant -May 9, 2013: -- Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Flying J, has agreed to address trucking company executives at a conference next week about the federal probe into whether his company, Pilot Flying J, defrauded customers...  Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has agreed to address a transportation seminar in Indianapolis next week where he will answer questions put to him in advance by trucking company executives... Haslam's decision to appear comes as his company, Pilot Flying J, is in the throes of a federal investigation into claims that some of its top sales managers cheated trucking companies out of rebates they were owed on diesel fuel purchases... Jimmy Haslam has said he was unaware of the practice and has been calling hundreds of trucking companies over the past few weeks to "get it right" ... 


* Ohio - Truck stop competitor isn't seeing 'knee jerk' reaction to Pilot probe

(Photo from Wikipedia: A TA TravelCenter in Lodi, Ohio) 
Cleveland,OH,USA -KnoxVille News, by Jack Lail -May 8, 2013: -- A key truck stop competitor to Knoxville-based Pilot Flying J isn't seeing a "knee-jerk" reaction from trucking companies in the wake of the FBI raid on the Pilot headquarters in mid-April, the CEO told stock analysts Tuesday... In court documents, the FBI alleges that for years Pilot Flying J has been shortchanging some trucking companies on fuel contract rebate payments. Responding to questions from stock analysts on an earings call on Tuesday, TravelCenters of America LLC CEO Thomas O'Brien said, "While we're in tune to the potential for fallout and dust-up associated with those matters, we're not running around grave-dancing, either, because I don't think that's in our interest in the short term or the long term." ... The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the company fielded as many questions about Pilot, a privately held company that does not report financial results, as it did about its performance... O'Brien said he had no insight to what might happen regarding Pilot or what it might mean to his company. He said TravelCenters of America had not seen increased call volume from trucking companies as a result of Pilot federal investigation...

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Oct 20, 2009

Truck Stops * USA - Add electric plugs to parking spaces

Project gives drivers a way to power onboard devices without running their engines

Charlotte,NC,USA -The Charlotte News Observer, by John Murawski -Oct. 19, 2009: -- Big rigs rumbling through the Carolinas increasingly have a novel option: turning off the ignition and saving energy... As simple as that sounds, silencing the engine for the night is almost unheard of in the world of long-distance trucking. Truckers, who live in their rigs, rely on the truck's engines to power onboard computers, televisions, heaters and air conditioners... Today, Big Boys Truck Stop off Interstate 95, about an hour east of Raleigh in Kenly, becomes only the third truck stop in the state offering the overnight plug-in option. A fourth is scheduled to open later this month in Rowan County, 45 miles northeast of Charlotte... Big Boys manager Wendi Powell said the investment has not been considered profitable for most truck stops, but Big Boys wanted to differentiate itself from bigger competitors... (Photo: Mark Simila installs an Electrified Parking Space pod at the Big Boys Truck Stop off I-95 in Johnston County on Monday. It's only the third truck stop in the state offering the overnight plug-in option)

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Aug 26, 2009

MINI-CASINOS * USA - Illinois Truck Stops transform into

Have an urge to blow a few dollars? Feel like taking a chance?

Illinois,USA -Examiner, by Jarid Brown -August 25, 2009: -- There may no longer be a need to travel to Alton, Chicago, Peoria, Joliet or Metropolis if you want to gamble in Illinois. Just head on down to the local truck stop... As first reported by the Pantagraph, a provision of Illinois' gaming laws aimed at funding the capital projects bill will likely lead the creation of mini-casinos within Illinois truck stops... The law that would allow an expansion of video gaming within Illinois bars and veteran's halls would also allow Illinois trucking facilities, occupying 3 acres with a separate fueling island for semis, the ability to install the gambling machines. Although there is some ambiguity over whether the legislation only applies to facilities licensed to sell alcohol, that ambiguity is a technical non-issue considering that nearly every trucking facility has such a license... (Photo from knkfueltaxservices: A truck stop)

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May 19, 2009

TRUCKS STOPS * USA - Putting Trucking on a Diet

San Francisco,CAL,USA -The New York Times, by ERICA GIES -May 18, 2009: -- The backbone of U.S. commerce, given America’s vast distances and reliance upon highway transportation, is the combined fleet of 500,000 U.S. long-haul trucks. And to many Americans, the macho trucking life holds a certain romance. It has, to be sure, its drawbacks, not least the pollution from all those rumbling diesels. But new technologies are emerging that should at least mitigate some of that... A U.S. safety law requires truckers to rest for 10 hours after 11 of work, and most sleep in their cabs rather than paying for a motel. Traditionally truckers have idled their rigs while sleeping, keeping the engine going to provide heating or climate control and other creature comforts. This practice, along with workday idling, uses more than two billion gallons, or 7.6 billion liters, of diesel fuel a year, according to research at the Argonne National Laboratory, part of the U.S. Department of Energy... Idling diesel engines are noisy and emit nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide... As a response to increasing fuel prices and anti-idling regulations introduced by some cities and states, the industry has been exploring various alternatives. These include electrified parking spaces; auxiliary power units, or A.P.U.’s, for trucks, and detached heater or air-conditioner units... Electrified parking spaces, with plug-in electrical hookups for truckers, have increased in number over the past couple of years, sometimes with support from the sale of carbon offsets or government initiatives. They can provide truckers with heat, air-conditioning, electricity, even access to the Internet and satellite TV... In fact, there are not enough regular parking spaces at truck stops for the number of truckers on the road, let alone electrified ones, says Lamont Byrd, director for safety and health for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a union that represents truckers. The result is that truckers frequently just pull off by the side of the road to rest... (IdleAire: Instead of idling their engines while taking breaks from driving, truck drivers are now plugging-in at "electrified" parking spaces)


* Truckers Welcome Again In Mesquite

Mesquite,NV,USA -The Mesquite Local News, by Morris Workman -18 May 2009: ... Mesquite is once again welcoming truckers back to the city they helped create... The move is the brainchild of Gary, Jim, and Mike Black, who previously owned the convenience store and parking lot with their brother, local casino impresario Randy Black... The brothers recently bought out their sibling’s share in the property... Now, the parking lot is open and truckers are once again welcome... With that one bold move, Mesquite’s economy will get a shot in the arm just as the recession nears the bottom of the trough... (Photo courtesy Jeff Christensen - Workers sweep and repair the truck parking lot behind the Virgin Valley convenience store after the concrete barricades were removed late last month. The parking lot along Mesa Blvd. was recently reopened to trucks, providing the only place on the east side of Mesquite where truckers can leave their loads while grabbing a nap or a bite to eat)


* After 54 years, Michigan truck stop closes shop

Dimondale,MICH,USA -The Lansing State Journal, by BARBARA WIELAND -May 18, 2009: -- Over its 54 years in business, Don's Windmill Truck Stop has seen a lot of changes... The roots of the landmark location in Dimondale stretch back to 1955. From that vantage point, the Millisor family that owns the truck stop watched as Interstate 96 was built nearby in 1962 and as Interstate 69 lengthened to meet it in 1992... More recently, the Millisors watched as fuel prices began a steady uptick, peaking at more than $4.50 a gallon last summer... And the family looked on as nationwide chain truck stops opened locations dangerously close to home... But no more... Its restaurant and diesel fuel island closed first, to be followed by the convenience store and gas station... (Photo by midmichigandining)

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Feb 2, 2009

TRUCKS STOPS PLAN * UK - In wrong place

London,UK -BBC News -2 February 2009: -- Plans to set up two truck stops and a business park off the A55 dual carriageway in Flintshire should be rejected say planning officials... The proposals for the Caerwys junction would provide secure parking for up to 59 vehicles along with a cafe, refuelling facilities and warehousing... There were also plans to develop a truck stop on a neighbouring site... But officials say the sites are in inappropriate rural locations and 2,000 residents have signed a petition... The Freight Transport Association said the development of a quality lorry park close to the A55 was long overdue... (Photo: Flintshire councillors will consider the plans on Wednesday)

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Jan 14, 2009

TRUCKS STOP'S TROUBLES * USA - Flying J California refinery remains closed after 10-day shutdown

Bakersfield, CA,USA -Land Line Magazine by Charlie Morasch-January 12, 2009: -- The Flying J hasn’t reopened its refinery after a planned 10-day shutdown, more bad news for the truck stop giant already plagued with expensive debts to creditors and business partners... The Ogden, Utah-based diesel retailer filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late December. In early January, company officials announced that the Flying J-owned Big West refinery in Bakersfield, CA, wouldn’t operate for 10 days for maintenance... At that time, many industry insiders speculated the refinery might not reopen, which could lead to higher gas and diesel prices in California in particular... Among Flying J’s biggest debts are more than $85.8 million to Zion Bank’s retail loan center, more than $69.4 million to Conoco Philips, and nearly $12 million to Shell... Peter Hill, a Flying J spokesman, declined to say whether there was a timeline on reopening its California refinery...

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Jan 7, 2009

TRUCK STOPS * New Zealand - ... just for Biglorryblog!

Standing by the A1...Bob Tuck recalls his youth and has some snaps of Tirau on the A1 in New Zealand...

Tirau,New Zealand -BigLorryBlog (UK) -7 Jan 2009: -- Yikes! lookout we've been invaded by a Giant Praying Mantis from Mars!....or maybe not (I must stop drinking that shoe polish). It's a kiwi, Bob 'Mr Classic' Tuick truck stop...No need to go the whole hog on this Bob...Or milk it for any... longer...... and this.... Thanks for the pix!! ...

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Sep 12, 2008

Iowa 80 * USA - Billed as the world’s largest truck stop

A museum for trucking

(An aerial view of Iowa 80 gives you an idea of just how big the place is)
Walcott,Iowa,USA - Fleet Owner, by Skil Carr -September 12, 2008: -- ... What an amazing place – not only HUGE (covering 200 acres) but unique, too, with an on-site movie theatre, dentist office, barber shop, and plenty of home-style food provided by its gigantic restaurant to serve the 5,000 people who come through the truck stop every day. Even a fleet of its very own snow-removal equipment is ready to roll at a moment’s notice to deal with the big blizzards that hit Iowa from time to time... Not too shabby for a place that began as just a small, white enamel building with two diesel pumps, one lube bay and a tiny restaurant, located in the middle of Iowa cornfields...“Walcott Truckers Jamboree” (part show truck Mecca, part country fair) every year since 1979.[The Jamboree in full swing. Photo by Tom Schoening, Peterbilt of Des Moines]...[Just some of the antique trucks the Moon family has painstakingly restored over the years. Photo by Tom Schoening, Peterbilt of Des Moines]... These antique trucks were a personal passion of Bill Moon, and Delia told me he hoped to one day put them on display for truckers and the public alike as a kind of visual timeline, to remind everyone of the important roll trucking played in the nation’s history...[The new museum, in all of its glory. Photo by Tom Schoening, Peterbilt of Des Moines]... Well, that dream finally came true this year with the Iowa 80 Trucking Museum – a building comprised of 5,000 square-feet of display area to show off some 40 trucks at any one time (and also housing a gift shop, restrooms, and movie theatre) with another to the 20,000 square feet of storage space to house the hundreds of trucks painstakingly restored by the family. The whole shebang cost $1 million to build, but it was nothing but a true labor of love for the Moon family...[Iowa 80’s repair facilities keep truckers rolling]... Today, Iowa 80 is a brand and a corporate conglomerate, with the Iowa 80 truckstop now part of the Iowa 80 Group that also owns and operates Joplin Petro Truckstop in Joplin, MO; Oak Grove 70 Petro Truckstop, Oak Grove, MO; and the Kenly 95 TA Truckstop in Kenly, N.C... The company also operates special “Truckomats” truck wash centers in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, and Virginia, as well as the ubiquitous CAT Scale Company, too...I can’t wait to go visit Iowa 80’s one-of-a-kind trucking museum myself – that’s one trucking adventure I really look forward to...

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May 13, 2008

TRUCKS STOP * Japan - Gourmands should hit the highway

Long-haul rest stops with a reputation for roadkill have been transformed into powerhouses of local produce — and wasabi soda

Tokyo,Japan -The Japan Times, by BOB SLIWA -May 11, 2008: -- At the beginning of the postwar period of economic growth in Japan, highways were more for transporting parts and goods to jump-start the economy than for going on a Sunday drive. Even into the 1980s, pit stops in highway rest areas were still the stuff of nightmares. Surrounded by trucks belching acrid clouds of diesel smoke, motorists would find available food limited to soggy noodles and nefarious hot dogs, and worn-out, dirty squat toilets made for unpleasant experiences... However, these same service areas are now meccas for tourists — reinvented as destinations in their own right. How they were transformed into their current Disneylandlike state has a lot to do with reform of the byzantine rules that govern them — a subject that could fill a long tome. Simply stated, they are now run by agencies working to elevate these former truck stops to profitability with the help of local governments and third-party developers. Particularly in the last 10 years, they have morphed into a network of sophisticated — if not overly glitzy — entertainment centers that rake in truckloads of money every year... Next time you are stuck in that inevitable holiday traffic jam and the information board above the highway tells you the gridlock extends for 47 km ahead, giving up and pulling into a service area may be a very appealing alternative... (PHOTO: BOB SLIWA - 1. Local flavors: Freshly caught saury on sale in a shopping mall at Kariya Highway Oasis rest stop resort - 2. Hamanako Service Area's eel-flavored pretzels)

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Mar 31, 2008

TRUCK STOPS * Australia - National roads don't meet trucking standards

Road safety will continue to be compromised until more rest areas are built for truck drivers

Australia -ABC Online -Mar 29, 2008: -- The Transport Workers Union (TWU) says road safety will continue to be compromised until more rest areas are built for truck drivers, after a report found no national highways meet trucking guidelines... A new report has identified Queensland and the Northern Territory as having particular problems with a lack of truck rest areas... The report found none of the nation's highways meet the national guidelines requiring a major rest area every 100 kilometres and a minor stop every 50 kilometres... TWU Queensland secretary Hughie Williams says there is a link between the number of road deaths and the lack of truck stops... "We've had an enormous number of fatalities over the years involved in truck drivers becoming fatigued," he said... "It's very, very important we have proper truck stops and plenty of these truck strops around the place for these drivers to be able to stop and rest."...

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Nov 30, 2007

Truck Stops * Canada - Ontario names shortlist to overhaul truckstop network

Ontario's 23 service centers are well on their way to getting facelifts. Maybe some cosmetic enlargements too.

Toronto,ONT,CAN -Today's Trucking -29 Nov 2007: -- While those design details are still being worked out, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Ontario recently unveiled the short list of four companies who are vying to design, build, finance, maintain and operate the new facilities across Highways 400 and 401... The short-listed bidders include:
-- Areas (Anonimous Society) S.A., which brings together Áreas S.A., Carillion Canada Inc., and RBC Capital Markets.
-- Brookfield Asset Management Inc. and Trinity Development Group.
-- Host Kilmer Services Centres Inc., which includes Host International of Canada Ltd., Kilmer Van Nostrand Co., Clough, Harbour & Associates LLP, Cubellis Inc, and Forum Leasehold Partners.
-- Morguard Service Centres SPV, which is made up of Morguard Investments Limited and National Bank Financial.

(Picture: Owner-ops are looking forward to Ontario's new service centers being more 'trucker friendly')

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