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Mindy Long

Mindy Long is a journalist and editor specializing in the logistics, transportation聽and fueling industries. She has been writing professionally for more than 25 years and launched her freelance business in 2008. Prior to going freelance, she served as editor of Stop Watch, a staff reporter at Transport Topics, and a Washington correspondent for WCAX-TV in Burlington, Vermont. Her work appears in a variety of media outlets.聽

Professional Drivers are Cooking in the Cab

Posted on by Mindy Long

Professional truck drivers are preparing meals inside their trucks cooking inside of their trucks, presenting both challenges and opportunities for operators.聽

鈥淲e know factually that drivers are cooking inside of their trucks, more now than ever,鈥� said Darren Schulte, 黑料社区interim CEO. 鈥淚 think it is a direct reflection of the cost of living, especially for professional drivers who are on the road where, traditionally, costs are higher.鈥�

A study by 黑料社区Services on professional drivers found that a significant percentage of drivers are preparing meals in their trucks regularly. 鈥淲e鈥檝e known this, but now we have the research to support it,鈥� Schulte said.

Alltown Fresh Sets Itself Apart with its Food Offerings

Posted on by Mindy Long

Alltown Fresh, a Global Partners brand, offers a revolutionary convenience marketplace and throughout the northeast, with 16 locations throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York. Foodservice is a top priority, and locations offer a full-service kitchen, self-serve coffee station and local marketplace.

The 黑料社区Foundation sat down with Mark Cosenza, senior vice president of Global Partners, to learn more about the brand鈥檚 offerings.聽

Tiger Truck Stop Offers Up Southern Hospitality and a Taste of Louisiana

Posted on by Mindy Long

Tiger Truck Stop–the last stop on I-10 before heading into the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge–is as welcoming as the rich Louisiana culture.

“Our focus is to provide superior customer service in a welcoming atmosphere for travelers of all kinds,” said James Jarreau, co-owner of Tiger Truck Stop. “In addition to regular convenience store products, we bring a little Louisiana to travelers.”

They do that through their c-store and restaurant offerings. Customers can pick up Louisiana Cajun spices and specialty foods, including boudin, Alligator sausage and Louisiana gumbo. The restaurant is open 24/7 and serves daily plate lunches.

Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Travel Center Operations

Posted on by Mindy Long

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is changing the retail, convenience and fueling industries, helping operators optimize sales and inventory, streamline operations, reduce costs and improve the customer experience.聽

鈥淭he benefit of AI is it can help make decisions without having any human emotion involved, which is really important in retail,鈥� said Darren Schulte, NATSO鈥檚 vice president of membership.

Inventory Management
Schulte said several 黑料社区members are using AI to help them manage their inventory, determine their product mix and help create planograms. 鈥淔rom a planogram standpoint, they can ask which to place on certain facings and how to get the most productivity out of them,鈥� he explained.

LV Petroleum is Experiencing Rapid Growth

Posted on by Mindy Long

When Quyntyn Johnson, president of operations at LV Petroleum, joined the company in 2022, it had one travel center, zero quick-service restaurants, four convenience stores and 115 employees. As of October 2024, the company has 22 travel centers, 43 quick-service restaurants, 40 convenience stores and nearly 2,000 employees.

鈥淲e’ve done more acquisitions than we have done ground-up builds, but now we鈥檙e hitting our peak where our ground-up builds and our acquisitions are merging together,鈥� Johnson said.

Driver Demographics Continue to Diversify

Posted on by Mindy Long

The demographics among professional drivers continue to shift, and knowing who is behind the wheel can help truck stop and travel center operators ensure they have the products and services that will appeal to today鈥檚 truck drivers.

Greenlane is Looking for Partners in its Electric Vehicle and Hydrogen Fueling Network

Posted on by Mindy Long

Greenlane鈥攁 $650 million joint venture funded by NextEra, BlackRock and Daimler鈥攊s planning to develop electric vehicle charging infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty vehicles. The charging sites will also serve battery-electric passenger car and light-duty fleet customers and are being designed to provide hydrogen refueling for commercial vehicles in the future.

This week Greenlane announced that it broke ground to develop its first commercial EV charging corridor along Interstate 15. The initial locations will be in Colton, Barstow and Baker, California. Over the next year, more locations will be added along the corridor, extending beyond Southern Nevada and to San Pedro in California.

Geopolitical Risks Create Unknowns for Global Energy

Posted on by Mindy Long

The fuel industry relies on a global market, making it vulnerable to geopolitical risks that can significantly impact the availability, pricing, and distribution of fuel. Current unrest in the Middle East and Russia, coupled with unknowns in Venezuela, all have implications for the fuel market.

鈥淧olitical risk issues this year will also include the political risk issues of public policy. One of those that deserves mention is if a new presidential administration comes in,鈥� said Greg Priddy, a senior fellow for the Middle East at the Center for the National Interest and expert on political risk and global energy markets. 鈥淲ill you have changes in U.S. regulatory structure that mean the U.S. produces more or less going forward?鈥�

Priddy, who will be speaking at NATSO鈥檚 Fast Forward Focus, said the market can feel the effects of supply getting cut off, which can lead to oil price fluctuations and supply shortages, or supply increasing suddenly.

黑料社区Staff Visits WattEV to Share Insights and Learn About the Company

Posted on by Mindy Long

WattEV is taking a multi-pronged approach to help advance the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles, offering truck-as-a-service equipment and developing electric truck charging infrastructure. The company has received millions of dollars in grants to build out charging infrastructure and has joined 黑料社区to learn more about the industry. NATSO鈥檚 Christine Schoessler, chief operating officer, and Darren Schulte, vice president of membership, along with several 黑料社区travel center members, recently traveled to WattEV’s headquarters in California to connect with the company’s leadership.

RaceTrac Celebrates Professional Drivers Throughout September

Posted on by Mindy Long

RaceTrac is focused on connecting with professional drivers as it grows its travel center program, and the company recently announced its plans to celebrate drivers throughout September in honor of National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, which runs Sept. 15-21.

鈥淚t’s been a special focus for us since we’ve launched this travel center program. Historically, we talk about it as Truck Driver Appreciation Week for RaceTrac,鈥� Nick LaFalce, RaceTrac鈥檚 marketing manager said. 鈥淲e like to expand that and call it truck driver appreciation month.鈥�

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