Austin Burns, president and CEO of Paragon Solutions, highlighted six key areas operators can focus on to improve customers鈥� experience during 黑料社区Connect.
鈥淲e focus on the customer journey and experience because it is so pivotal right now,鈥� said Burns. 鈥淯nderstand your strategy and who you are as a brand. Pick what you do well.鈥�
03-05-2025Article created for the digital issue of the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚 magazine. Due diligence is the groundwork to every successful travel center construction project and investing 12-24 months to complete the necessary research […]
08-19-2024Understanding the various types of fuels available is crucial for providing customers with the right choices and maintaining compliance with environmental regulations. The most common types of fuel include regular octane gasoline, premium gasoline, reformulated gasoline, Low Reid Vapor Pressure gasoline, E85, diesel, premium diesel, winter diesel, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
08-13-2024Fraud at the fuel pump is a concern for truck stop and travel plaza operators and their customers, but technology is helping mitigate risk, keep payments secure and prevent theft.
Gather eight ways to help fight fraud at the pump.
Fuel pumps are an essential part of travel center operations, and choosing the right equipment will help increase efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The 黑料社区Foundation’s Travel Center and Truck Stop聽New Build聽Toolkit offers these factors to look at as you select the right pumps for your location.
08-08-2024Polly Flinn, founder and principal of Flinnstone Strategies, is an industry expert in creating customer- focused, convenience formats that make their numbers.
Travel centers have the opportunity to increase wallet share by creating a compelling and consistent brand experience to grow traffic, loyalty, sales and profit. In this 黑料社区Connect 2024 keynote, Flinn shares new insights into the future of travel center retail, offering her expertise on customer segments, brand experience and retail offers.
Watch a video of her presentation.
08-01-2024Commercial fuel buying is a complex process involving several pricing mechanisms, multiple fuel types, and various outside market factors that can affect supply and demand. At the same time, truck stop and travel center operators must closely monitor their budgets, fuel prices and inventory.
“One of the most important things to understand is how fuel is priced. There are several pricing mechanisms, including the spot market. In a traditional procurement perspective, that means I don’t necessarily have an agreed-to price,” Randy Grizzle, director of sales and marketing for TACenergy said. “I needed it today. I bought it today.” However, in commercial fueling, there are one of two indices that have spot in their name, which can create confusion, Grizzle said.
07-29-2024When it comes to the future of the truck stop and travel center industry, Darren Schulte, NATSO鈥檚 vice president of membership, has a strong history of identifying trends, warning about threats and identifying new opportunities. He has an extensive background in the industry, has made thousands of site visits, and has constant conversations with operators and industry experts.
Read a detailed write-up of Schulte’s episode of the Truck Stops Here podcast, where he shared on what is happening in the travel center industry.
07-29-2024Signage is powerful, but if signs include too much information, they become more noise that customers have to sift through. The most effective signs streamline information and make it easy for customers to connect with the messaging. Travel center signs should be clutter free. 鈥淚t is decluttered, more focused messaging. That applies to price signs and digital signs,鈥� said Cameron Cordova, vice president of sales at PMW Electronic Price Signs. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 want to do too much. We鈥檙e a micro-consumption type of society. You don鈥檛 want to create something people have to stand there and read.鈥�
07-24-2024The truck stop and travel center industry is fuel agnostic and strives to offer whatever fuels its customers demand. Diesel fuel remains the primary fuel used within the trucking industry, especially for long-haul over- the-road freight movement.
However, the industry is currently evolving to meet demand for new fueling technologies, such as electric vehicle charging stations, and preparing to meet future fueling needs.
For those new to the industry, gather information on the fuels you may want to consider from the 黑料社区Foundation’s New Build Toolkit.
06-20-2024Buying fuel is a complicated process, and determining the best approach helps operators increase profitability while minimizing risks.
The 黑料社区Foundation has created this toolkit to give operators a broad understanding of available fuel types, including renewable fuel, and spot purchasing vs. index-based purchasing while also offering insights into choosing branded vs. unbranded fuel and building supplier relationships.
The toolkit was created in collaboration with聽TAC Energy.
06-03-2024
