Pilot Travel Centers, Flying J complete merger

The new company, to be called Pilot Flying J, now operates in 43 states and six Canadian provinces and employs more than 20,000 people. (Courtesy: PILOT FLYING J)

The Trucker News Services

6/30/2010

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pilot Travel Centers LLC and Flying J Inc. announced Wednesday the completion of the merger of the two companies, creating an expanded network of more than 550 interstate travel centers and travel plazas.

In announcing the completion of the merger, the new company said it would focus on superior customer service and enhanced offerings for professional drivers and traveling motorists.

The new company, to be called Pilot Flying J, now operates in 43 states and six Canadian provinces and employs more than 20,000 people.

It is one of the top 10 privately held companies in the United States.

Pilot Flying J is selling 26 locations to Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores as required by the Federal Trade Commission as a condition for the merger.

For a list of the locations sold to Love's, click here.

“We are now one great company, two great brands,” Pilot Flying J President and CEO Jimmy Haslam, said. “Our new organization is a combination of two of the best-known brands in the travel center industry, both with strong family histories and shared values.

“So, whether you are a professional driver, a trucking company, a business traveler, a family on vacation, or a nearby resident, our new company is ready to serve your interstate fueling, dining or other consumer needs. We look forward to a bright future as our customers' preferred stop for highway hospitality.”

“The merger is a historic moment in our industry. It will be exciting to see our more than 550 locations come together, providing a complete North American network of travel centers,” Crystal Call Maggelet, chairman of the board of Flying J, said. “Our customers will benefit through new and expanded services. Outstanding customer service will continue to be a top priority at the new company.”

Maggelet will serve on the board of directors of the new company, a spokesman said.

The Federal Trade Commission terminated the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, on June 30, and the combination becomes effective July 1. In July 2009, Pilot and Flying J announced a preliminary agreement to merge the respective travel center operations.

Customers still will see the Pilot and Flying J brands on signage at the interstate facilities, Haslam said.

Pilot has begun to accept the TCH card, and Flying J has begun to accept Comdata cards.

This change gives the trucking community many more options of where to fuel that are not dependent on the card they carry, the new company said.

Other plans call for enhanced restaurant offerings with national brands in all locations. Brand additions to Flying J locations in the new network include Denny’s, Subway and Pizza Hut. In addition, there will be upgrades to drivers’ lounges, new gasoline and diesel pumps, enhanced showers and remodeled restrooms at many locations.

For more information about Pilot Travel Centers, visit http://www.pilottravelcenters.com, and for more information about Flying J, visit http://flyingj.com.

The Trucker staff can be reached to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com.