In today’s information-overloaded business world, we often find ourselves deluged with literally hundreds of news items from dozens of sources. While it is likely impossible to read every article and remain productive, by not doing so we risk missing the one article that could change a key business practice or thought process. And that is where the NATSO Foundation’s publication, Biz Brief, provides assistance! The NATSO Foundation's Biz Brief is a daily collection of the most relevant business intelligence for truckstop and travel plaza operators.
While we think the Biz Brief is a must-read every day, if you only read ten news articles this week, these ten most-clicked Biz Brief articles are the ten to read.
- Bulk DEF Prices Climb
While retail prices of diesel exhaust fluid remains stable at the pump, the price of the product delivered by less-than-truckload and totes increased in September. Prices for both forms of delivery increased by two cents per gallon during the month. The average pump price stayed at $2.79 per gallon for the sixth consecutive month with prices firm in 29 of the 47 states with DEF pumps. Click here to read more > - Could Dropping Oil Prices Threaten Economic Recovery?
While consumers are cheering the decline in gas prices in recent weeks, experts fear a prolonged weakness in crude oil prices may ultimately "endanger the vitality of the U.S. oil boom, which has been a major contributor to the economic recovery." Click here to read more > - Love's to Add California Location
Love's Travel Stops soon will add another facility to its network of California travel centers. The company plans to open its 9th California location in spring 2015. The stop will feature an Arby's restaurant, 84 truck parking spaces, 16 gas pumps, eight diesel pumps and seven private showers. Additionally, the location will offer a Love's Truck Tire Care center. Click here to read more > -
Wright Express Introduces New Fuel Card
WEX Inc. is reporting that the new card, named All Roads, will be a fleet tool that will be accepted at over 70,000 sites around the country, including 1,700 truck stops. The fleet service provider says that cardholders will receive their Over-The-Road fuel discounts at these travel center locations. WEX recently reported that its second quarter fuel transaction in 2014 had increased 6 percent over the same period last year. Click here to read more > - Total Oil CEO Dies In Plane Crash
Christophe de Margerie, the CEO of French oil company Total, was killed yesterday in a corporate plane crash in Moscow. The plane struck a snowplow that had driven onto the runway. De Margerie, 63, was chief executive of Europe's third largest oil company since 2007. Click here to read more > - Rain Slows Oklahoma Pilot Dealer Opening
The Thunder Travel Plaza's planned opening of the Enid, Okla., facility has been delayed by one week as a result of heavy rain. The Pilot Travel Center dealer location will be the second operation for this partnership in the state with another stop situated in Choctaw on Interstate 40. Prakash Gupta and Andrew Gellar are opening the Enid location, which has been closed for several years following a fire. Click here to read more > - Walmart Cuts Health Care Insurance
Walmart recently announced that it is cutting health insurance from part-time employees who work less than 30 hours per week. According to Walmart Sr. VP of Global Benefits Sally Welborn, “Like every company, Walmart continues to face rising health care costs. This year, the expenses were significant and led us to make some tough decisions as we begin our annual enrollment.” The decision will affect less than two percent of the retailer's employees. Click here to read more > - Tom Love Receives Transportation Award
Tom Love, the founder and Executive Chairman of Love's Travel Stops, is the recipient of the fourth annual Guardian of Transportation award. The award is bestowed by the Transportation Revenues Used Strictly For Transportation group. The group advocates for the funding of Oklahoma's transportation infrastructure. The group's president Neal McCaleb, who is a former secretary of transportation and director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, said the award is presented annually to an individual who exemplifies excellence in all areas of the transportation industry. Click here to read more > -
Trucking Execs Take Fitness Challenge
Fleet executives understand well the health issues and concerns facing today's professional drivers. A recent study found that truck drivers are twice as likely to be obese than the rest of the U.S. adult working population. Eighty-eight percent of drivers reported at least one risk factor—such as high blood pressure, smoking, or obesity—for chronic illness. Executives recently put forth the Healthy Trucker Challenge to compare their steps taken with a team of professional drivers. Click here to read more > - Diesel Availability Climbs
The number of gas stations and convenience stores in the United States has been falling over the past decade. At the same time, the number of retailers offering diesel fuel is growing. Historically, half of America's gas stations carried diesel, but that number has now risen to 55 percent. Some parts of the country, such as the Rocky Mountain region, offer diesel at 65 percent of all stations. Click here to read more >
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