Advocacy

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa for alleged monopolization of debit network markets. The complaint, filed earlier this week, alleges that Visa illegally […]

Representatives from the Clean Freight Coalition (CFC), of which NATSO is a member, met with officials from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office) July 26 to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transitioning the nation’s commercial truck fleet to low- and zero-emission vehicles. Sapp Bros. Chief Executive Officer Andy Richard attended the meetings on behalf of NATSO.

The Clean Freight Coalition, of which NATSO is a member, on July 19 applauded 30 lawmakers who signed a bipartisan letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urging the agency to revise its proposed rule for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles.

On Tuesday, May 16, NATSO members will meet with federal lawmakers.

NATSO’s Day on Capitol Hill, the annual gathering when industry leaders meet with their lawmakers to discuss issues affecting the travel center and truckstop industry, is scheduled to be held May 15-17 at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

NATSO said Illinois’s new tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel bought or used in the state starting June 1 is a bad policy that will increase costs and increase emissions […]

NATSO issued the following statement in response to the Department of Transportation and the Department of Energy’s Sept. 23, 2022, plan outlining the government’s strategy for scaling sustainable aviation fuels production across […]

The truckstop and travel plaza industry kicks off its annual Day on Capitol Hill event this week to urge Congress to address the need for sound, technology-neutral energy policy.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), along with President Biden, on July 27 announced a deal on a $740 billion reconciliation bill. The more than 700-page bill includes a broad energy tax title that will rework existing biofuel and alternative fuel incentive structures for the next several years, as well as health and tax components. The Senate intends to vote on the legislation next week, with the House likely soon thereafter.

NATSO urged the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in a Mar. 31 letter to formally withdraw its 2020 non-enforcement directive allowing food trucks to operate at rest areas within the Interstate […]

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On July 9, President Biden issued a sweeping Executive Order directing federal regulatory agencies to take a variety of steps that would fundamentally alter the government’s regulation of businesses’ competitive practices.

Members of Congress left Washington after another week without measurable progress toward a bipartisan coronavirus relief bill. The White House has signaled a new willingness to support a $1.5 trillion bill, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to insist on at least $2.2 trillion.

A federal district court ruled that portions of the Trump Administration’s revised “joint employer” rule violated the Administrative Procedure Act and conflicts with the Fair Labor Standards Act.

NATSO, representing the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas, the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) urged Members of Congress to oppose the Moving Forward Act, a $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill, ahead of today’s House vote. The legislation includes a focus on climate change policies but includes provisions that will discourage private businesses from investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure and stifle the market’s transition to electric vehicles.

This term cash management sounds simple enough to start, but it can be one of the most challenging and complex tasks in your business. Failure to have proper controls and safeguards in place can result in a disastrous situation that will likely leave you in trouble. However, there are several steps you can take to improve your operation and increase efficiencies. Let’s start by breaking this into several key areas.

Kwik Trip, which operates 650 convenience stores in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, encourages its 23,000 employees to take part in its grassroots efforts at both the state and federal level.

More than 60 NATSO members spent May 14– 16 in Washington, D.C. as part of the industry’s annual advocacy event.

NATSO led a group of 15 trade associations representing off-highway communities, businesses, alternative fuel advocates and the National Federation of the Blind in urging members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to oppose efforts to commercialize Interstate rest areas as they consider infrastructure legislation this year.

A federal Court has preliminarily approved a proposed settlement of a maximum of approximately $6.24 billion and a minimum of at least $5.54 billion in a class action lawsuit, called In re Payment Card Interchange Fee and Merchant Discount Antitrust Litigation, MDL 1720 (MKB) (JO). The lawsuit is about claims that merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard cards because Visa and Mastercard, individually, and together with their respective member banks, violated the antitrust laws. A number of NATSO members who may be a part of this class have sought guidance as to how this process will proceed and what steps they should take as part of this process.

For the past three years I have had the privilege of serving as chairman of NATSO’s board of directors, and I have so many thoughts and memories as my term comes to a close. I am grateful for the many relationships and connections I’ve made not only as chairman, but also as a NATSO member. I attended my first NATSO trade show in New Orleans 1989 and my affinity for the association and the members has continually increased since then.

In the largest-ever class-action settlement of a U.S. antitrust case, Visa and Mastercard agreed to pay between $5.54 billion and $6.24 billion to a class of more than 12 million merchants who accept the payment networks’ cards, according to a regulatory filing on Tuesday.

More than 60 NATSO members spent May 16–18 in Washington, D.C., advocating for long-term, sustainable infrastructure funding, an increase to the federal motor fuels taxes, and urging lawmakers to reject proposals that would harm off-highway businesses and communities, such as tolling or commercial rest areas.

As NATSO members crisscrossed Capitol Hill to advocate for long-term, sustainable infrastructure funding, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said the Administration continues to evaluate nearly 16 funding mechanisms for boosting infrastructure revenues.

The truckstop and travel plaza industry kicked off its annual Day on Capitol Hill event May 15 to push for sustainable highway funding as well as to voice concerns about the Administration’s call to liberalize tolling policy and commercialize Interstate rest areas.

These days it seems like federal lawmakers are always campaigning. The U.S. Constitution calls for members of the House of Representatives to run for re-election every two years. These rules […]

The U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 7 voted 242-181 in favor of the Save Local Business Act (H.R. 3441) which, if enacted, would redefine the definition of joint employer under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The U.S. Supreme Court said Oct. 16 that it will hear an antitrust case examining American Express’s rules that bar merchants from encouraging customers to use one credit card over another, a practice known as “steering.” The decision offers new hope to retailers who for years have argued that American Express’s merchant agreements violate antitrust laws and result in higher costs for consumers.

NATSO joined eight trade associations representing thousands of food retailers in urging Congress to reject recent proposals to impose new processing and credit card swipe fees on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) authorized retailers as higher costs and administrative complexities threaten their ability to provide affordable food to vulnerable Americans.

President Trump on Aug. 15 signed an executive order that set a two-year goal for the federal government to complete the permitting process for infrastructure projects.

Businesses have invested heavily in real estate off interstate exits and allowing states to flip highway policy on its head and permit commercial rest areas after more than 50 years of established rules would devastate, truckstops, fuel retailers, convenience stores, hotel and blind vendors, NATSO told the Independent Journal Review in a recent interview.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) on Aug. 8 urged the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to hold New York state accountable for its violation of the federal law prohibiting commercial rest areas.

NATSO members made their annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill May 15–17, meeting with Senators and Members of Congress to voice how vitally important the truckstop and travel plaza industry is to the national economy and how Congressional votes affect the industry’s ability to thrive.

Marking a major victory for retailers, Politico late yesterday announced that House Republicans plan to drop language from the Financial Choice Act that would have repealed the debit swipe fee reforms which have saved businesses and consumers billions since being implemented under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

The House Financial Services Committee on May 4 favorably reported the CHOICE Act, legislation that would roll back a number of the reforms in the Dodd Frank financial reform legislation, including debit reforms known as the Durbin Amendment that have been critical for retailers.

On May 2, the House Financial Services Committee began examining the CHOICE Act, legislation that would repeal many provisions of the Dodd Frank Financial Reform Act, including critical debit reform provisions known as the Durbin Amendment. NATSO strongly supports the Durbin Amendment and is working to ensure that it is not repealed.

The House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to meet today May 2 to consider legislation that would roll back many of the reforms contained in the Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform Act, including the so-called Durbin Amendment, which implemented much-needed debit reforms. The legislation is likely to be approved by the Committee, setting up the potential for the full House of Representatives to consider the legislation in the coming weeks.

President Donald Trump said that the Administration could release an infrastructure plan as early as mid-May that is expected to focus heavily on public-private partnerships for funding.

TravelCenters of America and NATSO hosted Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) at TA’s Foristell, Mo., location April 19 as part of a congressional site visit designed to discuss issues of importance to the truckstop and travel plaza community.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) is expected to introduce legislation before the end of this month that would repeal debit card swipe fee reform, commonly known as the Durbin Amendment.

A bipartisan group of nearly 60 members of the U.S. House of Representatives recently called on the House Appropriations Committee leaders to include language in the Fiscal Year 2018 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would delay the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) new joint employer liability standard.

President Donald Trump intends to push a $1 trillion infrastructure plan that is expected to materialize this spring. The President’s plan for rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure is expected to rely on private investment instead of the federal government to back transportation projects.

More than 900 members of the retail community including NATSO members urged Congress to refrain from taking up legislation that would repeal debit card swipe fee reform, commonly known as the “Durbin Amendment.”

Speaking at The NATSO Show 2017, David Fialkov, NATSO’s vice president of government affairs, told attendees that he expects an increased interest in tolling and rest area commercialization as lawmakers look to boost infrastructure funding levels.

As states have looked to shore up fiscal budgets in recent years, many of them have turned to increases in the gasoline and diesel motor fuel excise taxes. 2017 is no different, with increases in eight states taking effect as of Jan. 1, 2017. Two states – New York and West Virginia – will see slight reductions based on automatic adjustments. A summary of the changes are below.

NATSO has learned that U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is expected as early as next week to introduce legislation that seeks to repeal debit card swipe fee reform, commonly known as the “Durbin Amendment.”

With Members of Congress back in their districts for the remainder of the year, it is clear that the biodiesel tax credit will not be extended before Jan. 1. Although […]

NATSO has planned a detailed post-election analysis and preview of the next Congress and Presidential Administration for lunch on Monday, January 23, 2017, during The NATSO Show.

More than six hundred businesses, including multiple NATSO members, wrote to Congress to oppose efforts to repeal the “Durbin Amendment.” As NATSO members are aware, the Durbin Amendment was included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and reformed the anti-competitive debit card market by placing caps on interchange fees in debit swipe transactions.

Donald Trump has been elected the 45th President of the United States. His victory has stunned pollsters, political prognosticators, and represents a severe rebuke to the political and media establishment. Voters have selected the ultimate political outsider.

Many NATSO members joined more than 120 companies representing a broad cross-section of the U.S. economy in urging Members of Congress to reconsider legislation that would repeal debit card fee reforms implemented under the Durbin Amendment of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act.

NATSO joined more than 160 national and state trade associations representing retailers and employers, in voicing strong opposition to H.R. 5465 and language in the CHOICE ACT that would repeal the debit reforms in the 2010 financial services reform legislation known as the Durbin Amendment.

Marking a major victory for retailers, a federal appeals court today threw out the $7.25 billion antitrust settlement that Visa and MasterCard had reached with millions of retailers over the high swipe fees that retailers pay each time a customer uses a credit card ruling that it was unfair to retailers who stood to receive no payments and little or no benefit.

American Express on May 26 filed an emergency request with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to pause an injunction that bars the company from prohibiting merchants from steering customers toward a particular card or payment method.

A federal judge ruled March 26 that a California law banning retailers from charging customers a surcharge on credit card purchases is unconstitutional because it is too vague and violates the First Amendment right of free speech, PYMNTS.com has reported.

Some of the biggest decisions affecting your business aren’t made in the truckstop.

A growing list of bankrupt public private partnerships, including the failed Indiana Toll Road, has Congress reassessing the role of private investment in transportation infrastructure, Bloomberg BNA reported.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has weighed in with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the Federal Reserve’s rule on the debit “swipe fee” failed to follow the law, according to published reports.

The legal challenge over the transaction fees that retailers are forced to charge customers when they swipe a debit card moved one step closer to the Supreme Court Aug. 18, when retail and merchant groups petitioned the nation’s highest court to hear the case.

Did you know NATSO has partnered with First Data Merchant Services to offer NATSO members a cost effective, competitive solution for processing credit card transactions?

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said he wants a five to six-year highway bill, but he rejects higher fuel taxes as a means of paying for it.

The U.S. District Court in Washington has agreed to maintain the current regulations governing swipe fees while the Federal Reserve appeals the recent ruling that it set the cap on debit transactions too high.

The Federal Reserve announced late Aug. 21 that it will appeal the recent ruling by the U.S. District Court in Washington that it set the cap on debit card transactions too high.

The judge who rejected the Federal Reserve’s regulations governing debit fees under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act gave the Federal Reserve just one more week to come up with a position on interim fee reductions and a timeline for permanently installing new lower fees. He also suggested that retailers should be repaid by financial services companies for millions of dollars in overcharges.

A Judge for the U.S. District Court in Washington this morning rejected the Federal Reserve’s regulations governing swipe fees under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, ruling that the agency set the cap too high on debit-card transactions.

Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell is urging Congress to lift the ban on interstate tolling as a method of increasing revenues into the Highway Trust Fund.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have asked the Federal Reserve Board to revisit the fee levels set in the debit fee rules standard established after passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform legislation.

Lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday debated the possibility of increasing the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax for the first time since 1993.

Beginning July 1, a number of states will see changes to the price of fuel at the pump as new taxes take effect.

At least 18 state legislatures have either passed tax increases this year to fund infrastructure or are considering it.

Increasing the federal motor fuels tax is the simplest, fairest and least invasive way to increase revenues for infrastructure spending, USA Today stated in a recent editorial.

Chair of the Iowa House Transportation Committee, Rep. Josh Byrnes, R-Osage, filed an amendment to a bill that would gradually increase the state fuel tax by 10 cents, though the measure awaits floor debate in the Iowa House.

More than 50 NATSO members made their annual pilgrimage to Washington, D.C., last week to meet with lawmakers about the critically important issues of highway funding and interstate tolling.

When Congress gets to work next year on renewing the highway trust fund, increasing fuel taxes to fund highway infrastructure is going to be a tough sell, according to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).

One of NATSO’s primary roles is to deliver solutions to members’ challenges. Each day members tap into the expertise of NATSO’s staff for answers to some of their most pressing questions. Stop Watch compiled some recent member inquiries and sat down with Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership, for detailed answers.

NATSO members planning to attend NATSO’s Day on Capitol Hill May 6 – 8 have one week remaining to make room reservations at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. NATSO’s special rate of $359 expires April 8.

NATSO is pleased to announce that Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) will be the Congressional breakfast speaker at NATSO’s annual Day on Capitol Hill, scheduled to be held May 6-8 in Washington, D.C.

In issuing its bi-annual report on swipe fees as required by law, the Federal Reserve last week said it would keep the existing interchange fee standards and fraud prevention adjustments the same. The per-transaction cap remains at 21 cents and also allows for an additional charge of 0.01 cent to cover fraud as well as .05 percent of the sales amount.

I am a firm believer in the power of knowledge, and I feel we all owe it to ourselves and our businesses to learn something new each day. Gathering information and then sharing it with each other keeps us moving toward a future that is full of promise. As an industry, we can collaborate with each other and share ideas that spur the innovation that will take us into tomorrow.

In May, NATSO members from across the country will assemble on Capitol Hill and meet face-to-face with their lawmakers to discuss the key issues facing the truckstop and travel plaza industry and protect the businesses they’ve spent years building.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead (R) has signed a bill that will increase the state’s tax on diesel and gasoline to 24 cents beginning in July, up from the current 14-cent-per-gallon tax.

The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that an appeal of the proposed swipe fee settlement should wait until after objections to the settlement are filed and heard next fall. That means that settlement notices to retailers across the country can continue to be distributed, and that retailers will have the opportunity to opt out of the monetary portion of the case and/or object to the proposed settlement. Notices will be sent to retailers who accepted Visa and/or MasterCard at any time between Jan. 1, 2004 and Nov. 27, 2012. Even if retailers submitted a declaration objecting to the proposed settlement last fall, they must respond to the notice and submit something in writing again if they want to opt-out of or object to the proposed settlement.

The 113th Congress was sworn into office last week on January 3 and as lawmakers settled in to their new offices both parties confirmed committee assignments within their caucuses.

A federal appeals court panel has denied an appeal aimed at reversing preliminary approval of the $7.25 billion settlement of the antitrust case against Visa and Mastercard.

To force merchants into an ‘agreement’ with Visa and MasterCard that leaves them worse off than without it — that just goes against all notions of fairness.

Despite unprecedented opposition from merchants, on Friday a federal judge gave preliminary approval of a $7.2 billion settlement of litigation against Visa, MasterCard and several large banks.

NATSO announced today that it has joined others in rejecting a proposed settlement of the antitrust lawsuit brought by merchants, including NATSO, alleging that Visa, MasterCard and national banks collude to set artificially high swipe fees.

NATSO’s annual Congressional Pie Reception featured in The Washington Scene.

I urge you to consider making spring 2012 one you won’t forget. Get involved in the NATSO Day on Capitol Hill. Go see your elected officials at their office. You will be impressed with what you can do.