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 newest 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.
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$130 Million Agreement Reached in Comdata Class-Action Lawsuit
Fleet payment card issuer Comdata and three travel plaza chain operators have agreed to pay $130 million in settlement of a class action lawsuit filed nearly nine years ago on behalf of independent travel plaza owners. Click here to read more > -
McPherson, Kansas Shows The Love
Love's Travel Stops had previously announced their plans to build a new facility in McPherson, Kansas. They were also seeking to have the site annexed into the city so that city water would be available. As the city considered the possible annexation, the local newspaper, the McPherson Sentinel, conducted a poll to see where the citizens stood on having Love's come to their community. One hundred percent of respondents said they thought the city needed the truckstop. The annexation was approved. Click here to read more > -
New Travel Center Coming To Iowa
Construction has begun on Al's Oil Truckstop on U.S. Highway 20 in Rockwell City, Iowa. The facility will sit on a 12-acre plot of land. Calhoun County provided a $300,000 tax incentive loan to assist the owners with infrastructure needs. Neither city water nor city sewer is available at the site, so the developers will be installing wells and a waste water sanitation plant. The owners, Rollin and Mark Tiefenthaler, operate two other truckstops in Iowa. Click here to read more > -
“What happens if my truck blows a tire on the way to California, and the service truck comes out and replaces it with something that’s not the same brand and type as the original? Is an inspector later going to see that the truck has nine tires of one kind and the 10th tire is different, and give me a citation?”
Tom Wildish, director of maintenance at Freymiller Trucking, commenting on possible violations of the EPA's greenhouse gas regulations.
Click here to read more > -
Trucker Hit With Heavy Fine
A flatbed hauling an overweight load broke down on a county road in Washington state and that was just the least of the trucker's worries. County roads and bridges in the state have a weight limit of 105,500 pounds. Unfortunately, the truck was carrying a transformer with a total gross weight of 232,000 pounds. The excess weight resulted in a ticket and fine of $40,000. While oversize permits had been acquired, they were only valid on state highways and interstates. Click here to read more > -
TA Opens In Montana
TravelCenters of America has opened its 249th truckstop location and its first in the state of Montana. The company has acquired and rebranded a TA facility on Interstate 90 in Missoula. The location features 250 truck parking spaces; eight diesel lanes; a travel store with a quick-service deli; six showers; a casino; and a drivers lounge. The restaurant will undergo a total renovation and re-open as a Country Pride Restaurant. Additionally, a four bay TA Truck Service center will be built on the 30 acre site. Click here to read more > -
C-Store Operators Experience Strong 2013 Margins
According to financial information firm, Sageworks, convenience store operators experienced some of the best margins, in 2013, that they have seen in years. Net profit margins nearly doubled from 1.6 percent in 2012 to 3 percent in 2013. While the increase in margin was welcome news for operators, with an average retail pump price of $3.28 per gallon throughout 2013, the industry is still dealing with net profit margins per gallon around 10 cents. Sageworks gathers financial information from numerous sources including accounting firms, credit unions and banks and analyzes the results on an ongoing basis. Click here to read more > -
Trucking Exec Not Sold On CNG
Dallas-based Daseke Inc.'s CEO is not a fan of compressed natural gas as a fuel for his long-haul trucking companies. Don Daseke explains that his company has explored the use of CNG and finds the downsides too numerous to move forward with it. In addition to a scarcity of over the road fueling stations, the CEO also mentions the weight of the tanks and the lack of history regarding long-term reliability of the engines as areas of concern. Click here to read more > -
Another Mega Truck Dealership Emerges
Roberts Truck Centers of Amarillo, Texas and the Diamond Cos., headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., have announced a merger. The new entity, Summit Holdings, will operate 29 commercial truck and bus dealerships in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. The dealerships sell and service International, Kenworth, Volvo, Mack and Isuzu commercial vehicles. Their press release stated that truck maintenance for customers will become more seamless from the middle of Tennessee to the Arizona state border and from the Mexico border to the state line of Nebraska. Click here to read more > -
Chip And Pin Conversion Moving Forward
U.S. banks and retailers are slowly transitioning from magnetic stripe credit card technology to the next-generation of chip and pin cards. The new technology consists of embedded microchips in credit cards. Some credit card companies require consumers to use a personal identification number (PIN) during transactions. New point-of-sale equipment is required with this technology, which is common in Europe. While chip and pin should reduce loss exposure, it will not be risk-free. Click here to read more >
I might be biased, but I think if you aren't receiving Biz Brief, you are missing out! Not a subscriber? Be sure to submit a request to be added to the email list. Already receive it and have feedback for me? Be sure to email me at editor@natso.com.
- See more at: http://www.natso.com/blog/what-you-missed-in-the-biz-brief-this-week-december-4-2013-#sthash.OtWdANVl.dpuf
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