2017 Year In Review

January 1, 2018

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JANUARY

The NATSO Show
Travel plaza and truckstop operators and industry vendors meet in Savannah, Georgia, Jan. 21–24 for The NATSO Show 2017.


FEBRUARY

NATSO Foundation Invites Truckstops to First of Many Anti-Human Trafficking Coalition Meetings
Hosted by Truckers Against Trafficking, the coalition meetings provide an opportunity to educate members of the business community, transportation and law enforcement about human trafficking. They also serve as an open forum to discuss human trafficking trends in regional areas and to explore collective ways to combat this crime.

MARCH

Profitable Retail Review
NATSO formally launches the Profitable Retail Review program. Led by Darren Schulte, NATSO’s vice president of membership, the custom assessment of your truckstop includes recommendations for every aspect of your facility including actionable ideas to improve revenue and tactical ways to improve your net operating costs.

APRIL

NATSO Foundation Partners with DHS Blue Campaign to Fight Human Trafficking
The NATSO Foundation announced a new partnership between the NATSO Foundation and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Blue Campaign to combat human trafficking. 

MAY

NATSO Day on the Hill
The truckstop and travel plaza industry stormed Capitol Hill May 15-17 as part of NATSO’s annual Day on the Hill. More than 60 NATSO members came to Washington, D.C., to urge lawmakers to find permanent, sustainable solutions to the Highway Trust Fund that don’t harm exit-based businesses, which are frequently the economic backbone of towns and communities located near federal Interstates.

House Drops Repeal of Debit Swipe Fee Reforms
House Republicans dropped language from the Financial Choice Act that would have repealed the debit swipe fee reforms implemented under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. For nearly a year, NATSO and its partners in the Merchants Payments Coalition led efforts to strip the repeal of debit swipe fee reforms from the Financial Choice Act. NATSO members played a pivotal role in this successful advocacy effort during NATSO’s annual Day on Capitol Hill.

JUNE

How to Win at Truckstop Inventory Management Webinar
Truckstops have a lot of inventory, and managing this inventory is essential to any net operating cost improvement plan. During this webinar, Schulte taught webinar participants essential truckstop inventory management tactics. Watch the webinar at www.natso.com/truckstopinventory.

JULY

NATSO Food and Fuel Study Tour
The NATSO Foundation took truckstop operators and guests to Chicago July 18–20 to learn how to add biodiesel to their truckstop and to learn from food service innovators. In this two-day event sponsored by Renewable Energy Group, operators saw and learned about these business boosters while networking and learning from their peers. Watch a video about the event at www.natso.com/foodandfuelvideo.

AUGUST

NATSO Testifies at EPA Hearing Examining Renewable Fuel Standard
NATSO testified Aug. 1 at an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing examining the agency's proposed 2018 renewable volume obligations under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). NATSO testified that while there is room for improvement in the proposal, overall EPA has aptly implemented the RFS in the face of extensive political and substantive challenges and that the RFS has helped create a regulatory regime where NATSO members can incorporate renewable fuels such as biodiesel into their fuel supply as a means of making diesel fuel less expensive for customers.

OCTOBER

NATSO Remakes Annual Show, Heads to Nashville in 2018
NATSO announced in October the reinvention its annual convention and trade show. The NATSO Show was renamed to NATSO Connect to better fit its focus—forming meaningful connections for truckstop and travel plaza owners and operators and their vendors. NATSO Connect will kick off in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 10.

NOVEMBER

Environmental Protection Agency Rejects Petition to Alter Compliance Responsibility Under the RFS
Marking a major victory for truckstop operators, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected proposals to change the current compliance structure under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). EPA’s decision came after a small segment of the U.S. refining industry spent more than a year encouraging policymakers to shift the compliance responsibility under the RFS from refiners and importers to fuel marketers. A diverse group of more than 35 organizations and companies led by NATSO and representing a majority of the fuel sector, including downstream blenders, fuel retailers, marketers, and consumers at the federal and state levels, strongly opposed the shift.

DECEMBER

NATSO and EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) Offer Webinar on New Requirements
The EPA issued final regulations in June 2015 regarding underground storage tank (UST) system operation and maintenance requirements. EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) provide NATSO members with an exclusive opportunity to discuss the new requirements in detail, providing tips for compliance and answering questions you may have about the regulation’s implementation. Email Amy Toner at atoner@natso.com to receive a copy of the slides.

NATSO

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