Haskel Thompson & Associates Joins NATSO Chairman’s Circle Providing Executive Search Solutions

Cultivating a safety culture takes time, and structured, role-specific training programs customized for the various areas of the travel center can protect employees and customers alike. In addition to training employees receive when they’re hired, operators should offer are ongoing trainings, including post-accident and seasonal safety, to keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s mind. “We believe safety is owned by every team member,” Mark Sorine, vice president, enterprise safety and security at Pilot. “Each week, we share a safety message with our stores and ask managers to discuss it with their teams. These messages often focus on trends or situations within the travel center industry. Continuous improvement is a priority, and we conduct multiple safety audits to maintain our processes and standards for safety and security.”

The NATSO Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded two $5,000 educational scholarships through the Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship program to students with ties to the truck stop and travel center industry.    Recipients of the NATSO Foundation’s 2025 Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship are:  Christine Blystone, TA Sayre #0152, Sayre, OK Brynn Marsh, Sapp Bros., Inc., Omaha, NE  “The NATSO Foundation was able to provide these scholarships again through the generosity of travel center companies, individuals and vendor companies,” said Amy Toner, executive director of the NATSO Foundation. “Donations are critical to maintaining this long-standing tradition, and donors can pledge their support year-round.

These are the final weeks to submit a Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship application. Truckstop and travel center employees and their legal dependents can apply until May 1, 2025. Employees and their legal dependents who have applied or enrolled to an accredited trade school, college or university are eligible.   Two $5,000 scholarships will be awarded this year.

Change is happening throughout the truck stop and travel center industry, and Joe Zietlow, industry and trade association manager for Kwik Trip Inc. and NATSO’s 2025 chairman, said operators have to adjust to continue meeting the needs of their customers.  While speaking during NATSO Connect 2025, Zietlow shared lessons from the book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, MD, about anticipating, preparing for and managing change. The book follows four characters—Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw—who live in a maze and depend on cheese as their source of happiness and sustenance.

AMBEST has generously donated $5,000 to support the NATSO Foundation’s Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship program. The contribution will fully fund one of the five, $5,000 scholarships the NATSO Foundation will award this year.

The NATSO Foundation is pleased to announce it has awarded $25,000 in educational scholarships through the Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship program to five students with ties to the truck stop and travel center industry.    “Through the incredible generosity of travel center companies, individuals and vendor companies, we were able to again provide these scholarships,” said Amy Toner, Executive Director of the NATSO Foundation. “The Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship Program has been awarding scholarships for more than 30 years.” 

Truck stop and travel center operators can increase retention with improved benefits. Gather seven employee benefits ideas.

Truck stop and travel center operators who cast a wide net when recruiting will increase the likelihood of finding quality candidates with the right skills and attract a diverse group of employees. For Coffee Cup Fuel Stops locations, attracting a diverse range of candidates is important because they, like many travel centers, are in unpopulated areas. “We cast a wide net and use all kinds of mechanisms for recruiting,” Ericka Schapekahm, director of human resources for Coffee Cup Fuel Stops said. “We have floats in every parade. We do volunteer work. In Vermillion, the manager runs the Toast Master Group,” Schapekahm said. “It is fun, but it is intentional.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 on Apr. 23 to approve a ban on new noncompete agreements for all workers. The ban includes a small carve-out that will allow […]

This is the final week to submit a Bill and Carolyn Moon Scholarship application. Truckstop and travel center employees and their legal dependents can apply until May 17, 2024. Employees and their legal dependents […]

Article created for the digital issue of the NATSO Foundation’s magazine Last month, I had the pleasure of attending the 2024 NAG Conference in Tampa, Florida as their guest. There were several […]

The Labor Department on Apr. 23 published a final rule updating the regulations for the overtime “white collar” salary exemption. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, certain employees are exempted […]