Get that Fuel Ticket - TA/Petro

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Then they should call themselves Truck Stops, not Travel Centers. And why have gas at all? You seem to think that all the money is in diesel fuel. Amazing how many places sell only gas and do quite well! I guess as a useless to them van driver, I'll be better off just doing as I've been doing and stay away from the van haters at TA/Petro!!!

LOL...easy Bill.....yo notice Loves stay away from ALL vans......smart move on their part...They don't want us to park there/ no program...NO BULL.....I actually buy their fuel and coffee and ice....because there is no false illusions....
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
LOL...easy Bill.....yo notice Loves stay away from ALL vans......smart move on their part...They don't want us to park there/ no program...NO BULL.....I actually buy their fuel and coffee and ice....because there is no false illusions....

Now that's funny.

You give them business because they make it apparent they don't need your business.

Van logic ?
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I like that term.... van logic!

Sent from my Fisher Price - ABC 123
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Now that's funny.

You give them business because they make it apparent they don't need your business.

Van logic ?

hey..they are (Loves) are pretty honest about it....They don't let us sleep in their parking areas for the most part and they offer no programs.....No Bull....I can respect that...I spend more at Loves then at TA/Petro....
 

ConfusedMuse

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Here you go............I just sent this in to the TA customer service desk. I got the standard thank you for contacting us line. Hope it helps you all out.

I am an expediter. I have driven cargo vans,and tractor trailers. I check in often to Expeditersonline, and so should you. It is deplorable that cargo van drivers who are also out on our nations highways providing a much needed service are not recognized in a better way with your rewards card. When your fuel, whether gas or diesel only holds 50 gal, it is almost impossible to fuel 50 gal @ a time thus earning the coveted "free shower". You are loosing out on some business that is available for the taking.........by refusing to address the need that is apparent, you are in effect throwing away customers because you don't care for the little people.
I for one would do some much needed first aid, and assign someone in your company to do some major customers first repair work, and take care of these people sooner, rather than later.
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
If you buy 25 gallons today,twenty five the next day, you get a free shower. 50 gallons =free shower.
One company here negotiated with a chain to give his guys a free shower . The company is probably sharing the cost with the TS chain. It's bad to have guys show up at a pick up 5 or 6 days after a weekly shower.
Talk to your company about taking some inititive.
 

AMonger

Veteran Expediter
As much as I always wanted the shower, if there isn't enough profit in a tankful to pay for the shower and leave them with profit, there's no way they can offer it. A little profit on 1000 gallons beats no profit on 10 billion gallons, so telling them of all the volume of unprofitable business they're passing by won't make a difference.
I wish it weren't so, but it is.
Or, as former baseball player Oscar Gamble once said, "They don't think it be like it is, but it do."
 

scottm4211

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
As much as I always wanted the shower, if there isn't enough profit in a tankful to pay for the shower and leave them with profit, there's no way they can offer it. A little profit on 1000 gallons beats no profit on 10 billion gallons, so telling them of all the volume of unprofitable business they're passing by won't make a difference.
I wish it weren't so, but it is.
Or, as former baseball player Oscar Gamble once said, "They don't think it be like it is, but it do."

So then why do I get a shower with 15 gallons?
 

xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
No our carrier worked a deal. Not like you would ever use them all anyway so it really doesn't hurt pilot/j as far as actual showers used.

Sent from my Fisher Price - ABC 123
 

zorry

Veteran Expediter
They probably take total gallons for month,divide by 50, and compare showers earned vs showers used.
Load One pays for excess showers if it ever occurs.
Plus Load One has enough big trucks to cover the difference.
Question of the day to CVers. How often do you shower ?
 

paullud

Veteran Expediter
I understand that they say they are working to get expediters business but maybe they are referring to ST. Maybe they have adjusted their rewards program to the value they see or maybe vanners are putting to much value on themselves and TA/Petro not enough. The TA/Petro showers are much better than Pilot/Flying J so why would they want to lower the value of something they take pride in.

Sent from my ADR6400L using EO Forums mobile app
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Is it safe to say, based on Paullud's response, that van business isn't welcome at TA/Petro?
It's probably safe to state that, but I don't think it's accurate. I think van business is more than welcome at the TA, it's just that they aren't actively and intelligently soliciting and courting the van business.

Like I said, their program for van expediters works very well, as long as you use diesel and you get fuel at the big pumps. It works even better if you are in a van that uses diesel and you are with a carrier that gets you the big fuel discounts. The 50 accumulated gallons over a 5-day period is a really nice accommodation for vans, considering how their program has always worked. The problem, of course, is when gas vans enter the program and the UltraONE card isn't accepted at the gas pumps, and the required effort (hoops to jump through) necessary to get the transaction credited on the card. It's an incredibly aggravating waste of time for gas vanners to participate in the program, and any loyalty program must by definition be quick, simple and easy to use.

When you run the numbers you can quickly see why there is no reason to worry about a few vans. 75,000miles/18mpg=4167 gallons * 3.30 a gallon is $13,751 The total revenue would be under $16k if you throw in $2k for food/drink but that is only if they did 100% of their fill ups there. A TT at 110,000 miles/ 6mpg= 18333gallons * 3.92 a gallon is $71865 then throw in $2k for food/drink, plus another $3k for PM's, plus another $5k for other repairs and that is over over $81k.
Using your own numbers, the van business represents 20% of their revenue. Of course there are many more big trucks than vans on the road, so it's probably more like 4-5% of revenue, but 5% of revenue is nothing to sneeze at times thousands of vans.

When the Pilot and Flying J merged, and Pilot quickly converted the Flying J card into a Pilot card, with none of the expedite van benefits of the Flying J card remaining, they ran the numbers, too, and found, in the words of someone I know who works at Pilot corporate in Knoxville, "significant drops in same-store fuel and convenience store revenue" due to the vans moving elsewhere. The revenue drops were significant enough that they quickly revamped their loyalty program to actively seek out and court the van business. And it worked.

As an added note, FWIW, I've never been kicked out of a Loves parking lot. I've also had several free showers there. I'm buying something at the convenience store.... "Do you have a Loves card?" "No, I'm in a cargo van, and I'll never buy enough fuel to get a free shower." (poor, poor, pitiful me, but I am shopping here anyway). "Oh, I can give you a free shower. Do you want a shower?" (noting that it looks like I need one). "Sure! Thanks!" LOL
 
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