The merger of Pilot and Flying J travel plaza is not a blessing to many truck drivers

What is going in the driver's lounge? I always thought they would eliminate half of the showers, laundry, and lounge. That space could be used for a Subway.

 

Who uses the lounge anyway? All I ever see in there are homeless vagrants, soaking the seats with piss while they drool on themselves. Of course, then again, those might be Barr-Nunn drivers on their ten hour break.

 

I only sit in there waiting on a shower. Or I will play video games, I love playing Silent Scope for an hour on a dollar.

 

And the answer was???

 

You're right, though, it is nice having the extra space if you're waiting for a shower other than standing in the aisles of a Pilot. But I've noticed some Pilots have begun putting shower monitors in the Arby's whatever restaurant is there. As long as they don't remove any of the showers to make space for something else.

This really does signal the victory of convenience store style truck stops over the old style. As much as driver's always talk about how much they want a nice restaurant, lounge, etc., nobody wants to spend money. It may seem like a lot to spend a few hundred dollars on fuel, but the profit margin there is very low.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/12/31/aa.confessions.gas.station.owner/index.html

 

Did you read the article, or just not compare the "margin" to what they consider to be "high profit margin"?

This is from your linked article...second or third paragraph. when you consider how many thousands of gallons are purchased on the "truck" side alone, and factor in an additional 7 cpg, for the diesel, along with a percentage that aren't getting the "discount" from corporate rates...the profit is still quite impressive.

While the "margin" may be less when compared to the "margin of profit" on the "tourist junk" (over 700%), it is an easy statement to make that the "profit margin is low" on fuel sales. No matter how you look at, or compare the numbers...these "stations" are maximizing, and increasing their profits by reducing the overhead:

1. Reducing staffing to a minimum needed to operate the business.
2. Reducing or eliminating "non essential functions".

Given these minimal conclusions and/or concessions, the T/S business is actually a very profitable experience...and if it weren't for individual or corporate greed...the T/S would and could be, the good, desirable business it used to be...from a consumers standpoint especially!

 

If it were such a profitable business, I would imagine there would not be so many going out of business. Or, like around Seattle, you would see more or at least proper upkeep of the ones that are there. Sure, property values are higher there, but if truck stops were so profitable you would expect to see more with such high demand.

Or how does Flying J go out of business if they're making so much off of fuel. Sure their entire fuel business was mismanaged, but with so many locations and millions of gallons of fuel sold, you would expect them to be in good shape.

Mismanagement alone cannot account for Flying J, TA, and all the Mom and Pop places going down, in addition to Petro (many locations).

 

The J's problem was from buying oil on the futures market and it all came crashing down when the economy tanked.

 

Minimal margin Truckstops often have relatively little profit on diesel
By Misty Bell

http://www.truckersnews.com/feature-article-drilling-for-diesel/
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