WWW.NATS O.

C O M

S E PTE M B E R / O CTO B E R 2 014

THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF NATSO, REPRESENTING THE

TRUCKSTOP AND TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY

POLITICS
AND PIE
AT DAY ON CAPITOL HILL

Healthcare
Update
Good Design
Goes Beyond
Paint and
Graphics
Excellence in
Shop Repair

CHAIRMANS LETTER

Calling on Congress

A
TOM HEINZ
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

s the owners and operators of highway-based businesses, we know how

important a strong, national infrastructure is to our nation, our local communities and our economy.
As constituents, it is frustrating to watch
our lawmakers when we feel like theyre
not doing what we elected them to do.
This year, I, like many others, have been
concerned that members of Congress have
not passed a long-term highway bill.
During NATSOs Day on the Hill,
NATSO members took to Washington
D.C., calling on Congress to pass a longterm transportation bill and highlighting
the harmful effect tolling and rest area
commercialization would have on our
communities.
As I write this, Congress is still discussing the next highway bill, and it looks
like lawmakers will pass an extension of
the current bill, providing funding into
May. It is not the long-term solution we
would have liked to see, and it means we
must remain diligent in advocating for
a long-term transportation fix that does
not include tolling existing Interstates or
rest area commercialization.
That fix, whether lawmakers like it or
not, is a long-term highway bill that funds
our highway projects via the Highway
Trust Fund, not through tolling on existing interstates. The most reliable method
for funding the Highway Trust Fund is an
increase to the federal fuel tax. Taxes on
diesel and gasoline havent been increased
since 1993 and stand at 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents on diesel.
Not only has the purchasing power of that
tax money has been eroded over the last
decade, but fuel economy has improved,
placing further constraints on what the
trust fund can do. Equally important to
NATSO members and state budgets, this
increase in user fees needs to occur at the

federal level in effort of maintaining parity

of gasoline and diesel prices between states.
Regarding our Interstate Highway System
designed during President Eisenhowers administration, everyone must remain mindful, it is an interstate highway system; not an
intrastate highway system and the funding
source needs to remain accordingly.
Unfortunately, it seems that many in
Congress are reluctant to increase taxes
because they fear it will cost them during
a re-election campaign. The truth is that
Congress should have addressed the need
for highway funding years ago. As recently
reported in one of our local newspapers,
Vermillion Plain Talk, Congress has been
tapping general revenue to supplement
demands for more money from the highway program for the past decade, driving
up the national debt. We started building
and repairing our highways and bridges using I.O.U.s for some of the work, wrote
Bob Mercer, a reporter for the newspaper.
It is time to put an end to the I.O.U.s. I
urge all of you to encourage your representatives to make the difficult decisions we
need them to make. Ask them to support a
robust transportation system via the Highway Trust Fund to facilitate commerce.
Whether you email, call or meet faceto-face, take time to show your support
for the fuel tax. Convey your real-world
knowledge of how tolling and rest area
commercialization will hurt interstatebased businesses, the cities and towns in
which we operate and the drivers we serve.
Regards,

Tom Heinz
Coffee Cup Fuel Stops & Convenience
Stores, Inc.
NATSO 2014 Chairman
www.natso.com

Pump biodiesel
profits into your
business
with REG.

The Right Blend.

As the nations biodiesel leader, Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG)
is equipped to give you unmatched quality, reliable supply and
comprehensive service.
The Right Product.
We use the industrys most advanced controls to keep your customers
and your business running smoothly. Our REG-9000 biodiesel
exceeds ASTM quality specifications to deliver clean-burning
performance tank after tank.
The Right Answers.
REG-9000 biodiesel is an efficient option for any diesel engine using
your current fueling system. Well show you how your fuel profit
margins can benefit from blending biodiesel.
Arrange your free biodiesel consultation today.

Renewable Energy Group, Inc. | (888) REG-8686 | www.REGI.com

Renewable Energy Group, REG and REG-9000 are trademarks of Renewable Energy Group, Inc.
2014 Renewable Energy Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

WWW.NATSO.COM

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014

THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF NATSO, REPRESENTING THE TRUCKSTOP AND TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY

C OVE R STO RY
22 Politics & Pie:
NATSO Day on the Hill
NATSO members shared their
insights and their pie with
Members of Congress

FEATU R E S
10

RE GI STER TO

GOOD DESIGN GOES BEYOND

PAINT AND GRAPHICS
FIVE DESIGN TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT REMODEL

DAY!

14

16

THE NATSO SHOW

LEARN ABOUT REGISTERING FOR
THE NATSO SHOW 2015
FE B. 1619

Chairman
Tom Heinz

Editor
Amy Toner

President & CEO

Lisa J. Mullings

Associate Editor
Mindy Long

Stop Watch is published bimonthly by the NATSO Foundation,

1330 Braddock Place, Suite 501, Alexandria, VA 22314
Copyright 2014 by the NATSO Foundation. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means, without written permission of the publisher. All editorial materials are acceptable
and published by Stop Watch on the representation that the supplier is authorized to
publish the entire contents and subject matter. Such entities and/or their agents will
defend, indemnify and hold harmless Stop Watch and the NATSO Foundation from and
against any loss, expense or other liability resulting from claims or suits for libel, violation
of privacy, plagiarism, copyright or trademark infringement and any other claims or suits
resulting from the editorial materials. Periodicals postage 024-723 paid at Alexandria, VA
and other mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Stop Watch, 1330 Braddock Place,
Suite 501, Alexandria, VA 22314

LA S VE GA

D E PARTM E NTS
03
Chairman's Letter
CALLING ON CONGRESS

06

Great Ideas!
SEVEN STEPS TO
MINIMIZE LOSS FROM
FUEL THEFT AT YOUR
TRUCKSTOP

SHOPS INVEST IN TRAINING,

EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES
SHOP OPERATORS GET INNOVATIVE TO
STREAMLINE OPERATIONS AND MEET
CUSTOMERS NEEDS

08

Foundation Update
BUSINESS OWNERS
PREPARE FOR THE
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

25

Member Profile
YELLOW ROSE TRAVEL
PLAZA MOPS UP WELL

HOW TO BEST UTILIZE

PUMP TOPPERS AT YOUR
TRUCKSTOP

We Want to Hear From You!

Do you have comments, ideas or suggestions? Dont hesitate to contact us.

The NATSO Foundation
1330 Braddock Place, Suite 501, Alexandria, VA 22314
Email: editor@natso.com / Phone: (703) 549-2100
http://www.facebook.com/NATSOInc / www.natso.com

26

Operator 2 Operator
WHAT HAS BEEN THE
MOST SURPRISING
BREAKOUT PRODUCT/
ITEM?

DARRENS GREAT
Darren Schulte, NATSOs vice president of membership and a retail expert, writes a biweekly retail column on NATSOs
blog. We feature the best here in Stop Watch magazine. Join Schulte on NATSOs website at www.natso.com/great-ideas
to read his digestible retail tips every other Thursday.

SEVEN STEPS TO MINIMIZE LOSS FROM FUEL THEFT AT YOUR TRUCKSTOP

the better your execution. While
team members may not always
listen, they are always listening!
If you do not have a policy and
procedure, create one. Please
call me if you need help.
3.

In our industry, drive-offs are less of

an issue than they were just a short
10 years ago, but sometimes fuel
theft does occur. Here are some
steps that truckstop operators can
take to minimize loss.
1.

2.

Always thoroughly investigate

every drive-off, no matter how
small, with the team members
on duty. Any drive-off left unaddressed creates a Pandoras
box. Internal theft is still the largest percentage of loss in travel
plaza and truckstop locations.
Drive offs, while less frequent,
are an easy excuse.
Execute your drive-off policy and
procedure to the letter. Ensure
that all staff members understand the policy and procedure
that is in your operations/procedure manual. It is important
that new hires as well as staff
that dont work at the fuel desk
understand the policy. The more
eyes and ears that are available,

4.

Execute your pump authorization policy exactly as it is stated. No excuses. If it isnt followed, even when a drive-off
does not materialize, address
the non-compliance then and
there. If your policy is to verify
all plates on over-the-road purchases regardless of payment
option and you see this not taking place, be sure to ask why.
If you require transactions to be
pre-paid and/or pre-authorized
prior to a pump being turned
on, the procedure must always
be followed even if you know
the customer. Allowing exceptions begins to lead to larger
issues in the future.
If your location is blessed to
have lot attendants, runners,
maintenance persons, etc., ensure that they make it part of
their day to say hello to drivers
while they are making your operation shine. Statistics show that
thieves in general avoid recognition, so saying hello is often the
biggest deterrent. You should
also get in the habit of visiting
customers as they fuel, especially the over-the-road drivers.
Drivers talkboth with you and
amongst themselves. Good customers will see this as another

reason to stop by and spend

money with you, bad customers
will see this as a reason to go
down the road and stop somewhere that employees care less
about knowing who fuels and
spends money with them.
5.

Invest in new technologies, such

as QuikQ RFID technology and
other electronic advancements,
that make fueling easier as well
as more secure. If your video surveillance, for example, captures
license plates as they enter the
fueling stations, let your customers know with positively placed announcements. Remember, signs of
deterrence should not be negative.
You do not want your customers
to view you as an unsafe place to
stop and spend money.

6.

Invest in security equipment,

such as Flintloc, that helps protect equipment from being broken into. Break-ins can damage
the fuel dispenser internals so
that gallons are not recorded
properly. Thieves can also replace, copy or attach readers
that fraudulently capture credit
card information, leading to
charge backs or other claims.

7.

Always inspect your pumps for

break-ins, damage and safety
issues during your daily arrival
walk and during your daily departure walk. It is also makes
financial and safety sense to
have the arriving management/
shift leaders do the same thing
prior to their shifts.

FOR MORE RESOURCES on this topic visit http://www.natso.com/blog/seven-steps-to-minimize-loss-from-fuel-theft-at-your-truckstop.

6

September/October 2014

HAVE A RETAIL MERCHANDISING, MARKETING OR OPERATIONS QUESTION? Reach out to Schulte

at dschulte@natso.com or (703) 739-8562 and hell answer your question in the next
Darrens Great Ideas! for Independent Operators.

HOW TO BEST UTILIZE PUMP TOPPERS AT YOUR TRUCKSTOP

Pump toppers can be one of the
best ways to drive business into
your operation, relay a message to
shop and boost retail sales from the
fueling islands.
Depending on which expert you follow,
the impact of pump-topper messaging ranges from just some exposure
to significant exposure. Regardless of
how much exposure you receive, both
supporters and detractors agree that
it is there.

HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO BEST UTILIZE

PUMP TOPPERS:
1.

2.

Communication analyst Albert

Mehrabian did some interesting research on the effectiveness of communication channels. According to Mehrabian,
people listen visually more than
verbally. So when you market to
your customers, use visual aids,
which will make your message
more memorable. Video imagery
can be costly, but it has come
down in price significantly over
the years. If you have grandchildren, like I do, and you have
ever taken them to Six Flags
and stood in any line, video imagery of what they should be
drinking and eating works every
time. I always hear, Grandpa,
can I please have XXX
Use the pump toppers to promote those items that make you
unique. Advertise what is inside of your location and those
things that are unique to you.
Do not make the age-old mistake of assuming those who are
fueling with you know what your
operation is about.

3.

Use your fuel as a weapon to drive

inside purchases. Food is a great
category to focus on and can be
seasonal. For example, consider
creating a 10-for-10 program on
the gasoline side. In the warm
months, it could be purchase 10
large fountain drinks and get 10
cents off a gallon of gas during
your next fill up, capped at 20
gallons. A fall/winter promotion
could be to purchase 10 large
coffees and get 10 cents off a gallon of gas during your next fill up,
capped at 20 gallons.

4.

Consider adding freestanding markers with promotions or

identifiers that are driving customers into the operation, such
as promotions around breakfast
sandwiches, drinks or snacks.
If you have the ability, change
them out during lunchtime with
a new food offering. When you
use actual props, models or concrete objects, the message becomes even stronger.

5.

On the diesel side, time is critical

to the over-the-road driver. You

want to encourage fueling customers to spend money inside.

But, it is important to remember
that often times owner operators
have just spent $400 to put fuel in
their trucks. They are not thinking
about spending more money. If
anything they may be feeling buyers remorse. When creating messages for them, be smart about
what you promote. Also keep in
mind that they are working Monday through Friday and are less
inclined to shop, just as we are
during the week. Food should be
your focus here, specifically the
fast, quality grab-n-go meals. If
you are going to promote truck
supply items and frequent-fueled
opportunities, make sure they are
speaking to drivers needs. Wants
do not have the same impact on
a purchaser during working hours.
No matter what message you decide
on, it needs to emphasize why your location is the stop of choice. Use the
toppers to promote what you have to
offer along with the features and benefits you have that others do not.

www.natso.com

FOUNDATION UPDATE

Business Owners Prepare for the Affordable Care Act

BY MINDY LONG
or business owners, the Affordable Care Act brings new rules,
requirements and costs. Beginning in 2014, everyone is required
to have health insurance and employers will have to comply with
new mandates soon.
Truckstop and travel plaza operators, like all employers nationwide,
are continuing to work through
what the healthcare act means to
them and are preparing for the
changes it will bring.
Employers already voluntarily provide health care to more than 170
million Americans, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reported. But beginning on Jan. 1, 2015, businesses
with more than 50 full-time employees must provide health insurance
for their full-time people under the
Affordable Care Acts employer mandate or pay a penalty. However, operators do have some options when it
comes to how they comply.

Gene Marks, a columnist, small

business owner and certified public accountant, said employers can
crunch the numbers to determine
which option makes the most sense
for them. For example, employers can
drop all coverage and pay the penalty,
which is $2,000 per full-time person,
but business owners can exclude the
first 30 employees from the penalty.
Employers can also offer their employees several insurance options
bronze, silver, gold or platinum. They
can choose to cover the costs of only
one plan, such as the bronze, and then
the employee can pay to upgrade the
plan if he or she wants more coverage.
However, the basic (or bronze) plan
must be affordable. The employee
cant be paying more than 9.5 percent
of his or her household income for
healthcare premiums, Marks said.
Business owners can also choose to
drop insurance coverage but compensate with extra money in their paycheck
so the employee can buy the plan they
want, explained Marks, who shared his

RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce provides a
wide variety of detailed resources to help
business owners prepare for the employer
mandate. At https://www.uschamber.com/
report/health-reform-law-101 business owners
can access a penalty calculator, a wellness
toolkit to help them establish a wellness
program, an interactive timeline and more.

September/October 2014

FOUNDATION UPDATE

expertise during The NATSO Show

2014. Marks expects business owners to make their choices based on the
costs associated with each option.
Although health care reform is a top
concern for U.S. employers, most organizations dont have a firm handle
on its cost implications, according to
the Willis Health Care Reform Survey
2014 conducted by the insurance broker Willis Human Capital Practice.
In the survey, only 37 percent of
respondents said they have identified the cost impact of health care
reform on their health plans in
2014. The report said this demonstrates that for many organizations,
determining an accurate assessment
of these figures is still a challenge.
The surprising finding is that
few employers actually know how
expensive compliance with health
care reform has been or will be
for their organizations, said Jay
Kirschbaum, practice leader of
the Willis Human Capital Practices National Legal and Research
Group. Without that knowledge,
employers may not be able to accurately assess the impact and determine the optimal way to proceed
with their plans.
But business owners arent alone
in being unsure of costs. The Congressional Budget Office said in
April that it is no longer possible
to assess the overall fiscal impact of
the law.
In the Willis Health Care Reform
Survey, of the respondents that have
identified a cost impact of health
care reform, 54 percent said theyve
noted a cost increase under 5 percent attributable to the Affordable
Care Act, and 22 percent of respon-

dents estimated an increase in the 5

percent to 10 percent range.
Employers are trying to find ways
to keep costs down. Fourteen percent of respondents in the Willis
survey said they have eliminated
coverage for part-time employees
in 2014 and 8 percent plan to do
so moving forward. The survey also
found that 32 percent of respondents have implemented or plan to
expand existing wellness programs,
which they said could cut costs.
To help minimize expenses, more
employers are turning to cost sharing, increasing out-of-pocket limits,
participants share of premium costs
and in-network deductibles.
Employers are taking a variety
of actions to mitigate costs and in
most cases are sharing the cost impact with their workforce, said Michael Wilson, chief executive officer
of the International Foundation, a
nonprofit membership association
for benefit plan professionals.
The International Foundation
published a report, 2014 EmployerSponsored Health Care: ACAs Impact, in which it found more than one
in five employers have increased copayments or co-insurance for primary
care and/or increased employee proportions of dependent coverage costs.
A number of small employers
those with 50 or fewer full-time
workersare adjusting their workforce, the International Foundation
said. About one in six employers
said they have reduced their workforce and one in ten said they have
reduced hours so fewer employees
work full time. One in ten also said
theyve cut back on hiring in order
to stay under 50 employees.

UNCOVERING THE DETAILS

For business owners, one of the most
difficult aspects of the law is deciphering
some of the details. During The NATSO
Show Gene Marks, a columnist, small
business owner and certified public
accountant, provided some basics about
the law. He told operators:

Full time is 30 hours a week.

When determining how many full-time employees they have, business owners should
combine all employees from all locations if
they have multiple locations.
Employers can use either 120 hours per
month or 30 hours per week to determine whether an employee is full time or
not, but they need to choose a policy and
stick with it.
Operators also have to calculate their fulltime equivalent part-time workers. To do
that they add up all of the part-time hours
that were worked in the month and divide
those part-time hours by 120 (4 weeks x 30
hours per week).
Marks said the average cost of health insurance for a single person is around $6,000.

www.natso.com

GOOD
DESIGN
GOES BEYOND

PAINT AND
GRAPHICS
BY MICHAEL LAWSHE, PARAGON SOLUTIONS
or many truckstop and travel
plaza owners and operators,
their locations are their babies,
and everyone always sees the best in
their babies. But whether locations
are looking to add new amenities, expand certain profit centers or simply

F
10

September/October 2014

give the location a facelift, it is important that they see their baby as the
rest of the world sees itbe it good,
bad or ugly.
Before embarking on any type of remodel, or even asking yourself if you
should remodel, you need to throw

away your rose-colored glasses and

take a long hard look at your location.
But remember, it isnt just about making something pretty. If you add new
graphics but youre still merchandising poorly, youre just going to have an
ugly baby with a new set of clothes.

PREPARING FOR SUCCESS

For a remodel to be successful,
you have to understand how your
customer demographics and needs
have changed over the years. If you
havent changed with them, then
youre behind the times. A remodel
is your chance to look at what is
missing and take time to catch up.
When it comes to customers, shoppers at most truckstop and travel
plaza locations are getting younger.
Their wants and needs are very different when compared to older drivers,
and food service is typically the most
important offering at a location. Todays sales are showing us that, overall,
the traditional gondola areas are getting less and less productive, and food
service and cooler areas are getting a
greater percentage of sales.
While you can always offer more
prepackaged goods, you may also
want to take it a step further and address the grab-and-go component
with open coolers and a revised offering that goes beyond traditional sandwiches and salads with the addition of
fresh fruits, veggies and juices.
Hot and cold dispensed beverages are also an important player in
todays market. You want to know
how you compare with your peers
and your immediate competition,
but instead of simply trying to be as
good as they are, lift the bar. When
youre the same as everybody else,
youre only going to get a piece of
the market. You have to carve out
a new market. In food and beverages, that typically means jumping
in and trying something new. The
great locations and restaurants are
always freshening and always introducing something new.
Flavor shots for cold and hot dispensed beverages can add a fresh

new option for your customers. If

you are not addressing the fresh tea
and frozen dispensed beverage offering, you should. Yogurt and ice
cream options may be a short-term
fad but the opportunities are there
for many locations to take advantage of the fad.
With grab-and-go and beverage
sales increasing, you may want to get
creative with your cooler space, repositioning it to reemphasize the category. Coolers dont always have to be
against the walls. Consider moving
them to the middle of the store and
creating an aisle of refrigeration.
Design is not about making it
pretty, it is about making it functional first and then looking at how
you can reflect what youve done
through the design and graphics. So
once youve addressed the products
and merchandising you need, then
you can go ahead and give your
baby some new clothes.
If youre implementing a new fresh
offering in your grab-and-go, bring
in some fresh colors and logos that
will reflect this is new, modern and
fresh profit center (learn more about
color on page 12).

THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX

Renovations dont always have to be
major. Sometimes you just need to
look at the functionality within the
areas you have and think about ways
to repurpose an area that isnt working.
When I walk through a store for
the first time, I try to look at each
category and re-envision what that
category can be. Often times there
are things owners may overlook because you see your store every day.
Sometimes it can help to bring in
an outsider or to try to look at your
store with fresh eyes.

DESIGN
IS NOT
ABOUT
MAKING
IT PRETTY,
IT IS ABOUT MAKING IT
FUNCTIONAL FIRST AND THEN
LOOKING AT HOW YOU CAN
REFLECT WHAT YOUVE
DONE THROUGH THE DESIGN
AND GRAPHICS.

You also can, and should, turn to

data. There is a lot of data available to
operators today. Not only can you pull
information from your own point-ofsale systems, you can look at industry
data and give yourself a report card of
how you compare to your peers. For
example, the McLane-NATSO Foundation Index quarterly analysis offers
NATSO members the opportunity to
compare their weekly purchases with
travel plazas and truckstops served
by McLane. The Index can help you
identify industry convenience product trends. By relying on the data, you
take the guesswork and emotion out
of many of your decisions.
Vendors can also provide insight
into what is working in other stores
or other regions (learn more about
data in the article Operators Slice
And Dice Data For Business Insights
on page 16 in the July/August issue
of Stop Watch).
www.natso.com

11

Before you embark on any remodel, you need to study your

current situation. After looking
at your internal data and comparing yourself with your peers,
look at the missing pieces and let
that be your guide.
In the real world, you may
not be able to tackle everything
youd like to. Go ahead and start
off by listing everything you
would like to do, then bring
it back to reality and look at
where you want to spend your
money and where youll get the
most bang for your buck.
You have to take risks. You
need to be prepared to make
mistakes. You might not always
find success with a new idea,
but you can just as easily fail
with an old one.
Good design is not always
easy, but when done well, it is
always profitable. Dont take
shortcuts when it comes to
envisioning the future of your
store. Dare to be different. Dare
to be better.
Disclaimer: Article provided by
Michael Lawshe of Paragon Solutions. The opinions and advice given
by guest contributors are not necessarily those of NATSO Inc. or the
NATSO Foundation. This article
should not be considered legal advice. Qualified professionals should
be sought regarding advice and questions specific to your circumstances.

FIVE DESIGN TIPS

It is human nature to be more comfortable with what we know. More often than
not, we are more willing to follow the pack than embark on a new, never-beforetaken strategy. But taking on something new doesnt have to be intimidating,
particularly if you follow some tried-and-true principles of design.

EMBRACE COLOR

First and foremost, dont be afraid

of color. White is not a good color
when it comes to retail and restaurants. Instead of going with white
or off white, embrace warm spice
colors mixed in with textures and
materials that give depth to your
store. Plan to freshen up the stores
periodically with new paint and
finishes. This should be done at
least every five years, or more often
if possible.

DEVELOP YOUR OWN

MERCHANDISE SETS

All too often, operators rely on free

racks or purchase their racks simply
based on what the salesperson recommends. The problem is that these
racks dont always let you merchandise what you want when you want.
It is a worthwhile investment to purchase fixtures that will give you the
flexibility to create merchandise sets
that are based on sound design principles and match in color, dimension
or utilization. These fixtures can also
be a powerful way to extend your
brand awareness.

LOOKING TO REMODEL? NATSO MEMBERS CAN SET UP A FREE

CONSULTATION TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SERVICES PARAGON
SOLUTIONS OFFERS BY CONTACTING MICHAEL LAWSHE OR
BUD MOORE AT (817) 927-7171.
12

September/October 2014

FOR YOUR NEXT REMODEL

3

USE TRAFFIC PATTERNS TO

DESIGN YOUR STORE

The best types of designs create traffic patterns that will lead your customers through the store, allowing
you to maximize the selling process.
Customers stop at your stores expecting soft drinks, snacks and restrooms.
The walk-in cooler can represent
3045 percent of your total sales. To
pull shoppers through the store, place
these offerings as far away from the
door as possible. Once they have accomplished their task of using the restroom or purchasing from the cooler,
they will be more receptive to make
additional purchases. By using traffic
patterns and customer tendencies to
design a store, you can focus on the
consumers buying zone, which is
where the high-margin, grab-and-go
and impulse snacks should be placed.

DIFFERENTIATE EACH BUYING ZONE

You can create a unique atmosphere

in each buying zone by differentiating the light quality and light levels throughout the store. Each area
has different needs. For example,
the cooler should be lit with LED
lighting to present the product in
the best way. In areas offering graband-go, the finishes and graphics
should entice the customer with
sights and sounds that spark their
senses. Colors should be warm food
colors with strong suggestive subtleties. Materials should be durable but
with a homey touch. Materials such
as granite, solid surfaces and tile
give the customer a feeling of quality with the taste of homemade. You
can also use music and flat screens to
enhance sensory impulses and make
the customer feel at home. This is
your chance to differentiate yourself
from other competitors.

EXAMINE THE TRENDS

To stay current,
you should try
to keep up on
industry trends,
such as energy
efficiency, drivethrus and social
media, and work to integrate them
into your design. Retail publications
and industry information can help operators stay a step ahead. For example
the NATSO Foundations publication
Biz Brief provides operators with a
daily collection of the most relevant
business intelligence for truckstop and
travel plaza operators. By looking at
this information and combining it
with the information you already
know about your business, you can ensure you continue to meet the changing needs of your customers. Learn
more by visiting http://www.natso.
com/en_us/bizbrief.
www.natso.com

13

FEB. 1619 LAS VEGAS

14

September/October 2014

THE NATSO SHOW IS THE

DEFINITIVE RESOURCE
FOR KNOWLEDGE, SOLUTIONS
AND CONNECTIONS FOR
THE TRUCKSTOP AND
TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY.

Invest in your truckstop and travel

plaza by attending The NATSO
Show 2015. Take the time to:

Learn INNOVATIVE business ideas to

IMPROVE your business;
Find SOLUTIONS to your toughest
problems;
Hear GREAT IDEAS from fellow
operators;
Find the LATEST PRODUCTS; and
Gather INSIGHTS into the upcoming
trucking and freight trends.

www.natsoshow.org

EXCITING NEWS!
Registration For
The NATSO Show Is Open!
Register today at www.natsoshow.org to
take advantage of the early bird special!

www.natso.com

15

,
g
n
i
n
i
a
r
T
n
i
t
s
e
v
n
I
s
p
Sho
s
e
r
u
d
e
c
o
r
P
d
n
a
t
n
e
m
Equip TREAMLINE OPERATIONS AND
TO S
S NEEDS
R
E
M
O
T
S
U
C
MEET
BY M IN DY LO NG

16

September/October 2014

Truckstop and travel plaza operators

that offer shop service not only add a
profit center to their locations, they also
provide a valuable customer service. To
ensure theyre meeting customers needs
while also maximizing their efficiency
and safety, operators are turning to
comprehensive checklists, new equipment
and a handful of best practices.

hop repair has always been an important service

offered at the nations truckstops and travel plazas, but a number of operators said theyre seeing
fleets increase the amount of over-the-road and roadside maintenance theyre having done.
A lot of companies are having drivers get into a
shop more often than they have before, said
Matt Albrecth, a team leader at Highlands
Petro, which operates a six-bay shop in
Racine, Wisconsin.
Albrecth said changes to Compliance,
Safety, Accountabilitythe federal governments program that monitors carriers
safetyhave led to the change. Under the
program, carriers face weighted penalties
for certain violations, so carriers are more
likely to have problems fixed on the road
rather than wait until the truck returns
to a terminal. Fleets are sending out
tire work and also calling for emergency
breakdown service to avoid maintenance
violations that could get them stopped
at weigh stations, he said.

www.natso.com

17

ing is a lot of PMs, it is hard to keep

your good guys, Wade said.
Operators agreed that there is
some work fleets tend to send out,
even if they have an in-house maintenance shops. We have local fleets
that do their own suspension work,
but theyll send the alignment to us
because they dont have the equipment, Albrecht said.
Chris Parker, shop coordinator
for Sapp Bros. Travel Centers Inc.,
which operates nine shops, said having an alignment machine could
make a location a destination. Not
only do you need the equipment,
you have to have a guy that is really
good at doing alignments. There is a
skill in that, he said.

FINDING AND TRAINING TECHNICIANS

MAKING THE SHOP A DESTINATION STOP

Certain services and equipment
can be a draw and result in more
business, and operators said theyre
working to make their locations a
destination location.
The shop at Dodge City Travel
Center, Dodge City, Alabama, is
open 24 hours a day. Keith Wade,
operations director for the travel
center, said fleets, particularly those
that are local, like being able to
drop their trucks off at night and
pick them back up in the morning.
We have two fleets that each bring
us 10 trucks a weekmainly for
their preventative maintenance,
Wade said.
Technicians at Dodge City are
paid a commission, but the techs
that work the graveyard shift receive
a higher wage to guarantee them a
certain salary. If all someone is do18

September/October 2014

Technicians at Sapp Bros. receive

training on alignments and other
shop equipment from equipment
vendors. The company also does
on-the-job training in which more
seasoned technicians share their expertise with less experienced techs.
Most of our shops have a senior
level tech that has been there a
long time and you might have different guys that are good at certain
things, so we pair guys up together, Parker said.
Wade said that Dodge City is located near a college that has a diesel mechanic program. They are also in a rural area and a lot of locals have grown
up working on tractors. If we get a
young kid that is 25 years old and has
been working on farm equipment or
is just out of the military and knows
how to work on equipment, well hire
him. You can put them through the
Tire Industry Association (TIA) national training and help them with
their ASE certification, he said.

EMPHASIZING SAFETY
For operators, safety is paramount,
and several locations have created
their own training and procedure programs to reduce the risk of accidents.
Parker said Sapp Bros. places a
special emphasis on roadside safety.
The conditions are less than ideal
and it isnt a controlled environment. The more we can control that
environment, the safer the driver
is, Parker said.
Drivers carry a sign that says
emergency scene ahead. Drivers
place it 100 yards before the site
when they pull up on a truck. We
have found that works better than
anything weve done, Parker said,
adding that the company also places
extra lights and strobes on the repair
trucks. You have to make sure the
truck and the technician are visible.
Parker said Sapp Bros. also tells
technicians that if they feel the repair site is unsafe, they can decline
to work on the truck on the side of
the road and instead request that it
be towed into the shop.
Sapp Bros. also uses a checklist technicians complete prior to leaving for a
road call to ensure they have all of the
equipment they need. The checklist
makes sure they have everything they
needjack stands, cones, a vest. They
go to the manager or service writer
and turn the slip in and get the keys,
Parker said, adding that technicians
must have their vest on before they
leave the location. Chances are that
if they leave with the vest on, theyll
wear it on site.
Randy Haines, Bosselmans Boss
Shop Service Center division manager, said the company has a wheel
chock/safety cone policy to help
keep employees and professional
drivers safe.

Bosselmans operates 44 Boss

Shops in 23 states. At the locations,
there is always an orange cone in the
entrance and exit of the bays. When
a customer pulls up, the employee
must move the cone and direct the
customer into the bay.
Once in the bay, our employee
places aviation wheel chocks around
the left front steer tire of the vehicle,
Haines said, explaining that placing
the chocks on the left front will raise
the vehicle in the air if the customer
attempts to leave before an employee
has removed the wheel chocks.
Next, the technician places the
cone back in the doorway, blocking the bay. Once the work is complete and the customer is ready to
leave, an employee escorts the customer to his or her vehicle, kicks
the wheel chocks out, moves the
cone and then stands in front of
the vehicle to slowly guide the
driver out of the shop.
The procedure ensures that the
jack isnt left under the truck and lets
the technician stand in an area where
he or she can ensure the overhead is
all the way up and hasnt stopped for
some reason, Haines said.
Certain equipment is required to
safely complete some repairs. Steve
Wilton, vice president of fleet solutions for Goodyear Commercial Tire
& Service Centers, said that while the
equipment required to service truck
tires has remained mostly unchanged
over the years, safety and ergonomics
standards continue to evolve. The
days of a jack holding up a truck axle
while a technician installs an assembly with a one-inch air gun are gone.
Today a technician must have personal protection equipmentgloves,
safety glasses, proper footwear, gloves,
etc., as well as wheel chocks, jack

The more
we can

control that
environment,
the safer the
driver is,
said Chris
Parker, shop
coordinator for
Sapp Bros.

www.natso.com

19

Drivers
time is

valuable. We
understand
it, we believe
it, and we live
it, said Sal
Torres, owner
of Silvers
Truck Repair.

20

September/October 2014

stands, proper cleaning and inspection equipment and calibrated torque

wrenches, he said.
Technicians at Sapp Bros. are required to complete training through
the TIA before they work on tires.
All of our new hires are required to
go through the level 100 TIA training before working in the shop. This
ensures they have demonstrated they
can work safely and allow us to set the
expectations on how to properly and
safely work around tires, Parker said.

IMPROVING CUSTOMER SERVICE

The Professional Transportation
Partners (PTP) Shop Network
group also works with the customers to ensure they understand all
of their options. For example, if a
truck has a blown outside drive tire
and the customer wants one new
tire, the location will explain the
tread rubber depth and tire height
difference between the old tire that
is paired side-by-side to the new tire
to the customer, said Nathan Tuggle, repair center program representative, with Professional Transportation Partners. Most of the time the
customer will either buy two new
tires or take a used tire that is close
in height and tread depth. This prevents the customer from wasting
money on a new tire that he will
have to replace in a short period.
PTP makes emergency road service calls a priority since those
services are really needed for these
drivers who are often sitting on
the shoulder of the road usually
in the middle of nowhere with
no food or water. The PTP Shop
Networks volume in revenue as
well as vendors volume in goods
has increased every year including
2008. Its all about taking care of
the customerhe or she is a shop

owners business partner as well,

Tuggle said.
Parker said technicians always
complete a standardized checklist
anytime a truck is having work
done. When the truck is in your
shop, it is an opportunity to potentially get more work and it is the
right thing from a customer service
standpoint, he said, adding that
after the technician completes the
checklist, he gives it to the customer so the customer is aware of any
potential problems. They should
look at the things a DOT officer
would look at at a scale. Those are
things the driver or owner likely will
fix because he doesnt want a ticket.

MAXIMIZING TECHNICIANS
AND DRIVERS TIME
For shop operators and drivers alike,
time is money. To get drivers back
out on the road quickly. Silvers
Truck Repair practices a program
called Valuable Time. Drivers time
is valuable. We understand it, we believe it, and we live it, said Sal Torres, owner of the location.
Torres added that to help improve
the speed of service, all of the staff
at Silvers Truck Repair do everything as a team, and no job is too
hard or too good for someone else.
Some shops are investing in specialized equipment that is designed
to save time. Aaron Aylworth, divisional manager for Loves Tire Care,
said Loves locations have invested in
the Super Mutt trailer tester. He said,
Not only will it allow one technician
to alone check every aspects of the
electrical system and air system, it will
isolate the problem to a specific line
or circuit allowing the troubleshooting of a trailers lighting or air system
to be streamlined resulting in lower
diagnostic costs and repair times.

Dan Engelsen, a sales engineer for

Innovative Products of America that
manufactures the tester, said it shaves
30 minutes off of an inspection. Then
you can take that and compound it by
one guy is doing this inspection rather
than two, he said, adding that the tool
costs around $1,600.
Parker said he sees diagnostic tools
becoming more important for shop
operators because trucks are getting
more technologically advanced and
using more computer systems.
Sapp Bros. recently invested in a
diagnostic machine from Noregon
Systems that can read all the different diagnostic codes from all of
the manufacturers. Parker said the
system has made identifying issues
much quicker.
Before if you wanted to read an
engine, you had to have the software
for the specific engine. That has
made it very tough. The new system
allows us to plug into a truck and
read it in 30 seconds, Parker said.
Sapp Bros. has also invested in
a new tire balancer from Hunter
Engineering Co. that shows technicians how to best match the low
spot on the tire with the high spot
on the wheel, reducing the amount
of weight the location has to add to
the tire to balance it.
You get a better balance, which is
good for the customer, and you can
potentially save yourself money by
using less weight, Parker said, adding that the balancer cost around
$15,000 and that it takes 500700
balances to get a ROI. It is a chunk
of money up front, but it is all on
how you market it.

PREPARING TO SERVE NATURAL

GAS VEHICLES
In order to service natural gas vehicles, operators will have to modify

their shops, and many of them said

they havent seen the need to make
the changes yet.
Parker said in order to service
natural gas vehicles, the shops will
need to make changes to electrical
work in the ceiling and adjust lights.
The lights have to be so many feet
to the ceiling, and the conduit has to
be special conduit. You also have to
have special ventilation to turn air
over in the location, he said, adding that the locations havent seen
enough demand to warrant making the changes. At this point the
majority of those vehicles are under
warranty, so theyre going back to the
dealerships. Until we start seeing the
demand, we arent going to change
the way we do anything.
Albrecht said Highlands Petro is
taking the same approach. There
has to be a certified natural gas
bay, and our estimate is that it will
be over $100,000 a bay to retrofit.
We arent even attempting to look
at that yet, he said.
www.natso.com

21

POLITICS

&
PIE
NATSO Day on the Hill
BY TIFFANY WLAZLOWSKI

22

September/October 2014

NATSO members made their

annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill
June 1618, meeting with Senators
and Members of Congress to
voice how vitally important the
truckstop and travel plaza industry
is to the national economy and
how Congressional votes aect its
ability to thrive.

early 50 NATSO members

met with their elected officials to voice their opposition to expanded tolling and rest
area activities during the event.
Tuesday evening NATSO hosted
its annual Capitol Hill pie reception, serving nearly 250 pies to legislators and their staff. This annual
event carries NATSOs name to all
535 Members of Congress.

Midweek, NATSO members attended a Congressional breakfast

with Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin),
a champion of transportation issues
who is retiring after 35 years in office. Rep. Petri discussed the current
status of the Highway Trust Fund
and voiced his support for a six-year,
fully funded transportation bill.
SAVE THE DATE for next year's
NATSO Day on Capitol Hill, to be
held May 46, 2015!

1. Ernie and Lisa Brame, Kenly 95

TA Truckstop speak with Rep. Walter Jones
(R-North Carolina)
2. Rep. Timothy Walz (D-Minnesota) and
Jerry Leemkuil, Federated Insurance,
talk on Capitol Hill
3. Delia Moon Meier, Iowa 80 Group, Inc.,
and Guy Walker, Blue Beacon Truck Washes,
connect at NATSOs Congressional
Pie Reception
4. Bill Vollenweider, Detroiter Travel Center,
Roger Phillips, Bridgestone Commercial
Solutions, and Bob Ryan, Atlanta South 75,
Inc., chat over pie
5. Bill Vollenweider, Detroiter Travel Center,
speaks with Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan)
6. Gordon Price, DAS Companies, Inc., and Corey
Berkstresser, Lee Hi Travel Plaza, catch up at
the pie reception
www.natso.com

23

Gelling is for desserts,

not diesel fuel.
Why fool around this winter? Diesel Treat reduces the possibility
of your diesel fuel gelling to absolute zero. Guaranteed.
While competing products disperse water, Howes Diesel Treat
displaces it, leaving only pure fuel to burn. And thats a sweet
treat your engine can really enjoy.
Prevents Diesel Fuel From Gelling, Guaranteed!
Saves Money and Eliminates Downtime
Increases Power and Fuel Economy
Eliminates Smoking and Rough Idle
Treats More Fuel than Competing Brands
Warranty Safe for all Diesel Emission Systems

Howes Collectible,
Pocket Knife

Professional Grade Performance Since 1920

1-800 GET HOWES (438-4693) www.howeslube.com

when you purchase 6 bottles of Howes Products

See stores for details or visit www.howeslube.com
Oer ends: 3/31/15, available while supplies last.

1st in Series,
Limited Edition!

BY AMY TONER

YELLOW ROSE TRAVEL PLAZA

SPORTS THE CLEANEST ROSE
Yellow Rose Travel Plaza relies on its good physical location, roughly half way
between Houston and Dallas, to bring customers in, but uses its extreme cleanliness
to get travelers coming back again and again.

e have a very clean facility,

especially the restrooms.
They are very clean, Sameer Hudda, operations director for
the location, told Stop Watch.
Darren Schulte, NATSOs vice
president of membership, who visited
the location this summer elaborated
on the cleanliness saying, They have
two full-time cleaners that focus solely on cleaning inside. They are onsite
cleaning for at least 16 hours a day.
Both of the ladies enjoy cleaning, which sounds corny, but they
really are neat freaks. For example, I
saw this plastic sunflower way in the
back of a shelf and even it was dust
free, Schulte said.
Their priority on cleanliness makes
a difference to the female guests.
Our cleanliness makes a big, big

difference. This is especially important to our woman shoppers. We get

a lot of compliments, Hudda said.
Schulte said, The truckstop is
doing between 1,000 and 1,500 a
day, but the restrooms smell clean.
That is a lot of customers. They
dont even have air fresheners,
because they dont need it. The
cleanliness is definitely why people
stop, Schulte noted, adding that
several drivers mentioned this reason for stopping to him during his
July visit.
Open for a little over two and
half years, the location has an Arbys restaurant, laundry mat, ATM,
store and 40 parking spots.
Located in Normangee, Texas, it
is a convenient stop for travelers
getting off the highway to drive to

Texas A & M in College Station,

Texas. The location gets a lot of
traffic from people heading to A &
M, particularly on the weekends,
which are their best retail days.
They have eighteen staff members.
My people are very friendly, Hudda said. I make sure to interview for
personality. As the face of the store,
they need to be polite and friendly.
In addition to the store and restaurant staff, the location employs a
general maintenance person that is
capable of doing quality maintenance
work, such as fixing broken toilets and
doing routine pump maintenance.
While they dont have any immediate plans for growth, they are well positioned for it. The city of Normangee
is growing. Whatever they do add, it
will undoubtedly be clean.

www.natso.com

25

OPERATOR 2 OPERATOR

What has been the most surprising

breakout product/item?
RON HICKS, FROG CITY TRAVEL PLAZA & CASINO
Frog items! We sell a lot of frog-related
items, because of our name and the frog
festival in our town.

DAMON BORDEN,
BROADWAY TRUCK STOPS
We just reset a store in
Montana and are doing one
whole door on microbrews.
That door has really taken off.
The cashiers learn something
about each brewery and weve
seen a 25 percent increase in
beer sales.

JANE HEINZ, COFFEE CUP FUEL STOPS

The Blue Tiger Bluetooth has been great for us. When the hands-free law
passed, we saw a spike in sales and now we see newer and better models coming
out. There has been a resurgence of people buying the new ones.

WANT TO BE FEATURED IN THE NEXT OPERATOR 2 OPERATOR? Our next question to discuss is How do you appeal to four-wheel traffic during
the holidays? Submit your answers to Darren Schulte at dschulte@natso.com by September 3, 2014.
26

September/October 2014

NEW MEMBERS
NEW TRAVEL PLAZA MEMBERS
PENN OIL TRUCK STOP
8191 State Rd. 6 W.
Jasper, FL 32052
PHONE: (850) 973-2277
CONTACT: Jacob Johnson

RITAS WATER ICE FRANCHISE CO.

OVER THE ROAD APPAREL

1210 Northbrook Dr., Suite 310

Trevose, PA 19053
PHONE: (215) 876-9319
FAX: (866) 444-0974
CONTACT: Eric Taylor
EMAIL: e.taylor@ritascorp.com

5205 W. Montebello Ave., #3

Glendale, AZ 85301
PHONE: (406) 839-2573
CONTACT: Jewel Jones
EMAIL: jeweljones@overtheroadapparel.com
WEBSITE: www.overtheroadapparel.com

WEBSITE: www.ritasice.com

NEW ALLIED MEMBERS

CSS INC.
35 Love Lane
Netcong, NJ 07857
PHONE: (973) 364-1118
FAX: (973) 364-1166
CONTACT: Silva Nelson
EMAIL: nelson@cssincusa.com
WEBSITE: www.cssincusa.com

VICTORY BLUE
1670 Keller Pkwy., Suite 246
Keller, TX 76248
PHONE: (817) 913-7548
FAX: (888) 259-7290
CONTACT: Katherine Golden
EMAIL: kgolden@vicfuel.com
WEBSITE: www.vicfuel.com

KLAS ROBINSON Q.E.D.

11200 Vincent Ave., S.
Minneapolis, MN 55431
PHONE: (612) 802-3269
FAX: (651) 487-0366
CONTACT: Matt Robinson
EMAIL: mattmsp@mac.com
WEBSITE: www.klasrobinsonqed.com

SOLARAY LLC
P.O. Box 1168
Sapulpa, OK 74066
PHONE: (918) 227-0722
FAX: (918) 227-0783
CONTACT: Nick White
EMAIL: nickwhite@solaray-sunglasses.com
WEBSITE: www.solaray-sunglasses.com

CAT Scale can help

you bring more money to your
bottom line. CAT Scale is the worlds leader
in public certified truck scales.
Professional drivers seek out locations that
have CAT brand scales to weigh their loads.
No start-up costs. Easy to operate.

For More Information

1-877-CAT-SCALE
catscale.com
Like us on

Facebook.

YOU GET IT DONE, COME HAIL

OR HIGH WATER.
You never let anything get in the way of doing the job right. Neither do
we. Thats why Shell Rotella T5 Synthetic Blend engine oil is built to
withstand the worst and deliver the bestlike up to 1.6% in fuel economy
savings, without sacrificing a lick of protection.* You deliver day after day,
no matter the challenge. Wouldnt it be nice to have an oil that does too?
Learn more at www.rotella.com

SHELL ROTELLA T5. THE SYNTHETIC ENGINE

OIL THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU.

*As demonstrated in 2009 on-the -road medium duty truck field testing for 10W-30 viscosity grade only, highway cycles, compared to Shell Rotella T Triple Protection 15W-40.
** Trucks covering 100,000 miles per year.