Why do you not use TA/Petro as your primary truck stop?

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
They are desk jockeys, maybe this call will help. Then again, clean updated truck stops can been SEEN. So can out of date filthy ones. Nasty food can be tasted, so can good food. Phone calls etc are good, getting off one's butt, out from behind that desk and LOOKING, SEEING and TASTING is even better. Maybe they should take their families, wives, kids, mothers and grandparents and feed them the swill they sell. Have their families use restrooms that have not been cleaned for hours.

First hand information is best. It is time corporate America got some. It is QUITE obvious that the days of working your way up from the bottom are gone.
 

Opel2010

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
TA/Petro would like to know the answer to this question and they are having a conference call for just this purpose.


If you are interested in participating, please send an email to Tom Liutkus <[email protected]> and tell him if you are a company driver or owner-operator. TA/Petro is working hard to understand YOUR needs as a professional driver and this is your chance to let them know why you are not currently their customer.

They're expensive, not friendly with cv expediters and usually the parking lots are smaller than Frying J
 

aquitted

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Aren't you in a straight truck? Why do you go in to swipe your rewards card and then come back out and then back in?

Yes im in a straight. TA will not let me pump fuel without prepaying so I go in and prepay the fuel then pump then go back in to get the receipt for whatever the amount was it doesnt always take what I put in I usualy overpay so it doesnt shut off before its full so at TA I stand in line twice at pilot I scan my rewards card at the pump then fuel then go in and pay for the fuel and get receipts.
GO PILOT!!
 

mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Yes im in a straight. TA will not let me pump fuel without prepaying so I go in and prepay the fuel then pump then go back in to get the receipt for whatever the amount was it doesnt always take what I put in I usualy overpay so it doesnt shut off before its full so at TA I stand in line twice at pilot I scan my rewards card at the pump then fuel then go in and pay for the fuel and get receipts.
GO PILOT!!

If the head honchos are reading this: There's your answer right there. A straight trucker, at least one vanner (I don't know how many more) are putting it out here plain enough with or without a conference call. Make your customers feel as if you're doing them a favor by just allowing them to come into your place, and your customers will take their business somewhere else.

It works that way in any business. Let me make it plain at the shipper that I consider him to be unworthy, and watch how soon my phone rings with dispatch telling me I don't need to bother him anymore. It's the same thing. I read here that a truck stop gave a driver a hard time without cause, and I make a note of that. Guess I won't be doing much business there.

I won't waste my time with any truckstop rewards cards because I've already heard that for gas vanners, they're nearly worthless. Any questions?
 

moose

Veteran Expediter
Yes im in a straight. TA will not let me pump fuel without prepaying
This is a carrier specific issue. JDclark won't provide a fuel card. i'd bet they loose many perspective O/O because of it.
good news is an O/O can get fuel card just like any other carrier. a few of which have pre-negotiated fuel discounts that are better then the ones provided by carriers.
my 1st choice will be NASTIC (seating on the fleetOne network). but there are others. shop around at will.
i can understand your frustration, but it is your choice to pay cash for diesel. most trucker out there choose to be a club members, enjoy the benefits & collect the pre negotiate discounts.
i can understand TA/Petro for standing their ground on this, too many frauds & run away's out there. don't expect them to change this practice any time soon.
 

aquitted

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
This is a carrier specific issue. JDclark won't provide a fuel card. i'd bet they loose many perspective O/O because of it.
good news is an O/O can get fuel card just like any other carrier. a few of which have pre-negotiated fuel discounts that are better then the ones provided by carriers.
my 1st choice will be NASTIC (seating on the fleetOne network). but there are others. shop around at will.
i can understand your frustration, but it is your choice to pay cash for diesel. most trucker out there choose to be a club members, enjoy the benefits & collect the pre negotiate discounts.
i can understand TA/Petro for standing their ground on this, too many frauds & run away's out there. don't expect them to change this practice any time soon.

No frustration I go to pilot where I don'thave to prepay just scan loyalty card at pump then go in and pay. and I do have A fuel caed issued by JD CLARK I choose to not have my fuel taken out of my check.
 

BigCat

Expert Expediter
No frustration I go to pilot where I don'thave to prepay just scan loyalty card at pump then go in and pay. and I do have A fuel caed issued by JD CLARK I choose to not have my fuel taken out of my check.

There is a good chance you get a better than cash price discount with that fuel card and obviously the money you pay for fuel is from your check so why not kill 2 birds with one stone?
 

mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
One other reason has to be mentioned here. In the places I've been, I simply don't see as many TA/Petro stops as I do Flying J/Pilots. It makes a difference when your tank is getting low and/or you just need to stop and rest. I've already said I tend not to stop at truck stops for resting, preferring instead the rest stops-- but the fuel is inescapable. You have to get it somewhere, and availability is big when you're running low.
 

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
TA/Petro would like to know the answer to this question and they are having a conference call for just this purpose.


If you are interested in participating, please send an email to Tom Liutkus <[email protected]> and tell him if you are a company driver or owner-operator. TA/Petro is working hard to understand YOUR needs as a professional driver and this is your chance to let them know why you are not currently their customer.


TA/Petro is Mayfield Express LLC number one choice for fuel and service for our small fleet of trucks. TA is used 90% of the time as the TA brand has more truck stops. I never used TA as I thought the prices of everything was way too high. We used Pilot only as we got .05 back each month when we purchased fuel about five years ago. We stop using Pilot after replace 28 injectors in our trucks over a one year time frame. TA has been great for us and our trucks will be fueling at TA for many years to come.
 

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
Attitude starts at the top and you know it. If the boss at the top is an A-hole, then this will cause good people to drift in that direction. But if you will look around, many businesses give their employees tons of responsibility, but no authority. So these kind of positions/employees become robots and we,the customer comes in contact with them and they appear non caring or worse. Next time you're at the fuel counter or the food counter from He**, just watch them. They don't want to be there, but , u gotta work somewhere and that's what you got,, (they gotta be somewhere crowd). Hey, expediter, at least you can go on your way and say to yourself, thank you Lord I don't have to work in a truckstop,,,,amen?
 

skyraider

Veteran Expediter
US Navy
TA/Petro is Mayfield Express LLC number one choice for fuel and service for our small fleet of trucks. TA is used 90% of the time as the TA brand has more truck stops. I never used TA as I thought the prices of everything was way too high. We used Pilot only as we got .05 back each month when we purchased fuel about five years ago. We stop using Pilot after replace 28 injectors in our trucks over a one year time frame. TA has been great for us and our trucks will be fueling at TA for many years to come.

28 injectors failed because of bad diesel fuel at the J. That would be hard to prove, but it can happen I guess.
 

Maverick

Seasoned Expediter
Truck stops are for showers, desperate (or time allotted) meals, and fuel. I use them for little else.

1) Love's for quick fuel stops, and usually decent showers. Like the point system and card.
2) The "J" for Denny's (decent) and ST parking.
3) TA for repairs, fuel stops, and last resort overnight.

TA obviously understand falling short on the first two. Someone at the top recognizes the need for closing the gap. Can only hope they do....in order to give us the better service.

I'll take the comfort of rest stops, given the choice. A few trees, some nice people to say howdy to, and perhaps a sunrise/sunset against something other than the concrete jungle. TA has some nice locations and hopefully they can bring the inner structure closer to what surrounds them. Right now, they need to up their game and close the gap. I hope for all of us they do.
 
Last edited:

Bruno

Veteran Expediter
Fleet Owner
US Marines
28 injectors failed because of bad diesel fuel at the J. That would be hard to prove, but it can happen I guess.

Never said the J. said Pilot. Flying J wasn't part of Pilot five years ago.
 

moose

Veteran Expediter
have nothing to do with the fuel. that's just because we have many injecting flying pilots. but because we still don't have a drug & alcohol clearing house yet, they just fly under the radar.
 

BigRed32771

Expert Expediter
I never remember conference calls until they're already over.

When we were with FDCC, we used the TA/Petro's almost exclusively for fuel, primarily due to the corporate discount that had been negotiated. It very much worked out for us that it was the cheapest fuel we could get. Because we bought so much fuel there, plus had a fair amount of service done (like regular PM's and stuff) that we racked up points in their loyalty program.

Our current carrier doesn't have a discount with TA, so the price advantage is gone. This makes other places more competitive for my business. In the beginning the UltraOne program would run double and triple point emphases, but haven't seen one in awhile, so the points don't add up as fast. Because I don't get as many points, I lost my "Platinum" status, which means my shower credits expire on a regular basis; if I go home on break even a credit earned on the way home is gone by the time I return to work usually. Since I no longer get the price break on fuel, it pretty much is a wash for me as to where to buy fuel. We try to buy some at TA/Petro and some at Pilot/FlyingJ so that we have a mix of available shower credits. The upgraded showers at TA are nice, although by the time you put a basket of flowers on the tiny counter there's no room for my shower kit in too many cases. Just had a shower today at FlyingJ in Birminghan AL and they have been quite nicely upgraded, and are just as nice as the redone ones at TA. I usually try to avoid showers at Pilot's and also Love's, preferring the bigger places that don't have so much the "get your s**t and get out" kind of atmosphere for drivers. FlyingJ TV lounges are usually more comfortable than the ones at TA's (not universally true of course, but as a general rule). As for the food, we find the prices to be a bit high, and almost never do buffet as neither of us eats enough to "get our money's worth." (I know if you look at me you'd think I'm a big buffet guy, but since I'm trying to at least not get any bigger, I try to steer clear of it.) More often than not we split a meal and find that to be sufficient (if we're in the restaurant). Many times my wife opines that it would be nice if there was some way to do a "1-trip to the buffet" at a reduced price, but as long as we'd have to pay full boat for both of us, it's not worth it. We'll just keep splitting a regular menu item.

Just a few rambling thoughts on the topic.
 

TeamCaffee

Administrator
Staff member
Owner/Operator
I will put a reminder on this page the day before the conference call. Please contact Tom to get the conference number and pin to get your voice heard:

If you are interested in participating, please send an email to Tom Liutkus <[email protected]> and tell him if you are a company driver or owner-operator. TA/Petro is working hard to understand YOUR needs as a professional driver and this is your chance to let them know why you are not currently their customer or why you have left the TA/Petro chain.
 

billg27

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
Had a positive experience at the TA in Hudson WI last Friday. Almost never go to TA/Petro because their card sucks. Needed a shower, no J or Pilot from MSP down to Eau Claire. Went in figuring I was going to pay the $10 for a shower. Told young man behind the counter nicely about my issues with their card. He explained they were working to fix their shortcomings with the card and then he manually put in enough points for a free shower. That simple example of giving the employee some empowerment has now changed how I look at the TA/Petro chain. Now I believe they may really be trying to earn back lost drivers. Good Job!

Now only Love's gets none of my business.
 

mjmsprt40

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I stopped at the Petro in Effingham, Illinois last night. Just a fuel stop, thought about eating but the fact is that I wasn't all that hungry so I bought a couple of sandwiches and let it go at that. I've been meaning to try the Iron Skillet, but last night wasn't the night.

One big reason for not using them more is that there's not more of them. I was deadheading up I-57 last night. Flying J, Pilot and Loves rules the roost on that route. From Effingham, I don't think there's another Petro until you get to Monee, Illinois, and I don't recall seeing a TA on the entire route from Salem North to Chicago.
 

RETIDEPXE

Veteran Expediter
TeamCaffee; The call is scheduled for 3:00 pm Eastern time on Thursday said:


TeamCaffee; It appears this is last years conference call?? date/time. It caught my attention because my daughter's birthday is on the 20th and it is on a Saturday. Awesome truck by the way.
 
Top