Love’s Travel Stops

Judy Love, the co-founder of Love’s Travel Stops, died on Tuesday in Oklahoma City. She was 87.

A deal between Relay Payments and Love’s Travel Stops means the payments provider will cover about 75% of the diesel market.

Love’s said Monday it has acquired the U.S. transportation factoring portfolio from REV Capital.

A tight employee market has led Love’s to cut some overnight services, but it’s also offering a new training benefit for workers.

Love’s plans on adding as many as 2,000 truck parking spots this year, less than in recent years.

Could electric trucks find a new power source in decommissioned power plants. Zeem Solutions plans to find out.

View a collection of photos throughout the history of Love’s Travel Stops and the family to celebrate Tom Love’s life.

From one store he and his wife opened in 1964, Tom Love oversaw the growth of Love’s Travel Stops to 600 locations.

This week: Husband-and-wife team delivers the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, Wabash continues to support the local Feeding America food bank and Love’s distributes holiday meals to military families.

This week: J.B. Hunt donates money and supplies to over 55 classrooms across the U.S. Drivers for Mack Trucks take to social media with animal selfies for a good cause and Love’s donates to a child advocacy group that helps foster care children.

Love’s has killed plans to build a truck stop on Interstate 90 in Montana, with local opposition winning out despite government approval.

The East Coast diesel market is getting tighter. Prices are rising, particularly for buyers demanding fuel for the fastest delivery time.

This week: FedEx supports STEM exhibits at the new Amelia Earhart museum; Love’s donates to St. Christopher Truckers Relief; and One Tree Planted helps celebrate Earth Day.

This week: Love’s distributes meals and OKC Thunder tickets to military families; a trucking insurance company announces its driver of the year; and the U.S. Postal Service asks for help answering letters to Santa Claus.

This week: Xos donates use of its electric stepvans to the Los Angeles Mission; Truckers Christmas Group begins its holiday campaign; and Chester’s Chicken partners with Love’s for “Truckersgiving.”

This week: Central States Mfg. donates wreaths for veteran nonprofit, OOIDA kicks off “Truckers for Troops”, Love’s raises funds for veterans with specialty tumblers and XPO’s CEO challenges the company to hire more active and veteran military employees.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter with perspective and context on the trucking industry, alternative transportation, powertrains and autonomy.

Brent Bergevin, vice president of transportation at Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, chats with FreightWaves’ Zach Strickland about how Love’s handled market challenges over the last 12 months, from the COVID-19 pandemic to February’s severe winter weather.

Truck Talk is a weekly newsletter where FreightWaves adds context, commentary and color to industry news and trends.

Ryder will provide three hours of paid time off for each of the two COVID-19 vaccinations.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, global logistics operator DB Schenker eyes the U.S. market. Plus, U.S. Xpress’ CEO sees big things coming for its Variant division, and flatbed operator Daseke reports earnings and issues a mixed outlook for 2021.

Love’s Travel Stops is offering $75 to each of 28,000 employees across its businesses who voluntarily get the COVID vaccine.

Here is the first issue of FreightWaves Truck Talk, a weekly newsletter adding perspective, context and commentary to industry news and trends.

Truck stops using generators to reopen stores.

Logistics aid network seeking assistance from transportation sector.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, concerns are raised about Mexican truck operations, drone delivery technology advances and Anheuser-Busch is making a switch to natural gas.

Love’s is paying for its factoring customers to use the AscendTMS for one year in a new benefit.

Pilot Co. is joining a growing list of major truck stop chains, including Love’s Travel Stops and TravelCenters of America, that will start requiring all customers to wear face coverings this week to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

In today’s edition of The Daily Dash, autonomous-truck startup TuSimple may not be meeting revenue projections, Knight-Swift reports strong Q2 earnings, and a driver misclassification suit against New Prime reaches a $28 million conclusion.

Love’s Travel Stops and Speedco locations will require customers to wear masks starting July 29. Face coverings will be required at all 520 of the company’s travel stops and its 390 truck service centers in 41 states.

Separately, the truck stop operator also extended extra pay and benefits for its workers

The gradual restart of the economy includes dine-in restaurants at the travel plazas dotting American highways. Truckers will find socially distanced seating and fewer menu offerings — if they leave their trucks to investigate. Some say they won’t bother.

Logistics providers, trucking companies and businesses closed early as potential protests were anticipated in the Chicago area.

Donations to the St. Christopher’s Driver Development and Relief Fund continues to pour in as recognition of the driver’s role in delivering critical supplies during COVID-19 pandemic attracts new donors.

Love’s faces opposition in Arizona; ODFL likely to get tax breaks in Ohio.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: CBP beefs up security at US-Mexico border; Kenworth restarts truck factory in Mexico; Love’s Travel Stops opens new location in Laredo; Port of Brownsville ranks third for “financial resilience.”

TravelCenters of America is focusing on franchise growth to close the gap in travel center locations with its larger competitors Pilot Co. and Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores.

TravelCenters of America is laying off more than 3,000 employees because its full-service restaurants are idle and stay-home orders keep most motorists off the highways.

Growing awareness of a 12-year-old relief fund for semi-truck drivers is attracting more and bigger donations as the coronavirus pandemic highlights health risks to truckers hauling critical freight.

Daimler Trucks North America is adding 700 service bays to its network this year even though near-record sales of new trucks during 2018 and 2019 suggest a lower need for service.

Travel plazas are balancing social distancing to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus with providing food and services to truckers, whose dining options in some cases are limited to drive thru and carryout.

Crafting a mission statement and values for TravelCenters of America is among myriad tasks veteran turnaround expert Jon Pertchik is taking on in his latest project.

Roadside repair costs for trucks continuing to rise, hitting $450 per repair in the fourth quarter of 2019, up 26% over the same quarter in 2018

Good day, The Portland, Oregon, City Council has renewed a tax on drivers of heavy-duty trucks who travel on city streets, according to OPB. The original levy was passed in […]

We gear down into the backhaul of our week with news of a headline glitch. Starting early Thursday, small-business truckers who rely on the spot market began reporting problems logging […]

The biodiesel blender credit reinstated by Congress Dec. 17 is a $3 billion a year boost to a less-polluting diesel fuel.

ELD maker Konexial is expanding its customer base through the acquisition of Axle Technologies’ AORBD customer list. Also, FedEx and UPS ramp up drone deliveries, a port expansion in Seattle, and Hyundai to introduce fuel cell truck.

Navistar International Corp. blew past revenue and earnings estimates for its third fiscal quarter. It is reducing production but expects to gain market share in a softening market.

Borderlands is a weekly rundown of developments in the world of United States-Mexico cross-border trucking and trade. This week: Odessa, Texas, ranked #4 city for truck drivers; New U.S. Ambassador […]

Plus: strawberry imports surge, Illinois cannabis law favors minority vendors; scooter accidents on the rise

Love’s continues to grow, and its need for technicians is growing as well,  which is why it has created an apprenticeship program.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) conducted a three-truck platooning test in Centreville, VA, last week, along I-66. The test, using Volvo Trucks, was designed to the effectiveness of autonomous and vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies.