Pilot Travel Centers last month began operating its first two diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) fuel island pumps in preparation for serving vehicles equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to meet near-zero emissions requirements set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to begin in January 2010.
Located on the West Coast in Brooks, Ore., and on the East Coast in Charlotte, N.C., the two initial fuel island DEF pumps are fully operational and ready to serve vehicles traveling coast to coast, according to Pilot; at a 2 percent consumption rate of diesel, a full tank of DEF will cover 6,000 miles, nearly twice across America. Initial pricing for DEF at the Pilot fuel islands is $2.69 per gallon, which is comparable to the price of diesel today.
The company plans to install the new bulk DEF pumps at 100 Pilot locations through the fourth quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2010. In addition to DEF pumps located along the country’s main corridors, Pilot says it will carry prepackaged supplies of DEF at its more than 350 owned or licensed retail interstate locations in 41 states.
Show management reported overall visitor registrations grew from 44,669 in 2008 to 45,987, an increase of 2.9 percent. The largest registration increases were reported in the company driver (26.2 percent), executive management/owner (59.9 percent) and transportation operations/safety (37.3 percent) areas. New events included the 2010 Engine Super Session and expanded educational opportunities offered through a reformatted educational track, called the TruckSmart Summit.
“We are very pleased with the results of this year’s GATS, as well as the attendee turnout,” says Mike Reilly, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Randall-Reilly, which owns GATS. “To attract so many highly qualified visitors, in such a challenging environment, is a testament to our commitment to deliver the attendees our customers are looking for.”
