Pilot Company

What Pilot Company does

Pilot Company is a privately held, family-owned travel center operator and the largest of its kind in North America, operating over 900 locations across 44 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces under the Pilot, Flying J, and One9 brands. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, the company serves approximately 1.2 million guests daily and employs 30,000+ team members. Its core business is fuel distribution — through the third largest tanker trucking fleet in North America it moves over 12 billion gallons of gasoline, diesel, and DEF annually to its travel centers.

The company's product portfolio spans fuel (gasoline, diesel, DEF), proprietary and branded foodservice (Pilot eats, Pilot eats EXPRESS, Pilot Coffee, and partnerships with McDonald's, Subway, Arby's), convenience retail, and a deep set of professional driver amenities including showers, reservable truck parking (Prime Parking), mobile fueling, laundry, Wi-Fi, CAT Scales, IdleAir, and truck care through its Southern Tire Mart subsidiary. It is also building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure through multi-year partnerships with GM and EVgo (over 850 stalls at 200+ locations with a target of 2,000 stalls at 500 locations) and Tesla (Tesla Semi heavy-duty truck chargers along I-5, I-10, and other freight corridors). Its technology stack is anchored by a five-year agreement with NCR Voyix to deploy an AI-enabled commerce platform with a microservice architecture across 750+ locations, replacing legacy point-of-sale systems and supporting mobile ordering, loyalty, and fleet billing.

Pilot makes money primarily through transaction-based fuel sales and food/merchandise sales across its travel center network, supplemented by managed services revenue from fleet solutions including Direct Bill (consolidated invoicing with credit terms), Fuel & Factoring, Flying J Cardlock, and wholesale fuel. Loyalty programs (myRewards, Pro Driver Rewards, Auto & RV Driver Rewards, Push For Points) drive repeat visit frequency, particularly from professional truck drivers and fleet operators. Customer concentration is split between long-tail consumer traffic (individual drivers, RV travelers, EV drivers) and enterprise fleet contracts, with direct billing and factoring embedding the company into fleet back-office operations.

Name

Pilot Company

Legal name

Pilot Travel Centers LLC

Website

https://pilotflyingj.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Pilot Company is the largest travel center operator in North America, running 900+ Pilot, Flying J, and One9 locations across 44 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces. It distributes over 12 billion gallons of fuel annually, serves 1.2 million guests daily, and provides fuel, food, fleet services, and EV charging to professional drivers, fleet operators, and travelers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fuel Sales: Sales of gasoline, diesel, and alternative fuels including DEF at travel centers across North America. Pilot operates the third largest tanker trucking fleet in North America, distributing over 12 billion gallons annually.
2. Food and Beverage Sales: Proprietary food concepts including Pilot Eats and Pilot Eats EXPRESS, plus branded restaurant partners (McDonald's, Subway, Arby's, etc.) generating food service revenue
3. EV Charging Services: Electric vehicle charging stations at travel centers with per-kWh pricing, part of partnerships with GM, EVgo, and Tesla
4. Fleet Solutions: Credit offerings, direct billing, wholesale fuel, and fuel factoring services for fleet operators
5. Retail Merchandise: Convenience store sales including snacks, drinks, and travel necessities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pilot Company operates North America's largest travel center network, running over 900 company-owned locations under the Pilot, Flying J, and One9 banners across 44 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces. The business sells gasoline, diesel, and DEF; provides proprietary and branded foodservice; and offers professional driver amenities including reservable showers, truck parking, mobile fueling, and truck care. Separate fleet solutions (Direct Bill, wholesale fuel, and Fuel & Factoring) serve commercial fleet operators, while the Pilot app and myRewards loyalty programs support both retail consumers and pro drivers.

Product overview

Pilot Company operates North America's largest travel center network with over 900 locations under multiple brands (Pilot, Flying J, One9) across 44 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services centered on fuel (gasoline, diesel, DEF), foodservice (proprietary Pilot eats/Pilot eats EXPRESS brands alongside name-brand restaurants), and professional driver amenities (parking, showers, truck care). The core offering includes loyalty programs (myRewards, Pro Driver Rewards, Auto & RV Driver Rewards), the Pilot App for mobile ordering and reservations, fleet solutions (Direct Bill, Fuel & Factoring), and EV charging infrastructure through partnerships with GM/EVgo. The product portfolio spans physical travel center operations, digital services (mobile app, ordering), and alternative energy offerings including EV charging and hydrogen fuel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tartan: Brand under Pilot Company's family of brands
• Stamart
• SCO Fuel
• Pride
• PSS
• Mr. Fuel
• Prime Parking
• Pilot eats
• Pilot eats EXPRESS
• Miles of Good
• Southern Tire Mart
• One9

Products and services

• Pilot Travel Centers
• Flying J Travel Centers
• One9 Travel Centers
• Pilot eats
• Pilot eats EXPRESS
• Pilot Coffee
• EV Charging
• The Pilot App
• myRewards Card
• Pro Driver Rewards
• Auto & RV Driver Rewards
• Prime Parking
• Mobile Ordering
• Direct Bill
• Fuel & Factoring
• Flying J Cardlock
• Southern Tire Mart / Truck Care
• Mobile Fueling
• Showers
• CAT Scale
• IdleAir

Quantifiable outcome

• 350kW chargers can add 150-200 miles of range in 15-20 minutes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and strategic.

• NCR VoyixcoreTechnology or Integration · 6 March 2026Five-year platform agreement to deploy AI-enabled NCR Voyix Commerce Platform for both retail and commercial fuel solutions across Pilot's 750+ travel center locations. Modernization creates microservice architecture improving mobile ordering integration, enabling local operation during network outages, and allowing faster software delivery.
• Black BuffalominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 March 2026Pilot Company named as a 2025 Herd Preferred Award winner by Black Buffalo Inc., recognized as a top retail partner for smokeless tobacco alternative products based on total can volume and cans per week metrics.
• GeotabstrategicTechnology or Integration · 11 February 2026Pilot Company recognized at Geotab's 2026 Innovation Awards for committing over $1 billion to modernize its travel center network using Geotab analytics for fleet management and operational improvements.
• TeslacoreTechnology or Integration · 28 January 2026Partnership to install Tesla Semi chargers for heavy-duty electric truck charging at select Pilot Travel Centers along Interstate 5, Interstate 10, and other major corridors. First sites opening summer 2025 with construction beginning in H1 2026 in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. Charging network delivers up to 1.2 megawatts of power per stall.
• General Motors and EVgocoreTechnology or Integration · 10 September 2025Collaborative EV fast-charging network deployed at over 200 Pilot and Flying J travel centers across nearly 40 U.S. states with over 850 public fast charging stalls. Partnership targeting up to 2,000 stalls at 500 locations. Network features 350kW fast chargers, Plug and Charge capability, and pull-through stalls with overhead canopies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Love's Travel Stops: Love's is the closest direct competitor to Pilot, operating a similarly large network of travel centers across the U.S. serving professional truck drivers and motorists with fuel, food, and amenities. Both companies compete head-to-head for fleet customers and highway corridor real estate.
• TravelCenters of America: TravelCenters of America operates a national network of travel centers directly competing with Pilot Flying J for professional drivers and highway travelers. Acquired by BP in 2023, TA represents a major competitor with energy major backing.
• Buc-ee's: Buc-ee's operates mega-sized travel centers primarily across the southern U.S., directly competing with Pilot for auto and RV travelers with proprietary food offerings, large-format stores, and aggressive site expansion.
• RaceTrac: RaceTrac operates a large network of travel centers and convenience stores across the southern U.S., competing with Pilot for highway and interstate travelers with fuel and food service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Casey's General Stores: Casey's operates one of the largest U.S. convenience store chains with fuel sales, prepared food, and bakery items, competing with Pilot for general motorists and small-town travel stops, though with smaller-format stores.
• 7-Eleven: 7-Eleven is the largest U.S. convenience store chain with fuel sales at the majority of its 13,000+ U.S. locations. While its urban and suburban store footprint differs from Pilot's highway focus, it competes for the same motorist fuel and convenience spend.

Regional players

• Wawa: Wawa operates a popular Mid-Atlantic and Southeast convenience store chain with strong proprietary food offerings. It competes with Pilot for east coast traveler and commuter fuel/food spend though with a regional focus.
• Sheetz: Sheetz is a privately-held convenience store and fuel chain operating primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions, competing with Pilot for traveler food and fuel spend with proprietary made-to-order food offerings.
• Kwik Trip: Kwik Trip is a large privately-held Midwest convenience store and fuel chain, competing with Pilot for highway and regional traveler fuel and food spend in its core Upper Midwest operating territory.

Others

• Pilot Thomas Logistics: While not a direct competitor, Pilot Thomas Logistics is an energy logistics and distribution company adjacent to Pilot Company's wholesale fuel operations, providing context on fuel supply chain economics relevant to Pilot's business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pilotflyingj
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PilotTravelCenters
• Facebookfacebook.com/pilottravelcenters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilot-flying-j
• Instagraminstagram.com/pilotflyingj
• TikToktiktok.com/@pilotflyingj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pilot Company