KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Pilot Flying J is expanding its network in West Texas with the opening of three new travel centers this spring to serve the exponential growth and rising traffic in the Permian Basin.
The travel centers feature full amenities for area residents, people working in the region and the traveling public, including motorists and professional drivers, while adding approximately 150 local jobs and other economic benefits to the community.
“Pilot Flying J is thrilled to serve the Reeves and Winkler County communities and contribute to the local economy with our new travel centers,” Pilot Flying J President Ken Parent said. “Our goal at Pilot Flying J is to connect people and places with comfort, care and a smile at every stop. By expanding our network in the Permian Basin, we are bringing the best service and amenities available on the road to deliver convenience, quality, comfort and added value to area residents and those traveling through the region.”
This month, Pilot Flying J opened a new Pilot Travel Center in Orla, Texas, signifying the first truck stop along U.S. Highway 285 between Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Pecos, Texas.
The company also opened a Pilot Travel Center in Kermit, Texas, on West State Highway 302.
In weeks to come, Pilot will open its second location in Pecos in the coming weeks at 2400 South Bickley Avenue.
The travel centers will bring full amenities and provide 84 truck parking spaces to meet the needs of the industry traffic and underserved communities that are along these routes.
The new travel centers will add approximately 150 local jobs and are expected to contribute $5.8 million annually in state and local tax revenues. Unique to these openings is the fact that Pilot Flying J is providing permanent housing to 94 team members that relocated to the Pecos and Kermit areas from other regions of Texas.
Cumulatively, Pilot Flying J’s footprint in Texas will grow to 76 locations, including travel centers, dealers and card locks – the most of any U.S. state. To support this growth, as the fourth-largest tanker fleet in the nation, Pilot Flying J is also hiring approximately 140 crude, fuel and DEF drivers in the state this year.
In addition to opening three new travel centers in the Permian Basin, Pilot Flying J is enhancing its existing location in Pecos, which opened in 1989. As part of the company’s 2017 commitment to invest $485 million over the next five years in upgrades to its network of existing stores, the Flying J Travel Center located at 100 East Pinehurst will provide an improved guest experience with new restrooms, enhancements to food and deli, and additions to retail including a shop-in-shop experience from Bass Pro Shops, offering customers access to a selection of best-selling Bass Pro merchandise and its RedHead clothing line. The existing location will better serve area residents and the traveling public with its expanded amenities, while continuing to offer professional drivers 200 parking spaces, 12 diesel fueling lanes and nine showers.
The combined network of more than 750 Pilot and Flying J Travel Centers across North America serves more than 1.6 million customers daily.
For more information on Pilot Flying J, visit www.pilotflyingj.com.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
