Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 24, 2020:
Pilot Flying J announced it is rebranding to Pilot Company and introduced a new logo to go with the name change.Pilot Flying J undergoing corporate name change
One of the nation’s largest truck stop chains, Pilot Flying J, announced it will transition to a new corporate name as Pilot Company.
The company says the name change Pilot Company will bring all of its businesses in retail and energy operations under one umbrella. With the rebranding, Pilot unveiled a new logo that is a nod to the company’s history.
Pilot says all existing travel stop locations will remain branded as they are, and new locations will continue to open as Pilot, Flying J or other brands owned by Pilot.
“Our longstanding history and commitment to the trucking industry will remain a core focus of Pilot Company as we continue to expand both our travel center business and our energy division,” said Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Company. “We have the right strategy and an incredible team of 28,000 people in place to deliver the fuel, products and services our guests and the industry need.”
Rhode Island crews resume exit re-numbering on I-195 next week, 95 on deck
The Rhode Island DOT will start its next highway renumbering project Tuesday night, January 28, changing exit numbers on I-195 from the interchange with I-95 in Providence to the Massachusetts border in East Providence. The new exit numbers are part of a multi-year federal program to update highway numbering for Interstates and other limited-access highways.
The latest contract will also renumber Route 10, from Park Avenue in Cranston to Route 6 in Providence, and Route 37 from Post Road in Warwick to Natick Avenue in Cranston this winter. Starting this spring, RIDOT will renumber Route 24 from the Massachusetts line in Tiverton to West Main Road in Portsmouth. That highway will receive updated sign structures and foundations.
New exit numbers will be keyed to mile markers – the system most used throughout the country for many years. Rhode Island and some neighboring New England states are among the last to change to this method, required by the Federal Highway Administration’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, from former sequential exit numbering. RIDOT plans to install temporary signs indicating the old exit number, and will leave them up for an extended period of time.
The final highway to be done, I-95 from the Connecticut border in Hopkinton to the Massachusetts border in Pawtucket, is tentatively scheduled to be renumbered late in the year.
Mack Trucks and NASCAR will continue their partnership designating Mack as the “Official Hauler of NASCAR.”Mack Trucks renews NASCAR partnership
Mack Trucks will continue to be the “Official Hauler of NASCAR” after agreeing to a multi-year extension of the partnership between the companies. As part of the partnership, Mack will continue to provide a dedicated fleet of customized Mack Anthem 70-inch stand-up sleeper models spec’d to meet NASCAR’s standards. The agreement between the companies began in 2016.
The Anthem models for NASCAR feature Mack’s 505-hp 13-liter MP8 engine with Mack’s mDrive automated manual transmission.
