The Truck Stops Here

NATSO Connect 2023 is scheduled to take place March 7-10, 2023 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in the Dallas Metropolitan Area. The annual meeting of truckstop and travel center operators, the event features hundreds of truckstop and travel center operators as well as industry partners coming together for face-to-face learning and networking to help them identify trends and maximize profit margins.

Pamela Hayes, vice president, business development, NATSO and Andrew Evans, vice president, marketing and branding, NATSO hopped on the podcast to share all the important details about this year's event. Visit https://natsoconnect.com for more information.

With special guests:

Pamela Hayes, Vice President, Business Development, NATSO and Andrew Evans, Vice President Marketing and Branding, NATSO

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

More than $7.5 billion will be distributed by state transportation departments to install electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure along alternative fuel corridors under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. As truckstops and travel centers look to install EV chargers, they must understand how much energy the chargers consume. Tim Victor, who serves as the Project Lead, EV Infrastructure at Scale Microgrids, walks listeners through some of the important considerations for powering EV chargers.

With special guest:

Tim Victor, Project Lead, EV Infrastructure, Scale Microgrids

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

Finding ways to cut down on the energy needed to run travel centers makes financial sense, and it also benefits the environment. What should every truckstop operator be doing to be more sustainable? Bernie Erickson, CMO/Director of Innovation at Facility Solutions Group, answers that question, bringing a wealth of sustainability knowledge to the podcast. Together with host Amy Toner, executive director of the NATSO Foundation, he provides ideas for sustainability in lighting, water consumption, and more.

With special guest:

Bernie Erickson, CMO/Director of Innovation, Facility Solutions Group

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

With the start of Human Trafficking awareness month, we welcome Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, vice president of public affairs for NATSO, on to the podcast to discuss the NATSO Foundation's 10 years of work in this important area. "No one could have predicted in 2013, when the NATSO Foundation signed a simple pledge to take a stand against human trafficking, that our promise would mature into the comprehensive public awareness and education program that we have in place today," said Wlazlowski Neuman. Wlazlowski Neuman, who oversees the NATSO Foundation's anti-trafficking program, said January is the perfect time to implement a human trafficking awareness program or recommit to an existing program. Listen for her advice on how to grow your awareness one step further in the coming year.

With special guest:

Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President of Public Affairs, NATSO

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

This year the NATSO Foundation's Truck Repair and Roadside Safety ShareGroup received a special briefing from Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Director of Compliance and Enforcement Programs Jake Elovirta. Elovirta spoke about state Move Over Laws, their differences, what NATSO members need to know and how we can advance public awareness on roadside safety. We invited Elovirta onto NATSO's podcast to share his expertise with listeners. Elovirta shared information to help keep roadside service technicians safe on the side of the road.

With special guests:

Jake Elovirta, director of compliance and enforcement programs, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs, NATSO

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

The truckstop and travel center industry is built on speed, and speed is a critical piece of any travel center's success. Increasingly, customers want to walk into stores and buy things on their own. Smart travel center owners are building AI-driven checkout-free technology into their new builds and exploring retrofits. Krishna Motukuri, CEO and co-founder of Zippin, joined NATSO's podcast to breakdown the technology from security to layout best practices to the future of AI.

With special guest:

Krishna Motukuri, CEO and Co-Founder, Zippin

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

Meet NATSO's newest employee, Andrew Evans. Evans is a branding powerhouse with more than 15 years of experience developing strategies for global, billion-dollar brands like KONE and The University of Iowa. "I love everything marketing," Evans shared. With the recent growth in NATSO and the industry, Evans is the perfect person to market the complex program of work that the NATSO board of directors has established.

With special guest:

Andrew Evans, Vice President, Marketing and Branding, NATSO

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation and Darren Schulte, Vice President, Membership, NATSO

Casey's General Stores Inc. continues to grow its commercial fuel business. In the past several years, this growth has included a focus on fuel cards. Tony Spuzello, director, commercial fuels, Casey's General Stores Inc. joined NATSO's podcast to share what they are doing to revamp and boost their commercial payment acceptance. Spuzello walks listeners through their business process for choosing a fuel card partner, from the technology supporting the card to the guest experience.

With special guest:

Tony Spuzello, Director, Commercial Fuels, Casey's General Stores Inc.

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation and Darren Schulte, Vice President, Membership, NATSO

What is the future of autonomous trucking? Has any alternative fuel pulled ahead of another in the heavy-duty space? How can truckstops and travel centers partner with fleets to help relieve the regulatory pressure of decarbonization? Mike Roeth, executive director of NACFE and Ginger Laidlaw, vice president of NATSO's Alternative Fuels Council, take a deep dive these alternative fuels questions and more in the latest episode of NATSO's The Truck Stops Here podcast.

With special guests:

Mike Roeth, Executive Director, NACFE and Ginger Laidlaw, Vice President, NATSO's Alternative Fuels Council

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation

The Biden Administration announced Sept. 27 that it has approved Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plans for all 50 states and the District of Columbia under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. More than $7.5 billion will be distributed to state transportation departments to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure along alternative fuel corridors.

You may download your state's EV deployment plan here.

State DOTs now will begin issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to partner with the private sector for EV charging stations along alternative fuel corridors. It is critical that NATSO members interested in investing in EV charging stations watch for, and respond to, these RFPs.

Just prior to the announcement, we sat down with Joe Annotti, senior vice president and partner at Gladstein, Neandross and Associates, to address truckstop and travel center's most burning questions on the grants.

With special guests:

Joe Annotti, Senior Vice President and Partner, Gladstein, Neandross and Associates and Ginger Laidlaw, Vice President, Alternative Fuels Council

Hosted by:

Amy Toner, Executive Director, NATSO Foundation