Ever since the news got out that the FBI had raided the Pilot Flying J headquarters in Knoxville, TN last week, rumors and wild speculation abounded, with everyone trying to figure out why the FBI took action. Now that the FBI have released the affidavit that they used to obtain their search warrants we have our answer: the information in the affidavit suggests that Pilot Flying J may have stolen tens of millions of dollars from trucking companies… and that the owner, Jimmy Haslam, may have known that it was happening.
The FBI gathered most of the information contained within the affidavit through the use of two confidential informants, both of whom were working in the Pilot Flying J Corporate Offices. They both wore hidden audio recording devices and recorded conversations with other PFJ employees, mostly within the diesel sales department.
According to the affidavit, the sales team would withhold rebate money from trucking companies without their knowledge in order to increase the amount that the companies were paying and increase their own sales commission. While this may not sound worthy of a raid by the FBI, the largest rebates are usually given to companies with the most volume. This may have translated into a loss of over a million dollars a year for some companies and a lot of extra commissions for the sales reps.
Company owner Jimmy Haslam has given several press conferences since the FBI raid. In one of the most recent he said he was extremely embarrassed and disappointed saying: “That’s not how we do things around here. We have respect for people. We have the utmost respect for our customers.”
In a recorded conversation, the Vice President of Sales shared his mantra for how to deal with the customers they have so much respect for: “F— ‘em early and f— ‘em often.”
Another conversation revealed that a different employee was of the opinion that if a customer “isn’t smart enough to know what their deal is” then there was no reason to give the customer the money that they were owed.
It also appears that these were not the actions of just a few rogue employees. This frame of mind was preached by PFJ Director of National Sales. When talking with a few of his employees, he was caught saying the following on tape: “Know your customer… If the guy’s sophisticated… don’t jack with his discounts, ’cause he’s gonna know, okay?”
Another recorded conversation revealed two other PFJ employees openly discussing their customers.
MALE VOICE: Our advantage is their ignorance
PFJ Employee: Yeah, AKA, we’re f—in’ ’em. (Laughter.)
One of the most shocking assertions made by the affidavit is that many top executives – including Jimmy Haslam himself – were aware of what the FBI is calling “Discount Fraud.” Here’s a piece of the transcript taken directly from the affidavit. One of the confidential informants is talking with the Vice President of Sales about what to do if a company catches on:
Confidential Informant: Well what if you can’t talk your way out of it? They figure out a way and they’ve got you nailed?
VP: You pay up.
Confidential Informant: Pay it?
VP: Yeah. Or you buy an airplane.
Confidential Informant: What does Mark and Jimmy say about shit like that? Do they even catch it or do they know?
VP: Fuckin’ A. I mean, I called Jimmy and told him I got busted at Western Express.
Confidential Informant: What’d he say?
VP: Oh he knew it.
Confidential Informant: Oh did he?
VP: Absolutely. I mean, he knew all along that I was cost-plussin’ this guy. He knew it all along. Loved it. We were makin’ $450,000 a month on him–
Confidential Informant: Holy s—t!
VP: — why wouldn’t he love it?
Confidential Informant: Yeah.
VP: Did it for five years, cost us a million bucks. I mean, we made $6 million on the guy, cost us a million bucks.
It is also reported that Haslam received several reports sent by email that would have shown the fraud in practice. This is in addition to an email reportedly sent by an employee on January 24th, 2013 that “Jimmy Haslam and John Freeman were looking carefully at every Customer’s profit and loss report and consolidating duplicate entries. [The confidential informant] stated that the increased profit from Rebate Fraud would be clearly evident to Jimmy Haslam and John Freeman.”
Despite the evidence collected in the affidavit, Jimmy Haslam denies any wrongdoing. He said on Thursday: “I maintain that the foundation of this company is built on its integrity and that any willful wrongdoing by any employee of this company at any time is intolerable.”
Pilot Flying J has put several members of the sales team on administrative leave and has been taking steps to repay those companies that have claimed that they are owed money. Given that trucking companies are starting to come forward to file class action lawsuits, however, this debacle may be far from over.
Next Story: Court Strikes Down OOIDA, Okays Cross-Boarder Program
Sources: FBI, overdrive, overdrive, landline, landline, landline, csnews,
Oh… this is gonna be good!
Loves,Pietro, TA and others are licking their chops
wtf is PIETRO?!?
It’s the “SouthOfTheBorder” version of what we call Petro…. lmao!!!!!
As a owner operator I never bought much fuel from Pilot’s as I always thought I got worse mpg with their fuel and their fuel islands were always blocked with company trucks. This will only reinforce this opinion of them.
They were busted a few years ago for selling hot fuel. Never buy diesel in a hot climate from a truck stop with above ground tanks. They are trying to rip you off.
True. At 60 degrees Fahrenheit, a gallon is a gallon(by weight) however, above 60 degrees, a gallon by volume is less than a gallon, whereas below 60 degrees, you as the consumer are actually getting more fuel per volume, and this applies to gasoline as well. 60 degrees is the median point.
And you wonder how a guy like this can buy s football team and a shit team like the cleveland browns..oh yeah he knew send his happy ass to jail take his football team away cause he probably bought it with the money he stole from trucking companys anyway.and the v.p.and everyone in there sales department needs to go to jail as well.
I don’t buy fuel at PFJ, I get a really good discount at Loves, Petro and TA. I was told that in order to get the discount from PFJ I would have to buy 10,000 a year or basicly use PFJ exclusively. No Thanks, I get my discount at time of purchase..
my question is, since many of the trucking companies pass along these fuel discounts to their leased on owner operators, have they {the trucking companies} been passing along what they got from flying j/pilot to the owner operators, which would put the ultimate bottom line on the owner operators as far as who got ”f#^*@$”……..probably needs a bit of investigating itself….
Its realy not that hard to understand. If the trucking companies get screwed, then yes, we get screwed too Todd.
Not necessarily. If the pass-along discount was determined by a calculation based on gallons and not actual price, then the trucking companies may have been extending discounts that they never actually got.
which begs the obvious follow up question….when these companies are given the money theyre due from PFJ….will the companies who ar crying foul right now pass on the monies to the drivers? THAT is when we will see who has any integrity.
I gay-roawn-teee you that’s why the IRS was in on the raidas too, gonna check & see if writoffs for fuel costs match the fuel ticket or the actual billing sheet.
I know I DID get the discounts (varied between 6 cents up to around 30 cents/ gal) on my statements. Main problem I saw was I didn’t know how much discount I got until the actual billing came with my settlement from the carrier but I always got something.
Different carrier now & all PFJ gives is allegedly 3 points per gallon ( the 2 times I fueled there I didn’t even get more then a measly 1 point) , no money discount so See ya later PFJ….. Petro/TA/Loves here I come. In the 2 months I’ve been here I get an automatic 7 cents at Loves and anywhere from 6 cents to (believe it or not, 55 cents here at BarstowTA) from Petro/TA. Have fun ducking snowballs in Cleveland, Jimmy, as you run outta money to make payments on that sad sack team you bought… or perhaps “stole”…. up there at the Mistake on the Lake!
Another thing to think about is this: His bro is the guv of TN! Wonder how long til he’s involved in this and run outta Nashville on a rail for partaking in the screwing of the public?
As the old Chinese proverb states; ‘The Fish Stinks from the Head’!
This Haslam guy cracks me up. Last week, after his headquarters gets raided and the story broke out, he said:
““I maintain that the foundation of this company is built on its integrity and that any willful wrongdoing by any employee of this company at any time is intolerable.”
Yeah FREAKIN’ RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He’s the CEO of the biggest Travel Center/Fuel Stop chain of the Company, yet he somehow DOESN’T know about how his company is ripping off Trucking Companies and making $$ MILLIONS by doing so. He actually has the nerve to say that he didn’t know about how these $$millions just ‘appeared’?? I call ‘BOVINE EXCREMENT’!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What really pisses me off is that they were actively trying to rip off the smaller companies and the weak (by weak I mean those companies that don’t have an entire floor of accountants and didn’t figure out that they were getting F-ed) companies.
This incident just makes me even more cynical about modern life. I’ve always been told that “You work hard , and you will be rewarded and achieve the American dream”. Now , this incident is proving my ‘older’ outlook on life more and more true,- the one that says “to achieve the American dream, you have to trample over others, lie as much as you can, and steal as much as you can.”
Sad, really, but I’ve developed this attitude from what I’ve seen over the years. ‘It is what it is!’
These guys treat their customers the same way most trucking companies treat their drivers.
Ironic isn’t it….turn about is fair play though.
They treat their drivers the same as the other trucking companies treat their drivers. They would spit on my back and tell me it’s raining out. When they bought FlyingJ they tried to take away our benefits. The whole fleet would have quit. Good for them to get raided.
Ironage…you’re working for the wrong company if you feel that way!
And what company do you feel doesn’t treat their drivers like cattle?
is this anything new…all of the truckstops, garages, towing companies , parts houses and any other buisness that is there for trucking….THEY ALL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TRUKING COMPANIES AND O/O. they jack up their prices when it has to do with a truck.
“Dont lump all towing companies in to the same barrel”
I make my living driving a Heavy Duty Tow Truck. And when i respond to a call, One i latch on to the equipment, It’s my baby if something goes wrong.
Everyone is always glad to see us when we come to bail them out of a situation they dont want to be in. But after all is said and done, They sure love to bitch about the price of everything.
There are some that will gouge… We do not. We try to charge a fair amount for what we provide to the truckers and trucking companys. 1# the right equipment for the job.
We take pride in being able to take the job and not have damage claims.
#2 24 HOUR SERVICE/365 days a YEAR. If you need us we will be there! And that means working all day, then having to jump in the truck and work all night and into the next day. Heavy isnt for everyone, And keeping the right help around is everything.
#3 Do some math, $340,000 for a truck now you have to load all the recovery stuff into it.
INSURANCE, fuel, maintain it, And you have to find a guy thats willing to be available 365 days a year to run this equipment. and then deal with shops that want “Discounted towing” so you will get there work.
Some of us are trying to bring more value to what we do. We will tow a full Tractor/Trailer combo to save the trucker/ company money. Do we have to ? NO but alot of the time its just easier to do it. By law we should split it and send our tractor out for the trailer.
I’m not condoning any behavior, but isn’t it ironic that the quote “F— ‘em early and f— ‘em often.” is most likely similar to what some trucking companies say about drivers?
Lease programs, pay shortage, DAC retaliation, etc…
What goes around comes around.
Navajo Express will sure do a number on you DAC report for leaving them. They did that to mine and still will not take it off. And for the towing guys. I say this ” you guys sure do put up with a lot of bs. From companies and drivers. My hat’s off to ya”.
Hahahahaha. Ha. They’ve been ripping off drivers for years. I’m glad they got busted. “Somebody” is going be cellmates with Bernie Ebbers.
I’m gonna miss their morning coffee…
Coffees free at loves
Yeah but loves coffee is just dirty water. And its only free when you fuel
I haven’t paid for coffee for 5 years (Loves)
Loves coffee makes me sleepy….
Greedy bastards got what they had coming
Greed is the fall of many,
love of money is the root of
all evil. Thats why us drivers
are treated like slaves, were
only looked at as something
A company or fuel stop they
can make money from… drivers
rise up! Let the revollution start
now! Lets take back what they
stole from us!
Several drivers’ comments were right on target. Frank Merkt, Allen Smith, ironage, Everett. Thank you. And thanks for writing this article, Mr B. What goes around comes around. Let’s pitch in and bring it around–help the wheel revolve, if you will:)–that much faster.
Ripping someone off for $450,000 a month for 5 yrs and made $6 million? Bad arithmetic there.
taxes, kickbacks to pay off government officials. etc.. adds up.
I have known for … years that FJ was “up to something no good” and never cared to use them even if the company I was driving for said that they were “good”. The same applies for the Pilot although I still think their coffee is the best on the road.
It comes as no surprise that these companies can rip off trucking companies like this. Denial or incorrect application of discounts is a normal operation in almost every business that uses that sort of structure. That is why there is someone who is supposed to watch over this carefully. Its not just fuel and services. Its broker’s fees, detention time, surcharges, lumper’s fees … the list goes on and on. Owner Ops and Company Drivers are routinely being jacked up by the companies they drive for. If the company that they drive for is getting screwed by the people they do business with, they just hand it down the line and add a percentage for themselves.
How many times did I deserve “Detention” fees? How many times did I get it? (or You?) try something less than 1%.
I went into this business with the intention of becoming an Owner Op but figured I should spend a couple years as a company driver just to see how things were. Within 6 months of driving and using a calculator I realized I was better off keeping my money in a hole in the ground. After a year of calculations I realized that even taking some out and burning it once in a while would be cheaper.
The companies that “service” the trucking industry (think Fuel, Repair, Brokers, Lumpers) know that truckers haven’t the time to screw around and nitpick and so they are always ready to “bend a driver over” … What’s a shame is that the companies that most drivers work for, lease for/from or contract with are exactly the same.
You’re right, it’s passed down the line, many, many times I have been denied detention pay, layover pay, sad to say it but because we only fuel at pfj it’s probably going to get/be worse for the drivers in my co. and others because of it
This is what class act law suits are made from. I will be the first in line to be getting my money back from these crooks! They cheat you out of rewards points and they cheat you other ways too. I’ve had my fill of these characters. That’s it!
Those 2 informants deserve medals.I’m happy you posted this Sam. I will never buy fuel or good there again and I’m changing my mug today!!!
THis guy has to pay for I don’t know ho as many times I put fuell at the JJ and pilot and some times the cahiers they don’t give you the shower in you receip after 50gallons of fuell they did it to me a bunch of times .yoi know why if the trucker loocks stupid don’t give him his reward the way the vice president of the company said it thath means that is type of training the employeess get from them ….I think we have to get hour mone hybrid back with lawyers…..
T/A and Petro were the only major truck stop chains that did not increase their fuel prices within minutes of the planes hitting the twin towers on 9/11/01. I still have written proof. They earned my respect and loyalty for that.
If that doesn’t work for you, try this. Unless it’s mandated by the state for that location, they sell pure #2 diesel, not cheaper biodiesel, which clogs my truck’s fuel filters and provides lower mpg.
The inside informant that tipped off the FBI deserves a whistleblower award and everyone’s thanks for exposing this ripoff. It probably will result in him/her looking for a new place of employment.
Paul, you’re not correct about the T/a and Petro raising their prices when the twin towers fell..
I was in Willington, CT at the T/A the same day of the attack.. The T/A raised their prices over a dollar a gallon, because i filled my truck up that morning and during the night, someone stole my fuel.. needless to say that after that, i bought locking fuel caps…
Harold
Harold, you are correct. I should have written “at company-owned locations”. My bad.
I think you should read the pump. It says b10 or b15 or b20. The B stands for biodiesel. It’s blended up to 20% because some tree hugging liberals decided it made our trucks run cleaner just like the lie about DEF or a DPF system that doesn’t use DEF. It’s a scam to make someone rich.
For all those defending these low life scum bags! I told you soo! Read last weeks article on this and is all those defenders of pilot. They are still screwing drivers with the disappearing reward points. So I still only go to pilot or flying j as my last choice.
Well I guess when no one is looking it’s not a crime. This might explain why the top 10% in any field doesn’t have to do anything “over and above” the requirements of the job- just show up & do your work in a timely fashion. The only thing I have is my word. Nothing else !!!!!!!!! If I book a load for a price I haul it. Does not matter if the load to get there fell through. I made an agreement. MY WORD. I know PFJ wont miss my money but I get to choose who I deal with and it won’t be them.
No, the only things I have is my word and my balls. I don’t break them for anyone. Guess you never saw Scarface.
We won coffee for a year from them…. And we drank our weight in it every day… does this mean we are even?
This is the real reason why the rich want the govt small enuf to drown in the bathtub. So the won’t get caught and prosecuted.
Oh, lookie lookie here now.
Jimmy Haslam cried on TV about how ”sorry he is” that this happened. Can’t yall give him a break?
*eyeroll*
LOL LOL LOL.
This story needs more and more exposure! EVERYONE needs to know the shady shit that goes on.
things are too expensive these days and transparency is DEMANDED and rightly so.
enough is enough yall. omg
This is why I refuse to buy fuel at these places.I’m just a small company and when I mean small it’s just me.I hope the FBI gives old jimmy and all involved an good fckin back.finally the government is on our side for a change.maybe fuel prices will start to come down and stay down how about that.
I like their coffee. I’m forced to buy fuel there if it’s cheaper than others because I’m a company driver. Their rewards program is awesome. TA/Petro can kiss my donkey. Reserved parking has swamped most of their parking lots. I refuse to pay to park unless I have a late night delivery. Love’s has nothing to love. No laundry, parking lot is too small and no reservations for parking for those who need it.
Ohhhhh, I would love to see Pilot door close. I know that would probably never happen from this. I have notice my company fuel stops had abruptly stopped using Pilot and the flying hook.
Intentionally went to Loves this morning after I read this. PFJ only as a LAST resort!
Somebody should stage a mock competition among various industries to determine which ones are the most effective at ripping customers off. There could be two events: legal and illegal. Despite fierce competition from the likes of banking, insurance, and pharma, energy might sweep both.
You got that right Tim! People need to look outside the box, we’re all getting the shaft one way or another from somebody.
I quite frankly am hurt by all this, To say, I was a loyal customer of PFJ for many years. Mytruck actually ran better on Pilots diesel as I believed TA was too high in price.
I hope this MOFu is stripped of all he owns and if necessary is Publically shamed and done so on one of his properties in the greater K-ville area.
He is going to be dirt poor and oh well as he and his VP said, F***’em. He will be so poor he will be poorer than a third world country. Imagine screwing Western Express out of 6 Million dollars, whata Ass he is.
Bye bye PFJ, you scum sucking sleezebags, You are going to put thousands of harder working people who depended on your place of business for work
I was Denny’s and I heard a conversation by
two managers and they said ” we don’t want the truckers
In here . This is for the travelers , not the truckers
Make them buy from the hot deli get their fuel and hit the
Road ” . This is why I boycott Denny’s
I boycott Dennys because their food and service sucks. After several times of waiting for AT LEAST a half hour to find out what we wanted for drinks, another nearly half hour to get those drinks and take an order, and a WHOLE HOUR to get our bland tasteless food…. I said enoughs enough and haven’t been back since. Years. And those several times were different locations at different times, sometimes busy, sometimes not. I want happy when all the restaurants started to change to Denny’s.
That’s why i don’t eat at Denny’s! You get one cup of coffee and get a refill if you beg for it!
Bad math, 450,000 a month for 12 months x5 years is 27,000,000MILLION Dollars, that is a lot of new Freightliner Cascadias
Can we have Flying J back please? I really miss the fantastic buffets they used to do.
Absolutely, Chris! I used to eat at the Flying J buffets all the time, and ever since they put in the Denny’s restaurants I have not purchased so much as one penny of fuel from them and never will again!!! Denny’s is to cheap to even offer a salad bar, so I go to T/A or Petro, and Petro is my favorite.
Get a fleetone card, join NASTC and then join QPN – cost $350.00 a year no matter if you have 1 to 300 trucks – then you can buy at cost plus .02 – been doing this for 4 years – save on average compared to pump prices .25 or more – currently .40 a gallon in most areas today.
I informed all of my drivers to stop at any PILOT and only use the facilites to relieve yourself. Don’t bother buying anything.
One must realize this affects the majority of truck drivers either directly or indirectly. If you are an owner operator you are affected at the pump. The company driver is affected by lower wages as a result of a lower profit by his company (yes most companies would never pass the profit along to the driver but there are some exceptions). We should all be furious about this. I quit using Flying J and Pilot a long time ago. Almost every aspect of their so called truck stops is subpar when compared to Petro/TA Loves and most others. I urge everyone to boycott Pilot/Flying J if possible. I understand some company drivers have no choice as to where they must purcahse fuel, however you don’t have to spend your own money there.
You think drivers would have been getting paid more, that dispatchers and strawman planners would have treated us better if not for pfj graft? I don’t think so. Greed is God of the trucking industry. Western Express will continue robbing drivers blind. They’ll carry on bullying new guys and veteran ‘team players’ into submission. The trucking bosses could all jump from tall buildings or burn up in a night club and my eyes wouldn’t even get misty.
Why would trucking companies still go there understanding they are not getting a good deal and there may be serious fraud involved here. Companies that use them should either picket them or stop buying fuel there. Has anyone seen the lines at these places getting smaller?
Just like always we’ll keep buying fuel there even after we know we are getting screwed. The common answer will be that they are screwing the company…not us, but we should be smart enough to see who really gets f—–. It’s us. No more fish-hook for this driver.
Serves those scum right. Hope they never see daylight again from a jail cell!! Hard working ppl deserve better than those jerks have done to us! Jimmy Haslam,your time has come.
Sad to see anyone get ripped off, but I can’t help chuckle at the delicious irony of a seeing a trucking
company on the bad end of a good f*%#ing. They’ve been doing it to drivers for a long time.
Just so you know,I have pulled my entire fleet from all the locations.Many more of my constituents are doing the same effective immediately! Jail time would be best however you will feel the backlash long before that happens! You will be buying me and airplane!
Don’t count on Love’s for very long. They are owned by Hess and Hess is closing over 1,000 gas stations (including Love’s) from New Hampshire to Florida, very soon. Hess is going to do nothing but drilling. Got this from a Hess station here in Chambersburg, Pa.
Loves is not owned by Hess. It’s owned by the Love family in Oklahoma.
Actually…. now may be a good time to buy PFJ fuel-since everything they do right now is under a microsope.
I worked for this company for almost 2 years on the fuel desk in Ga and I often saw no showers on the cards and a lot of problems with fuel discounts but it was always taken care of . If this is all true now I understand why I was cussed and had stuff thrown at me on a regular basis .
Well, 1st off, if u have ever noticed, 90% of actual Pilots have small parking for trucks, their mindset was get their money and send them packing. When they bought the Speedways, Williams & FJ is when the parking increased. Of course that wasnt their plan-the plan was to corner the market in as many ways as you can and make lots of $$$$ doing it.
You can go into a Pilot owned business, pay $48 worth of their merchandise, hand them a $50 comcheck and still get charged a fee. Lovely!!!!!
Most of you can probably remember a few years back when they decided to revamp the rewards(<—what a joke) program…75 gals or less-O POINTS, 150 or less-1/2 point, over 150 gals=1 point. If you paid with a comcheck for fuel instead of a card, there was a $1 fee. Now i know, these are menial things, BUT lets just 100 drivers per day, per Pilot…get the picture.
Oh, and lets not forget our illustious governor (brother of the crook), do you think he knows anything about all this? hmmmmmmmmm
Damn it boyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! y'all take care
I recently got a replacement rewards card as my old one was a few years old and scratched up pretty badly. The new rewards cards don’t fit in the card reader at the pumps. I told a counter attendant the problem and was told a lot of people have had the same problem and that they were “waiting” for new cards that will be thinner and will go into the reader properly.
How much do you think they are screwing people out of reward points and showers? Especially the people that fuel and go , the people that won’t wait 15 minutes in line to get the points??
I think companies who use pilot or flying j need to stop using them, I never liked pilot or now flying j since pilot took over, they tried to monopolize it years ago like in Evansville in. 3 pilots on same intersection lol something was up, but the government stepped in and they had to sell one of them to loves, and the points system is a bunch of crap to they keep removing them, pilot is just an evil place, even the employees suck.
I don’t feel bad for those theives one bit. They treat their customers this way, now we’ll see how the law treats them. I stopped fooling with Flying J back in 2008 when they accused me of trying to leave the restaraunt without paying, The cashier yelled it out so she wasn’t very discreet. When they found out the truth, no apology nothing. I cancelled the order and left.
So, where are all the truckers that were bitching about “the ######’ govment” when news of the raid initially broke out?
I knew Pilot was in trouble, but wow, this is NOT the way you treat the customers that pay for your services and products. I just linked to this article on my blog and website to help show my viewers what is going on.
the rewards program is an incentive from pilot and FJ- they are not bound by any contract to give anyone rewards points or free showers or free coffee- I was an OTR driver for many years and have seen alot of these companies come & go- but when we lose a big company like pilot & F/J- it makes it so much easier for the next company to put the screws to the customer- because some of their competition is GONE- if the trucking companies got screwed- it was Karma- from the many screwing they gave the drivers over the years- but it is still good to see a pilot or F/J up the road when you need a place to stop- so weak minded lay persons- your stupid, uneducated comments are just that!!!!!
At a company I was leased onto I was watching my fuel transactions and could not understand why they(company managers) were so enthusiastic about Pilots claims they had the lowest price. When I went back and brought the matter to the company’s attention after a month or so there was less appreciation of Pilot
I liked Pilot the least of all the chains. Pilot seemed more interested in trying to get as much volume as they could not real interested in customer service.
I do remember hearing, some years back, that Schneider drivers were not getting any driver rewards like showers.
I have a few thoughts as I’m not sure where to start.
1, I wonder with the shady deals that Pilot’s been doing all these years was how they were able to buy up competitors as they went along, such as Williams and Flying J. One guy in our Sunday School class quit as the restaurant GM at Flying J in Hope Hull, AL when he found out that Pilot was buying them out b/c he knew about Pilot’s horrible reputation in the industry. I can’t wait to discuss this with him.
2, I wonder that, given his location, if he’s going to play the Naive Christian Gentleman card. This was what Bernie Ebbers did, and it backfired on him miserably.
3, I remember all this talk that Pilot had in expanding their lot sizes to make it easier for trucks to get in, out, and to make parking easier. Then I keep thinking back to one they built a few years back in Danville, VA (or even Minooka, IL). Granted, some of their more recent properties haven’t been this egregiously laid out (like Mt. Vernon, IL). But, given how they’ve treated everyone in the transportation industry; if all of the allegations are true, this removes all doubt.
4, this is definitely a PR disaster for them. No doubt in my mind.
5, I wonder if companies like Sapp Bros. could come along and pick up the pieces. Granted, that could involve expanding beyond the I-80 corridor, but it might benefit them in the long run.
6, what is up with crooks wanting to buy sports franchises? Is this a cover for their shady deals? We had the Rigas brothers with the Buffalo Sabres, Jerry Moyes with the Phoenix Coyotes, and now Jimmy Haslam with the Cleveland Browns.
7, I commend those of you who have the liberty to take your business elsewhere. Company drivers may not have a say, but their employers sure do – and it looks like a lot of them already have.
That’s about all I can think of at this time.
My company told us all 2 months ago to stop using PFJ. Now I know why. Kinda bummed me out at the time.The FJ in Abilene is the only TS that offers DEF at the pumps. I can still buy the DEF because it is still cheaper than by the gallon, but now I got to stop twice. Oh well like my dad always told me LIFE SUCKS AND THEN YOU DIE.
I’ve never liked Flying J from day one at Ogden,Utah. They have always offered services to campers and vacation people instead of being a real truck stop to help drivers. They would for years not accept ComData services so I went to other fuel stops. I always thought a truck stop was for trucks. I don’t need to wait in line to make purchases from behind campers or school kids.
I go where I can save time and keep moving. People other than drivers can shop @ other stores. I think all transactions of discount fuel or other should be noted on the receipt in detail at final check out, then will be completely done instead of “We will send you a discount later deal”.
Flying J has sucked ever since Pilot took over. I prefer T/A.
I remember when Pilot bought the Speedway Truckstop in Punta Gorda, Fl where I fueled up every day. The price immediately jumped .20 a gallon, as did place across the street to match. From then on I had to fuel elsewhere, but noticed the big companies were still fueling there. That’s because they got a discount. It makes it hard for small 1 man operations to compete when you pay .20 a gallon more than big companies that already pay less for parts and trucks.
Fast forward, I notice that PFJ now has upped their free coffee from every 5th to every 10th. I get a free refill with every 50 gallons at Loves, and use my points for things other than coffee.
PS: Don’t feel bad big companies. They actually treat you better than the small independent owner ops they overcharge, and the company drivers they nickle and dime over the coffee, and internet.
There is one who watches that those who choose to steal, mislead, lie, cheat etc; cannot escape. No matter what the courts, our government, or the private sector threw legal action’s do, there will be judgement rendered in it’s entirety! My utmost respect to those in this industry that hold themselves to a higher standard. You cannot bottle up character, principles or honesty. It cant be bought for a price and no matter what they can not take it away!
Well that explaines all these price hikes at the pilot/flingJ. The truckers are footing the bill thats coming there way in law suites……:(
Where?And who can we see,who has rebates coming?
It will be a while before rebates if any.
We need to put Pilot Flying J out of business. And maybe they would feel the way we feel.
Arrogance! These people don’t deserve our respect. I think back on all the so called district managers I see in pilot stores standing around watching employees work. Just standing there being snobby. Gives me a headache. But now I know where they get it from. Straight from the top of the food chain of Pilot. They grow snobs. Watch them the next time you go in a pilot or Flying J. Just standing there with a fake smile on there face. It’s sickening.
I can almost guarantee you that some of these trucking companies were getting kickbacks that were not passed down to Owner Operators and Lease Purchase drivers.
This is modern day business at it’s finest! Pilot and Flying J truck stops going down the tubes.
I’ve never really liked PFJ at all. I stick with Petro and have since the 1980’s. It’s time for a boycott.
We buy most of our fuel from Pilot in Dunnigan, CA on I-5. After many complaints; the Yolo County CA Fire Marshall is getting ready to bust them for trucks (including placarded trucks) constantly blocking fuel island egress (exits) up to an hour while drivers shower and spend money in the “Truckers Store” and at their Wendy’s Burger franchise.
Hopefully they will be fined many thousands of dollars as this practice is intentional and costs drivers and companies a lot of money as well as the possibility that over twenty trucks and a lot of fuel will be involved in a big inferno eventually.
It would be too simple to have already fueled drivers pull up fifty feet further than their current “get your receipt” line to allow fire department access to the fuel pumps and trucks at those pumps.
Any owner OP who fuels at PFJ is a fool anyways…The fuel at just about all other stops is cheaper and the savings adds up to more than the price of a #10.00 shower… People that are leased on to these puppy mill companies havent smelled the coffee since day one and they still arent… If I were to lease a truck from a big shot company and pay the so called great rate from them I wouldnt ever want anything to do with their fuel program,,, If the income coming from a lease company was so great there would be no adds in the papers or internet for them… Big puppy mill Companys arent in business to make you a million, ya get the picture its for them to make 10%=20% fast cash from you without any credibality… keep leasing drivers just stop complaining…WHen you lease an your truck goes 60 mph the coffee should wake you up…They want you to go slow so you make more money and make them look good… Capitol T… TERRIBLE…BTW i drive around 57-60 but I would never let someone dictate my speed on interstate…If need be I can jump with the big boys and blow doors off at 75mph…No need to..57mph no cheap loads…Im good to go…I got a little extra money honey
http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2013/4/19/4241314/jimmy-haslam-the-fbi-the-158-pages-that-will-cost-him-the-browns
Look at this website for a Cliff’s note version of the 158 page FBI warrant document.
The final nail in the coffin?
Straight from the FBI document:
CHS-2 has advised, and the consensual recordings show that various reports, including diesel sales profitability reports [which would show the manual rebate savings(my edit)], are sent by email to senior members of Pilot’s management structure, including CEO Jimmy Haslam.
Wow.
The next 15 or so pages of the document outline what the Feds want from the Pilot offices. They name offices. They name people. They name specific computers, even name specific files. They knew exactly what they wanted, and they knew exactly where they were. In other words, they had their shit in order. They crossed T’s, dotted i’s and even made sure the o’s were perfect circles. They even discovered that Pilot had kept a back-up of every file at another location. They found a third location that received Fed Ex packages for some Pilot employees, and they believed that there could be computers there. They knew it all.
They went for warrants.
Over the next few days, the Feds photographed every entrance, every car and even traced every license plate at both locations. They were getting ready. On April 15th, the day in which the next wave of manual rebates were to be sent out, the FBI and the IRS executed search warrants and seized everything they wanted. Just for good measure, they went back the next day and got more.
What does this mean for Haslam?
Already in the fold, the feds have 3 whistle blowers, so much taped audio they were unable to go through everything before issuing warrants, and every hard drive, computer and file they wanted from Pilot.
In other words, the feds have everything they want.
I know people think Haslam will be protected, I think the opposite. The FBI and the IRS don’t want the small potatoes guys. They don’t even want the president. Sure they will get what is coming, but the feds want the big fish. They don’t put on their good clothes to beat up on the weaklings. They want Haslam. Read the report, anytime Haslam is even remotely named, it is highlighted and focused on. He is target number one.
How can they do it? Haslam has been implicated on five different counts, by different people. If there is an e-mail to Haslam showing an improper rebate, which seems like an when sort of thing, not an if at this point, he is cooked. Let’s assume he cleared that out like pwanda’s internet history (which I give a 0.0000003% chance of happening).
Freeman, who seems to this non-lawyered eye, has the most to lose. He seems to be the focus of the investigation. Maybe most importantly for Browns fans, he obviously had plenty of open dialog with Haslam, and is the one who puts Haslam right in the FBI cross hairs with his plane story. I’m guessing Freeman will be offered some sort of deal.
Same for Hazelwood. He could quite easily push the buck right up the hill. He obviously knew of the scam and attended many meetings outlaying Haslam’s wishes to further the scam by teaching new sales the tricks of the trade.
People will be out to save themselves. No one wants to go to jail, they said it themselves. We are talking about guys that own lake houses, jets and probably the cash to buy Ben Roethlisberger all the women he wants. They won’t think twice on selling out Jimmy if keeps them out of jail, no matter how nice the “jail” is.
The NFL suspended Eddie DeBartlo Jr. for a year after he was caught up in a scheme to get a gambling license for a boat. He later was forced to sell the team to his sister. That was for extortion of $400,000. If the accusations are proven to be true, and they look pretty solid right now, that is a literally a fraction of what Haslam was stealing in a month.
Maybe this explains why as a truck driver who is “sophisticated” and who purchases food at the Flying J, since this was all exposed, that I have had what appears to be food poisoning three times now when purchasing food at the Flying J. (fine before eating the food) but horribly sick after eating it. hmmmmmm
turn em in….piolit,flying j…they milked us enough…!
Do any of you know about that driver payback card is set up so if the company that you work for wants to take the points away from you they can. The company does this so they can get a better discount on fuel. Its not a driver loyilty card, Pilot Flying J could care less about the drivers we are just a bunch of dumb hicks as far as they are concerned. I have to get fuel there because of the company I work for. but I will not even buy another cup of coffie there again
So that’s why it is “double-point” month again so soon…
And so this too will pass. This is the problem–we have become so complacent that it will soon be forgotten. They will go back to business like nothing happened and come up with another scam.
Hear this–when companies that deal with the public get fined the public pays the fine. A couple of examples: 1. Tobacco was fined billions of dollars. There stock went up because the price increased on tobacco to pay the fine. The price never comes down. 2. We the tax payers loaned the auto industries billions while there executive bonuses were in the hundreds of millions. They raise the prices, so we could pay the loans. Compare the cost of a truck in 2007 to 2013. You decide for yourself. When are we going to say enough is enough. My promise: Withen my control I will never again spend a dime at PFJ ( Pilot Flying J ). I will at my own expense distribute flyers informing and
reminding Truckers what they really F—ing think of us. You could do the same, or not. Remember nothing gets done without you and your truck. Maybe it’s time they rember this.
We can’t afford the government fines. We will wind up paying the fine. Remember the billions fined to the tobacco industry. There stock whent up because they raised the prices so we could pay the fine and never came back down. The billions we tax payer loaned the auto industry while there company bonuses was in the hundreds of millions. How did they pay back the loans? We did they raised the prices. Check it out they cost from 2007 to 2013. How much per mile did you gain in that time.
If it’s any surprise to anyone the Drivers and O/O’s have been getting screwed over for year’s by truckstop’s anyone else paying $5.00 for ATM fee’s? Why are they selling fuel that’s 20% biofuel at the same price as “real” diesel? Shouldn’t it be cheaper? Just a thought. Look at the markup on everyday things like bottle water I can buy bottle water at a grocery store for $2.99 some truckstop’s charge $10.00 nice little profit there. If you really want to make a difference don’t buy the crap at a truckstop. If you’re an O/O and you don’t see your discount for fuel right away then chances are your not getting it. Lease operators are getting screwed over the worse and it’s self inflicted first you pay “rent” on a company truck they hold out lots of money for escrow then tell you where you can fuel. If these thing’s don’t make you mad then your probably a truck driver