Dive Brief:

• Pilot plans to open 35 new travel centers in 2024 as the company “continues to prioritize strategic growth,” according to a Tuesday press release. That includes 10 new builds as well as 25 dealer locations the company expects to bring in. 
• In addition, the travel center company plans to expand its Southern Tire Mart truck maintenance network by 30 locations. 
• This new growth announcement comes as Pilot is still in the midst of its New Horizons initiative, which aims to refurbish 400 sites within the next few years. The company expects 75 of those refurbishments to be completed this year, putting the project near the halfway point.

Dive Insight:

Pilot’s New Horizons remodeling plans have gained a lot of momentum. The company announced it surpassed 100 New Horizons remodels in December, after nearly two years. Pilot now expects to get three quarters of that number completed in a single year. These refurbishments include features like updated restrooms, foodservice, kitchens and showers.

When New Horizons was initially announced, the company expected all work to be done by early 2025. Completion of the project has been slowed by process and construction delays, as well as needing to close down some stores during construction. 

Coupled with the company’s new store growth, these initiatives will give a significant face-lift to the company’s footprint.

“Expanding into new communities and enhancing our services remains a key part of our long-term strategy,” said Allison Cornish, senior vice president of store modernization and development at Pilot Travel Centers LLC. “We continually evaluate our network with our guests’ needs in mind and are making significant investments in our travel centers.”

In 2023, the company opened 10 new sites in eight states and added 20 new dealer sites. The dealer sites get access to MyRewards loyalty program, as well as other company programs. 

Pilot has also been adding to its travel centers Southern Tire Mart shops that offer tire services and maintenance for trucking customers. By this time next year, the company plans to have 85 of these shops co-located with its travel centers.

Knoxville, Tennessee-based Pilot operates more than 870 travel centers across 44 U.S. states and six Canadian provinces.