Pilot Travel Centers LLC has announced plans to add more than 30 Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J locations within the next year.
Currently, Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J operates 68 locations throughout the U.S.
"We are very excited about our partnership with Pilot and the opportunities moving forward," says Tommy Duff, who, along with his brother, Jim Duff, own Southern Tire Mart, which is based in Columbia, Miss.
Tommy and Jim Duff were the recipients of MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award in 2021. (Click here to read more.)
The Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J expansion was part of a bigger announcement made by Pilot Travel Centers on March 5.
Southern Tire Mart and Pilot Travel Centers joined forces in January 2021 to establish the Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J network.
“We’re trying to make it as seamless as we possibly can for the customer,” John Boynton, president of Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J, told MTD in August 2021.
“When they come into a Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J, they should receive the same” level of service as they would find at a traditional Southern Tire Mart location.
“At Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J, we’re doing a lot more mechanical work than we would do at a Southern Tire Mart store,” including preventive truck maintenance, truck inspections and more.
Speed of service “will be a key differentiator for us,” said Boynton, who added that long waits “are probably one of the biggest challenges in the truck stop channel right now.
“The volume that goes through the truck stop channel – from a tires and service standpoint – is small compared to the traditional tire dealership model. But it is a highly trafficked channel and a critical supply point.”
With more than 225 locations, Southern Tire Mart is the largest independent commercial tire dealership in the U.S., according to MTD research.
Southern Tire Mart also operates more than 25 retread plants.
