Annual report provides an overview of the retail fuel market, with topics covered in the report including how fuel retailers operate, benefits of being branded or unbranded, branded retailer contractual terms, types of branded retailers, key factors that impact retail prices, seasonal effects that cause prices to go up in spring and summer, and impact of credit and debit cards on fuel prices and gross margins.
Annual member survey provides a profile of the retail motor fuel industry from an independent operator standpoint, with topics covered in the survey including number of retail outlets by operating mode and type of outlet (e.g., c-store, truckstop, service station, cardlock), motor fuel sales by type of fuel (e.g., gasoline, diesel, E85), and percentage of total nonfuel sales (e.g., tobacco products, soft drinks, food).
Online news source and quarterly print publication features a wide range of fuel related news coverage, with topics covered from a retail operations standpoint including fuel management, forecourt marketing, fuel suppliers, delivery and storage infrastructure (e.g., tanks, pumps, piping, dispensers), point of sale systems, fleetcards, cardlock operations, back office solutions, facility security, and disaster recovery.
Industry News / NATSO News Weekly / Biz Brief
https://www.natso.com/
Industry news items section, NATSO News Weekly e-newsletter, and daily Biz Brief e-mail publication
feature news and information on the latest trends, issues, and developments affecting the truck stop
and travel plaza industry. Articles in the industry news section
are available online, with the NATSO News Weekly e-newsletter
and daily Biz Brief e-mail publication available to NATSO members only.
Stop Watch Magazine
https://www.natso.com/
Bimonthly trade publication features news and information for truckstop and travel plaza owners and
operators, with topics covered in various issues of the magazine including retailing tips, convenience
store operations, quick-serve restaurant strategies, motivating employees, technology updates, and member
profiles. Selected articles are available online, with full issues available to members only.
Truckstop Business
https://www.natso.com/
Truckstop business section features articles from Stop Watch Magazine and other sources dealing with
various aspects of truckstop and travel plaza business operations, with articles categorized by topic
into five categories (e.g., marketing/retailing, operations, leadership/strategy, human relations,
and technology). Selected articles are available online, with
remainder available to members only.
Market analysis report provides industry statistics for a user-defined area on a national, state, county, metro area, or zip code level, with data provided including number of companies, market volume and sales trends, average company sales, sales per employee, staffing and employment trends, average employee wage, and business start up activity and failure rates. Sample report can be viewed online.
Financial benchmarking section of this report provides an analysis of industry income and expenses as a percentage of revenue by major category (e.g., purchases, wages, depreciation, marketing, rent, utilities, other costs, and earnings before interest and taxes) for the most recent year and line graphs indicating trends for each category over the past five years. Sample report can be viewed free online.
Annual employment and wages survey provides hourly and annual wage data on a national, state, and metro area basis for personnel employed by single-location or multi-location retail operations that primarily sell fuel for motor vehicles (e.g., gasoline, diesel fuel, E85, biodiesel) and may also offer other products and services such as food, beverages, car washes, and auto repair services.
Free online service provides salary and hourly wage data for job positions in this retail sector such as operations manager, service manager, diesel technician, shift supervisor, sales associate, and cashier, with employers for which salary or wage data is provided including Flying J Travel Plaza, LLC, Pilot Travel Centers, Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, and TravelCenters of America.