Goodyear, Pilot Expand Pilot Truck Care Center Agreement

AKRON, Ohio, June 29 -- In a move to fortify its commercial tire and service network, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced today that its Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems LLC subsidiary has signed an exclusive agreement to develop and operate truck service centers at Pilot Travel Centers LLC locations.

With eight Pilot Truck Care Centers already in operation, the development agreement provides a springboard for continued growth along major highways. Service centers will be developed not only at existing Pilot travel centers, but will grow in concert with new travel centers where trucking companies require a servicing presence to minimize equipment downtime and freight delays, Goodyear officials said.

The companies said the next 13 Pilot Truck Care Center locations have been identified and will begin operation by year-end.

Steve McClellan, vice president of Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems, said the agreement is "significant for both Goodyear and Pilot. Goodyear fulfills its promise to customers who require an 'on-highway' presence, and it strengthens our national network of truck service providers.

"Pilot augments the one-stop shopping experience for drivers of commercial trucks," McClellan said.

Jimmy Haslam, CEO, Pilot Travel Centers LLC, said, "Pilot has had great success at the locations where we provide maintenance services to professional drivers who stop at our travel centers. This agreement with Goodyear will allow us to more quickly expand those services and better serve our over-the- road customers."

Pilot Travel Centers LLC, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers, operates 268 travel centers in 40 states.

Wingfoot-operated Pilot Truck Care Centers will provide trucking fleets with new tires, retread tires, limited mechanical service and preventive maintenance at convenient locations as well as roadside assistance.

"Pilot Truck Care Centers give us a wide base on which to expand our cradle-to-grave services, a multiyear cycle of services and products that tie us to fleets long-term. These fleets rely on our tire expertise to help them save operational costs," McClellan said.

Pilot Travel Centers LLC is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., and employs 13,000. The company is owned by Pilot Corporation, based in Knoxville, and Marathon Petroleum Company LLC, of Findlay, Ohio. For more information on Pilot Travel Centers LLC, go to http://www.pilottravelcenters.com/.

Wingfoot Commercial Tire Systems, based in Fort Smith, Ark., is the nation's largest tire distributor and retreader, with 171 commercial tire centers in North America. For more information on Wingfoot, go to http://www.wingfoot-ct.com/.

Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems offer complete products and services to the trucking industry, including a full range of original equipment and replacement tires. In addition, the company's cradle-to-grave tire and service network includes retreading, tire management tools and business solutions for tomorrow's trucking fleets. For more information on Goodyear's line of commercial tires and services, go to http://www.goodyear.com/truck.