November 20, 1958: James Haslam II opens first Pilot in Gate City, VA.
1965: Marathon Oil Co. buys half of Pilot and funds the building of new locations.
1968: Jay Call launches Flying J Inc. with four gas stations in Utah, basing the name on his love of flying and ranching.
1977: Pilot buys Lonas Oil Co. in Knoxville and converts new locations to convenience stores.
1979: Flying J opens its first full-service travel plaza in Ogden, Utah.
1981: With 100 convenience stores, Pilot opens its first travel center in Corbin, KY.
1986: Flying J purchases the U.S. holding of Husky Ltd., including the North Salt Lake refinery.
1988: Pilot buys out Marathon Oil’s one-half interest for cash and stores.
1991: Conoco and Flying J create a joint venture, triggering significant travel plaza expansion.
1998: The Flying J Rewards program launches, offering fuel discounts and other savings to customers.
1998: Already the nation’s largest supplier of diesel fuel to over-the-road trucks, Pilot ranks the 25th largest restaurant franchisee in the U.S.
2001: Pilot and Marathon enter into an agreement to form Pilot Travel Centers.
2003: Pilot acquires Williams Travel Centers.
2006: Flying J and Shell Canada join to create a new nationwide network of travel plazas, fuel stops and cardlock fueling systems.
2008: Pilot buys out Marathon Petroleum’s interest and adds a minority financial partner, CVC Capital Partners.
2009: Crystal Call Maggelet, daughter of Flying J founder Jay Call, takes over as chairman of the board, president and CEO.
2010: Pilot Travel Centers LLC partnered with Flying J Inc. to form Pilot Flying J. This historic event marked the partnership of two of the best-known brands in the travel center industry.
2012: Pilot Flying J acquired Western Petroleum and Maxum Petroleum.
2013: Pilot Flying J formed Pilot Logistics Services.
2014: Pilot Logistics Services merged with Thomas Petroleum. Pilot Thomas Logistics is one of the fastest growing energy logistics companies in North America.
At Pilot Flying J, we believe in living every day according to our mission: Connecting People & Places with Comfort, Care and a Smile at Every Stop.
We're making history together at Pilot Flying J, thanks to our loyal guests and team members. As the No. 1 seller of over-the-road diesel fuel, we're leading the industry in serving North America's professional drivers and fuel guests. In 2015, Forbes ranked Pilot Flying J #8 among America's Largest Private Companies. We're proud to have more than 24,000 hardworking team members across the continent and we are excited to continue to shape our history together with our communities.
