Pilot Company
Pilot Company is an American petroleum and travel-center operator whose businesses include Pilot-branded fuel stations, convenience stores, and truck stops.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Pilot Company is an American petroleum and roadside-services business headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee. The company traces its origins to November 20, 1958, when James Haslam Jr. purchased an existing gasoline station in Weber City, Virginia. Pilot expanded from a small gasoline-station operation into a large convenience and travel-center business, building its first convenience store in 1976 and its first travel center in 1981. By 1965, the company had 12 stations and sold approximately five million gallons of fuel annually. The business increasingly concentrated on serving highway travelers and professional truck drivers. Beginning in 1988, Pilot pursued a nationwide travel-center expansion strategy and also opened its first travel center containing an integrated fast-food restaurant. Its sites developed into multipurpose roadside facilities combining fuel, convenience retail, prepared food, parking, and services for commercial drivers. Pilot also operates Pilot Food Mart convenience stores in Tennessee. A major structural change occurred in 2001, when Pilot and Marathon Petroleum Company formed Pilot Travel Centers, LLC. In 2010, Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J merged, creating Pilot Flying J, one of North America's largest travel-center networks. Pilot and Flying J retained distinct consumer-facing identities within the merged operation. Pilot Company therefore became closely associated with the Pilot Flying J business while continuing to use the Pilot name across fuel, retail, and travel-center locations. Berkshire Hathaway became increasingly involved in the company during the late 2010s. In 2017, Berkshire acquired a substantial block of shares, and it obtained majority control in January 2023. Berkshire Hathaway subsequently acquired the remaining stake in Pilot in 2024, ending the Haslam family's ownership interest and making Pilot a wholly owned Berkshire Hathaway business. The transaction also ended Pilot's direct ownership position in Pilot Flying J, although the Pilot brand continues to be used across the travel-center network. Pilot's brand proposition is built around dependable fuel access, broad highway coverage, convenience, and services tailored to long-distance motorists and truck fleets. Its operating scope includes retail fuel, diesel, convenience merchandise, restaurants and foodservice partnerships, truck parking, and related travel-center amenities. The company is best understood as an integrated petroleum and roadside-services brand rather than solely as a gasoline retailer.
History
Pilot Company began in 1958, when James Haslam Jr. acquired an existing gasoline station in Weber City, Virginia. The station opened under the Pilot business on November 20 of that year. The company expanded steadily during its first decade: by 1965, it owned 12 stations and sold about five million gallons of fuel per year. Pilot later broadened its offer beyond fuel. It constructed its first convenience store in 1976 and converted the remainder of its locations into convenience-store formats, establishing the basic retail model that would support subsequent growth. In 1981, Pilot built its first travel center. This marked a strategic shift toward serving motorists and commercial drivers on major highways. During the late 1980s, the company concentrated on expanding its travel-center network across the United States. In 1988, it opened its first travel center with a fast-food restaurant inside, illustrating the development of the modern travel-center format as a combination of fuel, food, retail, and driver services rather than a simple filling station. Pilot formalized a major partnership with Marathon Petroleum on September 1, 2001, when the two companies created Pilot Travel Centers, LLC. The partnership supported the expansion of Pilot's travel-center operations. On July 1, 2010, Pilot Travel Centers merged with Flying J's travel-center chain. The resulting company became Pilot Flying J. Although the two legacy brands remained visible to customers, the merger created a substantially larger network with broad coverage for truck drivers, highway travelers, and commercial fleets. Pilot also pursued consumer-facing marketing outside its core roadside retail business. It briefly sponsored NASCAR driver Gary Bradberry and Triad Motorsports in 1998 and 1999. The company returned to NASCAR sponsorship in 2011, supporting Michael Annett in the Nationwide Series through Pilot Flying J. The sponsorship continued as Annett moved among teams and series, including Richard Petty Motorsports in 2012, Tommy Baldwin Racing in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, HScott Motorsports in 2016, and JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2017. Ownership changed substantially after Berkshire Hathaway acquired a large block of Pilot shares in 2017. Berkshire gained majority control in January 2023 and acquired the remaining interest in 2024. This ended the Haslam family's ownership of the company. Pilot's remaining stake in Pilot Flying J was also sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 2024, separating the ownership structure of the Pilot corporate business from the earlier joint-ownership arrangement. Pilot continues to operate as a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary and remains active in fuel retail, convenience stores, and travel-center services in the United States. The company has also faced regulatory scrutiny. In September 2008, Florida's attorney general subpoenaed Pilot during an investigation into possible fuel-price gouging following Hurricane Ike. The available reference material identifies the investigation and subpoenas but does not establish a final finding or penalty. Pilot's long-term identity remains tied to highway mobility: fuel supply, convenience retail, food, truck parking, and services designed for the needs of long-distance travelers and professional drivers.
- 2024
Berkshire Hathaway buys the remaining stake
[1]Berkshire Hathaway acquired Pilot's remaining ownership interest, ending the Haslam family's stake and the earlier ownership arrangement involving Pilot Flying J.
- 2023
Berkshire Hathaway obtains majority control
[1]Berkshire Hathaway became the majority owner of Pilot in January.
- 2017
Berkshire Hathaway acquires a major stake
[1]Berkshire Hathaway acquired a large block of Pilot shares, beginning its transition to control of the company.
- 2010
Pilot and Flying J merge
[1]Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J merged to create Pilot Flying J, while keeping the Pilot and Flying J brands distinct.
- 2001
Pilot Travel Centers is formed
[1]Pilot and Marathon Petroleum formed Pilot Travel Centers, LLC.
- 1988
Nationwide travel-center expansion begins
[1]Pilot intensified its effort to build a national travel-center network and opened its first location with an integrated fast-food restaurant.
- 1981
Pilot enters the travel-center business
[1]Pilot constructed its first travel center, beginning the company's long-term emphasis on highway and truck-stop operations.
- 1976
First Pilot convenience store opens
[1]Pilot built its first convenience store and subsequently converted its other locations to convenience-store formats.
- 1965
Pilot reaches 12 stations
[1]The company had expanded to 12 stations and was selling approximately five million gallons of fuel annually.
- 1958
Pilot is founded in Virginia
[1]James Haslam Jr. purchased an existing gasoline station in Weber City, Virginia, and opened it as a Pilot operation on November 20.
Products and positioning
A nationwide American fuel, convenience, and travel-center network focused on highway travelers, professional truck drivers, and commercial fleets.
Travel centers · 1981
Pilot Travel Centers
Pilot travel centers combine retail fuel with convenience shopping, foodservice, parking, and amenities for highway travelers and professional truck drivers. The format became central to Pilot's strategy after the first travel center opened in 1981 and the company began pursuing national expansion in 1988. Pilot-branded locations operate within the broader travel-center business historically associated with Pilot Flying J.
Convenience stores · 1976
Pilot Food Mart
Pilot Food Mart is the company's convenience-store format, associated particularly with Pilot's operations in Tennessee. The format sells fuel alongside everyday convenience merchandise, beverages, snacks, and prepared food. Pilot began building convenience stores in 1976 and converted its earlier station network toward this broader retail model.
Fuel retail · 1958
Pilot fuel and diesel
Fuel retail is Pilot's foundational business. Its locations provide gasoline for passenger vehicles and diesel for commercial trucks and other heavy vehicles. At travel centers, fuel sales are supported by truck-oriented facilities and convenience retail, giving Pilot a position in both consumer petroleum retail and the commercial-fleet travel market.
Controversies
2008
Florida price-gouging investigation
After Hurricane Ike, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum issued subpoenas to Pilot as part of an investigation into possible fuel price gouging. The reference material identifies the investigation but does not provide a final adjudication, penalty, or finding of liability.
Marketing campaigns
- 2011Pilot Flying J NASCAR sponsorship of Michael Annett
United States
Pilot returned to NASCAR as primary sponsor of Michael Annett in the Nationwide Series, with Pilot and Flying J both represented following their travel-center merger.
Outcome. The sponsorship continued as Annett changed teams and later moved into the Sprint Cup and Xfinity series.
- 1998Initial NASCAR sponsorship
United States
Pilot sponsored Gary Bradberry and Triad Motorsports in NASCAR. The arrangement was short-lived and ended in 1999.
Outcome. The sponsorship ended after the 1999 season.
Brand decisions
2024
Sell the remaining ownership stake to Berkshire HathawayM&ABackground
Berkshire Hathaway had progressed from a substantial minority investment in 2017 to majority control in January 2023.
Action taken
Berkshire Hathaway acquired the remaining stake in Pilot and ended the Haslam family's ownership interest.
Aftermath
Pilot became a wholly owned Berkshire Hathaway business, and its remaining stake in Pilot Flying J was sold to Berkshire Hathaway.
2010
Merge with Flying JM&ABackground
Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J operated complementary travel-center networks and combined their businesses.
Action taken
The two chains merged to form Pilot Flying J while retaining separate Pilot and Flying J brands.
Aftermath
The merger created a larger North American travel-center operation and expanded the reach of the Pilot brand.
2001
Create Pilot Travel Centers with Marathon PetroleumM&ABackground
Pilot sought to formalize and expand its travel-center activities through a partnership with Marathon Petroleum.
Action taken
The companies formed Pilot Travel Centers, LLC.
Aftermath
The entity became the platform for subsequent expansion and the 2010 combination with Flying J.
Recent events
- 2024
Berkshire Hathaway acquires Pilot's remaining stake[1]
M&A
Berkshire Hathaway purchased the remaining ownership interest in Pilot, ending the Haslam family's stake and making Pilot a wholly owned Berkshire Hathaway business.
- 2023
Berkshire Hathaway takes majority control of Pilot[1]
M&A · Leadership change
After acquiring a substantial shareholding in 2017, Berkshire Hathaway obtained majority control of Pilot in January 2023.
- 2010
Pilot and Flying J merge their travel-center operations[1]
M&A
Pilot Travel Centers and Flying J combined their operations to form Pilot Flying J while retaining separate Pilot and Flying J consumer brands.
- 2001
Pilot and Marathon Petroleum form Pilot Travel Centers[1]
M&A · Other
Pilot and Marathon Petroleum established Pilot Travel Centers, LLC, creating a formal joint venture for the travel-center business.
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