Southern Tire Mart and Pilot Company recently reached an agreement to create a new, strategic alliance called Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J.

Through this venture, the company said in a statement, Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J will combine the strengths and conveniences of Pilot and Flying J Travel Centers with the tire and maintenance expertise of Southern Tire Mart at truck stops and travel centers nationwide. Southern Tire Mart claims to be the largest independent commercial tire dealership in the U.S.

“With the growing demand for fleet customers to find greater efficient means to maximize their uptime and maximize driver productivity, the need to create and build a consistent nationwide network is clear,” said John Boynton, president of Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J. “Our goal is to help fleet operators maximize the return on their investment while creating an exceptional driver experience — safe, well-maintained moving vehicles means happy owners, happy drivers and most importantly, happy customers.”

Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J assumed management operations of the current 35 Pilot Flying J Truck Care maintenance facilities. The new operation continues to offer repair, maintenance, roadside assistance, lube and tire-focused services. Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J will honor existing promotions and discounts during the transition.

Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J plans to build over 100 more locations in the next 18 months with a goal to grow the network across the U.S. to 200 points of service over 36 months. These facilities, located coast-to-coast throughout the continental United States, will be built on Pilot and Flying J Travel Center properties. In addition to the facilities at Pilot and Flying J travel centers, customers will have access to the 140 Southern Tire Mart locations nationwide.

“We’re excited to bring together the strengths of our network with the expertise of Southern Tire Mart to better meet the tire and maintenance needs of the trucking industry,” said Shameek Konar, CEO of Pilot Company. “Through this partnership, we look forward to building a nationwide network of on-highway commercial vehicle maintenance, lube and tire-focused services that keeps fleet and drivers moving with safe, well-maintained trucks.”

According to Modern Tire Dealer, Southern Tire Mart carries Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental, General, Yokohama, Toyo, Double Coin, Dayton and Gladiator brand commercial truck tires. The dealership operates more than 20 retread plants, according to MTD research.

The Pilot Flying J travel center network includes over 750 locations throughout 44 states and six Canadian provinces.