Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Haslam Hitting PR Trail Following Pilot Flying J Allegations

Charges haven’t been filed following a raid on his company’s headquarters, but Pilot Flying J chief Jimmy Haslam seems to have already embarked on a tour to rehabilitate his image and that of his family's company.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
May 9, 2013
3 min to read


Charges haven’t been filed following a raid on his company’s headquarters, but Pilot Flying J chief Jimmy Haslam seems to have already embarked on a tour to rehabilitate his image and that of his family's company.

On Tuesday Haslam addressed the Northeast Ohio Football Foundation, one of his first public appearances since the FBI and IRS raided the company’s Tennessee headquarters last month. Haslam is owner of the Cleveland Browns football team.

Ad Loading...

"I apologize to the city of Cleveland, Northeastern Ohio and all Browns fans because the last thing we ever wanted to do as a new owner was detract from football and the Browns and just what a great football area this is, and so I apologize for that," Haslam said during the event. "We feel badly about it and we're very comfortable we'll work through this situation."

Just after the raid, authorities released a more than 100-page affidavit used to secure search warrants for the raid, alleging members of Pilot's sales team deliberately withheld rebates to boost profits.

About the same time Haslam said the allegations involved a “very insignificant number of customers and the application of rebates and announced what the company was doing to address concerns. Tuesday he offered more details, saying, “I've probably talked to literally 250 to 300 trucking companies the last three weeks.” It’s estimated the company has about 3,300 trucking company customers.

Ad Loading...

Later Tuesday, Haslam held about a 10-minute meeting with local reporters, but did not take questions. Much of the rest of the evening he talked about football.

According to published reports, the NFL has no plans to ask Haslam to relinquish control of the team during the investigation. Haslam took control of the franchise last August for more than $1 billion.

Speaking in Indianapolis

Next week Haslam is set to address a transportation seminar in Indianapolis for 45 minutes. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports the law firm of Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary contacted Haslam about speaking at the event they are hosting.

Haslam reportedly has confirmed he would attend and address allegations. More than 375 executives are registered for the transportation conference. He is not expected to take questions from the media. Instead Scopelitis is collecting questions from trucking company clients, which it will assemble and forward to Haslam beforehand. He is expected to spend about 20 or 25 minutes on a speech and the remainder of the time responding to submitted questions.

In the wake of the raids, about half a dozen class-action lawsuits have been filed against Pilot Flying J that also name Haslam and other company executives as defendants.

Ad Loading...

The company has also hired a special independent counsel to internally look into the matter and report his findings to the head of a special committee that will receive and review the report. However, the naming of the committee head, Brad Martin, retired chief of the retailer Saks, has raised some eyebrows  because Tennessee governor and brother to Jimmy Haslam, Bill Haslam, once worked for Martin at Saks.

More Drivers

Photo illustration combining laboratory sample tubes, marijuana, pills, white powder, and a syringe above a highway with tractor-trailers.
Safety & Compliance•by Deborah Lockridge•November 2, 2026

FDA Eases Path for Oral-Fluid Testing

Federal actions could advance oral-fluid drug testing for truck drivers, but lab certification delays and marijuana rescheduling questions remain.

Read More →
Truck driver in a blue-tinted cab beside a hand holding cash, with the headline “Competing for Drivers.”
Drivers•by Deborah Lockridge•October 29, 2026

Why Hiring Truck Drivers Is Getting Harder

Higher recruiting costs, a shrinking driver pool, and renewed pay competition are raising the stakes for fleets heading into 2027.

Read More →
Two red heavy-duty Class 8 trucks with Roehl branding
Drivers•by News/Media Release•October 27, 2026

Roehl Offers Truck Drivers $10,000 Retention Incentive

Payments begin after the first load and continue in mileage-based installments for eligible experienced drivers joining the fleet.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
PS Coach tablet interface showing a driver’s coaching inbox, safety event video and coaching advice for a harsh-braking event.
Fleet Management•by News/Media Release•October 21, 2026

Platform Science Adds Dispatch and Safety Tools

Four additions to PS Fleet help fleets monitor loads, manage driver coaching, share truck locations and adjust video system settings.

Read More →
Man with police badge on his arm by an open commercial truck door examining paperwork
Safety & Compliance•October 15, 2026

When Language Stops the Truck: The Return of ELP Out-of-Service Orders

English language proficiency rules for commercial drivers aren’t new, but renewed out-of-service enforcement has raised the stakes. Here’s what carriers need to know before a driver reaches a roadside inspection.

Read More →
Illustration of silver robot waving his hand and a Samsara AI prompt on screen to call drivers
Fleet Management•by Staff•October 13, 2026

Samsara Launches Custom AI Agent Builder

Agent Studio lets fleets create AI tools for hours-of-service monitoring, reporting and driver support, including agents that communicate by phone.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Illustration of trucks parked in lot with Trucker Path app on phone screen superimposed on top
Drivers•by News/Media Release•October 6, 2026

Trucker Path Expands Reserved Parking Network

Trucker Path has added close to 6,000 more truck parking spaces to its Trucker Path Reserved Parking Network with the addition of Safe Truck Parking.

Read More →
photo of older driver standing with arms crossed with truck in the background, with a photo illustrating equal opportunity law inset upper left.
Drivers•by Staff•September 28, 2026

EEOC Sues Texas Trucking Company Over Driver Age Limits

The agency says Trancasa USA rejected applicants over 65 and applied tougher driving-record standards to those over 60.

Read More →
Red Nussbaum Class 8 tractor pulling white and red trailer with aero fairings and skirts
Drivers•by Staff•September 23, 2026

Nussbaum, Roehl Announce Second Driver Pay Increase This Year

This year has seen a swath of major truck driver pay increases as freight capacity has tightened.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Photo of smiling truck driver Harold Perry with arms crossed in front of Southeastern Freight Lines truck
Drivers•September 17, 2026

From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers

After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.

Read More →