Pilot Travel Centers plans to install diesel exhaust fluid "at the pump" at 100 locations starting in the third quarter.


The company will begin building the bulk dispensing pumps at locations throughout the U.S. at a rate of 25 pumps per quarter, from the third quarter of 2009 through the second quarter of 2010.

"We have worked closely with Detroit Diesel Corporation and Daimler Trucks North America, as well as Gilbarco, to develop Pilot's bulk dispensing capabilities and a billing/transaction system that will meet our customers' need for ready DEF supply and fuel island convenience," said Mark Hazelwood, executive vice president for Pilot Travel Centers.

"The maximum distance between any two of our locations will be 2,618 miles," Hazelwood said. "That is the distance between Milford, Conn., and Santa Nella, Calif., and it is also within the normal range for one tank of DEF on a Class 8 on-highway truck." The company expects to offer DEF at prices that are equal to or less than diesel fuel.

With the new 2010 standards set by the EPA, selective catalytic reduction is one technology that trucking companies will implement to meet those standards. The urea-based solution, DEF, will be used to run the technology.

"It will improve fuel economy, saving them money - up to 5 percent or better - and truckers will have easy access to ample and affordable supplies of DEF where and when they need them," said David Siler, spokesman for Detroit Diesel and Daimler Trucks North America.

The initial "at-the-pump" locations include:

Amarillo, Texas
Avondale, Ariz.
Bordentown, N.J.
Brooks, Ore.
Carlisle, Pa.
Charlotte, N.C.
Cheyenne, Wyo.
Denver, Colo.
Dexter, Mich.
Effingham, Ill.
Ft. Pierce, Fla.
Gallup, N.M.
Greenville, Va.
Hepseria, Calif.
Houston, Texas
Meridian, Miss.
Milford, Conn.
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Oak Creek, Wis.
Oklahoma City, Okla.
Santa Nella, Calif.
Seville, Ohio
St. Cloud, Minn.
Stanfield, Ore.
West Memphis, Ark.