Pilot Travel Centers announced the details and scheduled rollout for Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) availability at its North American truckstops.


DEF is a required fluid for 2010 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems that reduce Nox through a catalytic process in the exhaust stream. It is sometimes referred to as urea, which is a component of the fluid.

Pilot will roll out 25 bulk dispensing units per quarter, starting in the third quarter of this year and continuing through the second quarter of 2010. Ultimately, approximately 100 of Pilot's locations will have bulk dispensing capabilities at the fuel island where it will be most convenient. All 328 truck stops will have the packaged quantities available.

The company will begin ordering the equipment for the bulk dispensing units within the next few weeks. The equipment will be state of the art and designed to store, pump, and transact DEF to customers in a wide variety of climates and conditions.

"Many of our customers will be purchasing SCR-equipped trucks in 2010, so as they began coming to us to learn more about SCR and DEF, we did a lot of investigating," said Patrick Deptula, director of design and construction for Pilot. "By working with Detroit Diesel and Daimler Trucks North America ... we learned even more about the benefits of those systems."

Because a typical truck can go approximately 300 miles on just one gallon of DEF, Pilot's 328 convenient locations - including the 100 bulk dispensing locations - are well situated for the periodic refills.

"We will continually review our rollout plan for bulk dispensing locations to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers every step of the way," said Deptula. "This includes having convenient pay-at-the-pump transactions that can be simply completed while the driver is also filling up with diesel fuel. Our goal in the process is to make everything as seamless as possible for our customers."