Volvo Trucks to acquire stake in Petro Stopping Centers

GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 22) — Volvo Trucks North America plans to buy an “ownership interest” in Petro Stopping Centers, a chain of 51 full-service truck stops in 29 states. Financial details were not announced.

Volvo said the arrangement will “immediately enhance Volvo’s ability to provide quality maintenance service to its customers on a 24-hour a day, seven-day-a-week basis.”
Fifty Petro truck stops offer express truck maintenance such as oil changes through Petro: Lube service bays.

Petro’s service facilities will be tied to Volvo customers through Volvo Action Service, an around-the-clock customer support centre staffed by Volvo employees.

In co-operation with its truck dealers, Volvo said new programs and services will be introduced to provide new- and used-vehicle purchases, rapid in-transit maintenance, business-management services and education, and “unique leisure opportunities.”

Volvo truck dealers will be allowed to establish satellite “showrooms” at certain Petro locations for truck sales and specialized maintenance and repair services.

Petro chairman and CEO Jack Cardwell said the partnership will build on Petro’s current alignment with fuel-supplier Mobil Corp. “The addition of another quality partner such as Volvo is an outstanding fit for Petro and its extensive customer base,” he said.

In connection with the new agreement, Volvo said it would partner with Mobil in the Mobil Delvac Dream Lease Sweepstakes. The contest, which awards a two-year, unlimited-mileage lease, begins May 2 and is open to CDL holders in the U.S. and Canada, 18 years of age and older. The grand prize will be a Volvo 770.

The partnership with Petro is the latest in a series of moves made by Volvo Trucks to establish the industry’s most advanced product and service infrastructure. Recently, Volvo Trucks acquired an interest in Arrow Truck Sales, the nation’s largest independent retailer of pre-owned trucks and trailers. That move coupled with investments in Volvo Action Service and its own dealer network enables Volvo to manage the entire ownership experience for customers.

In the future, Volvo said it plans to establish programs for customers who wish to pay only for the utilization of trucks, rather than choosing the more traditional approach to outright purchase or lease.