Software is an integral part of your business. Choose a partner whose products enable you to grow.
“Before we implemented Raven, we were delivering 60,000 gallons a day with 12 trucks. Now, with Raven, we have greatly increased our efficiency and are able to deliver the same gallons with only 9 trucks.”
Ryan Jackson, D.F. Richard Energy
“It’s really allowed us to enhance efficiency and service our customer to a better degree.”
Eric Bunts, Mirabito Energy Products
Raven® Mobile
What are the opportunities for retailers with a car wash operation?
A new customer base is on the streets—and competitors are building out offers to meet their needs.
Mysterious network performance issues? Check your edge devices.
COMMERCIAL FUELS
Having a five-year plan provides the most flexibility for optimum fleet decisions.
FUEL MARKETERS
A new administration and tariffs combine with more traditional challenges to make the future unclear.
Proper operational fuel pricing fundamentals provide solid benefits today while making a transition to an AI solution easier down the road.
From defining gaps to determining tasks, accountability is a step-by-step process.
Making the List
One thing that’s become apparent when we look at the top 50 fuel retailers, as identified through OPIS research, is how consistent that list is year to year. There are typically only five or six companies that shift in or out of the top 50—though within the list, there can be a bit more movement in the rankings.
Within the top five companies, you might see one move in and out of that listing every couple of years, but it is remarkably stable. The big news this year is that QuikTrip moved into first place, upsetting Wawa’s long command of that position. A nice and welldeserved kudos for QT, but frankly all the companies that operate at this level are clear winners in the industry.
OPIS crunches a significant amount of data looking at a range of operational performance to determine efficiency and market dominance. In a few categories, an issue like scale comes into play because the focus is on the national marketplace, for example, where a local or regional retailer will obviously be disadvantaged. But once you get down to those regional and national levels, the strength of the individual operation tends to become apparent.
Some of the smaller operators perform just as well as the larger brands. It is almost more surprising for the larger operators to perform so well at the local level, which shows that even with scale they retain a strong entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to maintain brand excellence over a large footprint.
Fuel price also doesn’t seem to be a rigid indicator of success. Consumers have long stated in surveys that fuel price is a significant, if not the most significant, driver for their choice of where to stop when they need
As you look through the data, consider how your operation might stack up in some of the key areas being analyzed.
to fill up. Many of the successful companies in the top 50 price close to the average, with some being a bit above and some being a bit below. This suggests that offering the absolute lowest price in the market is probably not as important as offering what the consumer would consider to be a reasonable price, while also providing clean, safe and appealing stores with a range of offers to meet other consumer needs.
So, as you look through the data, consider how your operation might stack up in some of the key areas being analyzed. If you are not on the list, are any of the companies that made it in your market? And if you are in the same market, what sets these companies apart from yours? What insights for your operation can you determine that can push your market performance of efficiency ahead?
Keith Reid is the editor-in-chief of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at kreid@fmnweb.com.
EDITORIAL
Keith Reid Editor-in-Chief (847) 630-4760; kreid@fmnweb.com
Jeff Lenard VP of NACS Media & Strategic Communications (703) 518-4272; jlenard@convenience.org
Leah Ash Editor/Writer lash@convenience.org
CONTRIBUTORS
Brian Antonellis, Denton Cinquegrana, John Eichberger, Simon Gamble, Brandon Gormley, John J. Kimmel, Pierre Leclercq, Joe O’Brien, Roy Strasburger
Ben Nussbaum Publisher (703) 518-4248; bnussbaum@convenience.org
Nancy Pappas Marketing Director (703) 518-4290; npappas@convenience.org
Logan Dion Digital Ad and Media Trafficker (703) 864-3600; production@convenience.org
EDITORIAL COUNCIL
RETAILER/MARKETER MEMBERS
Mark Fitz, president, Star Oilco; Derek Gaskins, head of guest experience, BP; Brian Renaud, director of retail fuel pricing and analytics, Sheetz; Scott Minton, director of business development, OnCue Marketing
VENDOR/SUPPLIER MEMBERS
Regina Balistreri, director of marketing, ADD Systems; Joe O’Brien, vice president of marketing, Source North America; Kaylie Scoles, marketing director, RDM Industrial Electronics Inc.; Ed Kammerer, director of marketing and global product strategy, OPW Fueling; Michael Munz, marketing manager, Petrosoft
Fuels Market News Magazine is published quarterly by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), Alexandria, Virginia, USA.
Subscription Requests: circulation@fmnweb.com
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Fuels Market News Magazine, 1600 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314-2792 USA.
Think you can’t fit a tunnel? Think again. Our mini-express tunnel fits without knocking down walls or traditional construction. So, convert your outdated IBA or install one of our pre-fab modular mini-express tunnels and increase your volume and profits.
Now you can wash more cars per hour, increase customer loyalty and attract even electric vehicle customers with a ModBrite mini-express tunnel.
Compete with other car washes in your area. Turn those drive-off’s into revenue. Contact us today!
MORE CUSTOMERS
Increase the Customer Count & Frequency of Visits
NEW CUSTOMERS
Attract Even Electric Vehicle Customers
Registration Is Open for the 2025 NACS Show
Join 24,000-plus attendees at the industry’s most comprehensive event.
October is fast approaching—and so is the 2025 NACS Show, which will take place October 14-17 in Chicago. The event will feature thousands of new products, top-notch education sessions developed and led by industry thought leaders and multiple networking opportunities to connect with old friends or make new ones among the 24,000-plus expected attendees. Full conference registration includes access to all general sessions, education sessions, networking events and the expo.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT:
The Expo: Explore the 430,000-plussquare-foot expo, with exhibitors organized into five categories: Fuel
Equipment & Services, Facility Development & Store Operations, Food Equipment & Foodservice Programs, In-Store Merchandise and Technology.
The Cool New Products Preview Room: This exclusive space provides extended hours of access to conveniently see the latest products and innovations shaping the industry. Buyer attendees can scan product information to create their own shopping list for the main expo floor.
The New Exhibitor Area: This always-evolving section highlights the latest technology, products and companies entering the convenience
store market with exhibitors that have never exhibited at a NACS Show before.
Education Sessions: 50-plus learning opportunities will inspire new ideas to grow your business as you hear from leading industry peers.
General Sessions: Four days of inspiration and innovation include the always popular Ideas 2 Go videos and speakers including motivational speaker Sebastian Terry, with more speakers to be announced.
Go to NACSShow.com to learn more and register.
NACS State of the Industry Report Is Available for Purchase
Success in the convenience and fuel retailing industry requires knowledge and insights—knowing where you should invest and how to harness data to deliver targeted, personalized offerings and customer experiences.
The NACS State of the Industry (SOI) Report® is the industry’s leading tool for improving your business. For more than 50 years, the industry has relied on the SOI Report as a benchmarking tool with the most comprehensive collection of data and trends in critical categories, including financials, store operations, merchandising, foodservice and fuels. The report of 2024 data is now available for purchase.
In the report, you’ll find:
• An industry overview with critical findings and actionable recommendations from veteran industry analysts.
• Charts, graphs and tables that illustrate key trends and patterns related to industry and category performance.
• A deep dive into category and subcategory performance data across a broad spectrum, including fuels, grocery, tobacco and foodservice.
• Comprehensive regional performance data that allows retailers to benchmark against peers in their region.
• Valuable consumer insights about the convenience shopper from the NACS Convenience Voices program.
Upon purchase of a digital license, you will receive access to the report through a DRM-secured PDF through your convenience. org login profile. Discounts are available for purchasing multiple licenses. Purchase your copy of the State of the Industry Report at convenience.org/SOIReport or contact Chris Rapanick, managing director of NACS Research, at crapanick@ convenience.org
Next year, submit your data to the NACS State of the Industry Survey and receive a complimentary license of the NACS State of the Industry Report and one complimentary registration to the annual NACS State of the Industry Summit.
AUGUST
NACS Executive Leadership Program at Cornell
August 03-07
Ithaca, NY
OCTOBER
NACS Show
October 14-17
Chicago, IL
NOVEMBER
NACS Innovation Leadership Program at MIT
November 02-07
Cambridge, MA
NACS Women’s Leadership Program at Yale
November 09-14
New Haven, CT
2026
JANUARY
Conexxus Annual Conference
January 25-29
Arlington, TX
FEBRUARY
NACS Leadership Forum
February 10-12
Miami, FL
Moving Beyond the Tailpipe
How life cycle analysis can be used to reduce emissions and expenses.
BY JOHN EICHBERGER
Life cycle assessments (LCA) are among the most important—yet least understood—ways to determine how to examine carbon emissions and set policy related to these emissions.
This general lack of awareness is why the Transportation Energy Institute (TEI) published the white paper, “Using Life Cycle Assessment to Evaluate the Light Duty Vehicle Transportation Sector,” in March 2025.
In simple terms, a LCA looks at all the carbon generated from the furthest upstream elements of producing the fuel or electricity. Other approaches simply look at the carbon emitted at the tailpipe. Of course, with electric vehicles (EVs) there is no tailpipe on the car, but there are very large “tailpipes” at the electric powerplant. Those emissions need to be considered if carbon reduction is a serious goal.
The TEI white paper argues that using LCA can help identify the most efficient means for reducing emissions, which can result in economically sustainable investments, achieving reductions that make financial sense and will therefore continue to provide meaningful environmental improvement in the long term.
To provide context, let’s look at the comparative analysis TEI published in 2022 that examined the life cycle emissions of three small sport utility vehicles with different powertrains: internal combustion engine (ICE), hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and battery electric vehicle (BEV).
A key finding was that approximately three-quarters of emissions over a vehicle’s 200,000-mile expected lifetime comes from the energy it consumes, whether that is liquid fuel or electricity. Because vehicles consuming liquid fuels
will dominate the roads for decades to come, the greatest benefit to the environment will be achieved by reducing the carbon intensity of both fuel and electricity.
DECARBONIZING FUEL
So how do you get carbon out of fuel? TEI has published several studies that look at options to reduce the overall carbon intensity of liquid fuels. These options include bio and renewable fuels, e-fuels, various blends of low-carbon fuels and conventional petroleum fuels and hydrogen. Many of these options would not only reduce emissions but could also contribute to more efficient production methods and, depending on cost, improved financial returns. They offer an opportunity to simultaneously benefit the environment and fuel producers.
For example, the life cycle carbon reduction potential for blending ethanol and biodiesel results in carbon reductions of 6% with E10 (10% ethanol) to 50.8% with E85 (85% ethanol) and 56.8% with 100% ethanol. These values are national averages. Biofuels from feedstocks that were produced using advanced agricultural practices could yield even lower carbon intensity values. To better understand this opportunity, TEI has organized a Sustainable Agriculture Working Group to help standardize agricultural practices that could contribute to lower carbon intense biofuels.
OPTIMIZING CARBON REDUCTION
Without looking at carbon from a life cycle standpoint, the carbon inputs from electrical production are overlooked. On average, U.S. power plants emit 794 pounds of CO2 for every megawatt hour of electricity they produce. TEI has not commissioned research into how the carbon intensity of the electricity used to power BEVs could be reduced, but other organizations are examining the issue. It is critical that BEVs are powered by lower emitting electricity.
The bottom line is that by focusing on every part of the life cycle and supply chain, we can identify the best opportunities to reduce emissions, enhance efficiency, remove waste and boost profitability. If we do not think about transportation as a complete system, finding such opportunities may prove elusive.
GHG EMISSIONS CRADLE-TO-GRAVE ANALYSIS
John Eichberger is the executive director of the Transportation Energy Institute.
GHG REDUCTION POTENTIAL
The Rise of Microgrids
Retailers have begun to implement the energy network to prevent operational disruptions.
BY JOE O’BRIEN
Power outages continue to threaten the reliability of the power grid. They are increasingly frequent and prolonged because of extreme weather events, natural disasters, an aging infrastructure, cyberattacks and high demand.
In the search for better operational efficiencies related to the power grid, communities and commercial enterprises alike are turning to microgrids.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the number of microgrids in the United States grew approximately 130% from 2015 to 2024. Remote communities (think Alaska), universities and operations deemed essential— hospitals, fire stations, wastewater treatment facilities, utilities data centers and military installations, to name a few—were the earliest adopters. Industrial applications, including oil and gas, also use them.
More recently, retail operations have installed microgrids. Alltown Fresh, Buc-ee’s, H-E-B and Walmart are among the companies adding microgrids to prevent operational disruptions.
It’s easy to see why. When outages occur, microgrids offer facilities the unique capability to operate autonomously from the main electric grid. As localized energy networks, microgrids can continue to supply electricity to connected loads using on-site generation resources.
Being the only c-store in town open during a major outage poses a lucrative opportunity. Stores capable of business continuity:
• Capture sales lost by stores unable to serve their customers
• Draw new customers in need of fuel, food, essential supplies and services such as Wi-Fi
• Garner loyalty by demonstrating their reliability to customers and the community
There are two types of microgrids: continuous and conditional. Their names provide a good indication of what they provide. Continuous microgrids supply power 24/7, even during a utility grid outage. On the other hand, conditional microgrids only supply power during specific events or outages. As to be expected, continuous microgrids tend to be larger physically than conditional microgrids. Advanced systems typically combine power generation sources, energy storage solutions and sophisticated controllers that manage the system. Microgrids can use a combination of distributed energy resources (DER) that include renewable sources such as solar, hydro, fuel cells, combined heat and power (CHP) systems and batteries, as well as conventional resources like diesel or natural gas generators.
Microgrids’ usefulness extends beyond crisis management for gas stations and hypermarkets. In some instances, they can lower operational costs—including insurance premiums. Lighting, refrigeration, dispensers and other equipment often consume significant electricity. Facilities with microgrids can generate their own power, store it and use it strategically to shield themselves against expensive grid power during peak demand hours.
What’s more, microgrids can generate revenue. Depending on regulations and the primary grid’s infrastructure, excess power can be sold back to the grid.
IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS
While microgrids offer many benefits, several factors can make implementation challenging, if not impossible, for some c-store operators.
Smaller c-stores may lack the physical space to accommodate the equipment required for a robust microgrid. While solar panels can be installed on rooftops and canopies, ground space is often needed for battery storage units, generators and control equipment. Space constraints may limit the size and type of microgrid that can be installed, which may hinder the system’s overall benefit.
The upfront investment needed to cover the cost of the equipment and installation creates another barrier for small or independent operations, which generally have limited access to investment capital (compared to larger c-store networks). That being said, retailers may be eligible for financing through power purchase agreements (PPAs), government incentives and Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) programs, which engage a third party to own and operate the microgrid.
The availability and cost of energy sources also will be a factor.
Although harnessing renewable energy sources is an obvious choice, regional factors will likely influence determining which energy is optimal in a microgrid. For instance, hybrid configurations with generators fueled by non-renewable natural gas are gaining popularity in regions where natural gas is abundant and, therefore, cost-effective.
As microgrid adoption expands across the United States, it signals a broader shift in energy management. With their power to shape the competitive landscape during a catastrophic outage, fuel marketers with microgrids will position themselves to help customers through dark times—literally and figuratively. In this way, a backup energy supply is a business strategy as much as it is an emergency preparedness plan.
Microgrids’ usefulness extends beyond crisis management for gas stations and hypermarkets. In some instances, they can lower operational costs—including insurance premiums.
Joe O’Brien is vice president
of marketing at Source North America Corporation. He has more than 25 years of experience in the petroleum equipment fuel industry. Contact him at jobrien@sourcena.com or visit sourcena.com to learn more.
Car Washes and Your Bottom Line
What are the opportunities for retailers with a car wash operation?
BY PIERRE LECLERCQ
Atrip to a convenience store typically involves filling up the tank, grabbing a snack or picking up last-minute essentials. By adding a car wash, retailers can create a one-stop shop for their customers’ needs, as well as their vehicles.
Historically, smaller c-store companies generate a larger percentage of their
total gross profit with other operating income categories such as lottery commissions, car wash or ATM revenue.
The newly released NACS State of the Industry Report® of 2024 Data showed that car washes generated $10,922 in operating income per store per month, but there was a significant difference by store size. A-size operators (1-10 stores) reported $12,971 per store, per
month in car wash gross profits, which is 2.7 times the $4,797 reported by D-size operators (201-500 stores).
RECURRING REVENUE
A 2022 NACS report, “Leveraging Carwash Potential in Convenience Retail,” tracked retailer attitudes toward car washes as a profit center. The report noted that car wash
Unlike many in-store purchases that rely on peak traffic times, car washes can generate income around the clock.
subscriptions can help retailers lock in revenue year-round and build customer loyalty.
The report also suggests that retailers should price subscriptions so that the offer provides customers with a discount for washing two to three times or more per month. These types of programs create a steady flow of income and bring repeat business to the store. Each time a customer returns for a car wash, they’re more likely to make additional purchases.
Retailers that offer a car wash subscription often incorporate it as part of their mobile app and award loyalty points for washes, which accrue directly through the retailer’s app.
MAXIMIZING NON-FUEL REVENUE
While customers are getting their car washed, passengers often come inside the store, which presents retailers with another chance to increase sales. Operators can encourage higher inside sales by offering discounts, or a free car wash for purchases over a certain threshold, such as after five visits.
A car wash can also spread-out income during the day. Unlike many in-store purchases that rely on peak traffic times, car washes can generate income around the clock. Whether it’s a busy morning rush or a quiet afternoon, the car wash can work for a retailer when the store isn’t bustling with foot traffic.
If a store location is in or near high-traffic areas, commuters can stop for a car wash during any part of the day. That’s income flowing in, especially when in-store foot traffic is light, which creates an excellent opportunity
for maximizing revenue outside of normal peak hours.
The NACS report noted that downtown or urban areas usually experience lower car wash volumes, especially in business-centric areas with minimal evening or weekend traffic. Similarly, sites along highways, near travel centers, or in areas with many semi-trailers tend to get less wash traffic, as drivers often prefer to keep going or finish their trip rather than stop for a wash.
CHALLENGES CREATE OPPORTUNITIES
There are significant costs associated with adding a car wash. Over the past five years, the cost of new car wash equipment has ranged from $550,000 to over $1 million, according to NACS State of the Industry data.
Before starting a car wash, c-store operators should also remember that car washes do not market themselves—great signage and promotions at the pump help maximize their car wash’s visibility and can also be a useful tool to promote their overall brand.
In today’s digital age, physical signage is not the only thing that should be considered when promoting your car wash. Running digital advertising like Google Ads as well as maintaining an active social media presence can drive traffic to your site and offer greater visibility that the competition may be lacking.
It’s also important to make sure customers can find you when they search online for the nearest car wash. For guidance and assistance, check out THRIVR (convenience.org/ THRIVR), an integrated social media, reputation and listings management solution for c-stores.
Subscription programs create a steady flow of income and bring repeat business to the store—and every time a customer comes back for a car wash, they’re more likely to make an additional purchase.
Pierre Leclercq is the senior VP of sales for Mark VII. The company is the North American subsidiary of WashTec AG of Germany, an international provider of innovative solutions for all aspects of vehicle washing.
The New Kid on the Block
A new customer base is on the streets—and competitors are building a new type of convenience retail to meet their needs.
BY ROY STRASBURGER
When I was in elementary school, a family moved into the house across the street with a son roughly my age. He, Wayne, was friendly and outgoing, and we got along well from the start. One of my lasting memories is of visiting Wayne at his home for the first time. He recently had a birthday,
so he had a treasure trove of new toys. His house was the place to be because everything felt so new and different compared to what I was used to at my own home. It wasn’t just me—all the neighborhood kids wanted to be there. Wayne came to mind while I was attending an EV conference earlier this year in Las Vegas.
Our Vision Group Network launched an Electric Vehicle Vision Group (evVG), and I was there to soak up knowledge. One speaker, Karl Doenges from the Transportation Energy Institute, said that the popularity of EVs will continue to grow over time because EVs feature the new technologies that many consumers desire.
It is not the actual EV charging that’s going to become a competitive threat. It is the creation of new and exciting retail destinations that will take customers away from the traditional convenience store.
The big takeaway for me was that retail sites that are specifically and solely dedicated to EV charging are on the rise—and are getting nicer. Orlando-based Social Charge develops sites that create a premium retail offer for EV drivers. It’s belief is that EV owners are, by and large, treated as second-class citizens at traditional gasoline retailing locations. Social Charge offers covered high-speed charging, high-end foodservice, premium amenities and a lounge area where customers can take a break, work and literally recharge themselves and their cars.
There are other companies out there doing the same thing. One that has been in the news recently is Tesla’s drive-in theater/diner under development in Los Angeles. It will only service EVs; it will not offer hydrocarbon products. These new EV charging locations are the harbinger of a new, and specialized, form of retail.
It is not the actual EV charging that’s going to become a competitive threat. It is the creation of new and exciting retail destinations that will take customers away from the traditional convenience store.
So, back to Wayne. Customers, like kids in the neighborhood, are attracted to the bright and shiny. The question that you need to ask yourself, as a convenience store operator, is whether your offer is exciting enough to attract—and keep—your customers. Can your store be a destination all on its own? How are you going to compete with the premium amenities and
foodservice programs that companies like Social Charge are going to offer your customers? And it’s important to note that these new EV charging stations will also have parking spots for everyone—not just EVs.
Now is the time to start looking at your business and get ready for increased competition. The battle for drivers of all types of vehicles is going to heat up between traditional convenience stores and EV charging sites, which could increasingly be opened at QSRs, drugstores and dollar stores.
The question is not what you can offer to customers that your competitors don’t have. It’s what can you offer that will stop your customers from going somewhere else? Unfortunately, it will require a capital investment, and you’ll want to review some critical questions.
Look at your physical store space: Is it modern, well-lit and spacious? Look at your foodservice offer: Are you producing a quality product, do you have the right menu and are you promoting yourself as a foodservice destination? Finally, look at your operations: Are the employees trained, do you provide excellent customer service and does the experience in your store meet or exceed your customers’ expectations?
EV charging-only locations are the new kids on the block. You will need to be able to offer the same, or better, experience than they do. Now is the time to start planning. Don’t wait until everybody instead wants to go to Wayne’s house.
The question is not what you can offer to customers that your competitors don’t have. It’s what can you offer that will stop your customers from going somewhere else?
Roy Strasburger is the CEO of StrasGlobal, which provides retail consulting services, the licensable Quix brand and Compliance Safe, a cloud-based 24/7 document management and storage platform. He also is a co-founder of the Vision Group Network.
On the Edge of Success
Mysterious network performance issues? Check your edge devices.
BY SIMON GAMBLE
Convenience retailers are increasingly dependent on high-volume, real-time data transmission for a growing range of essential applications that improve customer and employee experience. Payment processing, digital menu boards, retail media, fuel tank monitoring and video surveillance are among the more popular technology applications deployed by c-store operators.
As technology becomes more important to operations there is also an increased risk of disruptions in
network performance, which can lead to operational inefficiencies, unnecessary downtime, customer dissatisfaction and potential revenue loss—creating an urgent need for a comprehensive solution.
For example, a c-store operator with around 50 locations recently deployed a variety of new technology solutions to improve its customer and employee experience. However, after roll out, its network performance began to degrade.
With so many new technologies in play, the root cause of the network performance issues was not immediately
Older edge network devices have CPU and processing limitations that create substantial throughput bottlenecks.
clear, but was eventually traced to the edge networking device that transmits data between the local network and the cloud. Examples include security gateways (commonly referred to as “firewalls”), VPN concentrators, access points and managed switches. However, many of the standard managed network service provider (MNSP) solutions are built on older edge networking devices. (Older edge network devices have CPU and processing limitations that create substantial throughput bottlenecks. Sometimes, a different approach to restore and enhance performance is required—this approach involves advanced edge devices and implementing an innovative software-defined wide area networks (SD-WAN) architecture.
EXPLODING BANDWIDTH DEMAND
In our example, the convenience retailer added digital signage, selfservice kiosks, retail media, CCTV and guest Wi-Fi to its network over a short period of time. The high data volume video surveillance alone can quickly saturate available bandwidth, crowding out other applications. As the strain on its network grew, the retailer started to see performance issues that included media lagging and poor Wi-Fi performance.
The most obvious solution was to buy more bandwidth, so they upgraded a test location’s broadband data plan from 50 to 100 Mbps. There was no improvement. Then they tried shutting
off one application at a time to see if one or two “greedy” applications were to blame, but that showed no obvious bottlenecks. It became clear that doubling available bandwidth would not help if outdated networking equipment with limited processing capacity is the limiting factor.
LIMITED EDGE DEVICES AND ANTIQUATED NETWORK ARCHITECTURE
Only a few years ago, typical edge devices would only have a 20 Mbps throughput limit, which is far too low for the latest bandwidth-intensive applications. This retailer was using a very common edge device model (from a major oil brand’s approved MNSP), which was preventing the full speeds of the broadband data plan from being realized. Networks built with these limited edge devices typically suffer from a poorly designed network architecture that routes all data through the equipment vendor’s central data center before it reaches application providers. This introduces unnecessary overhead and latency, especially during peak usage times. The added complexity of this inefficient, indirect routing not only slows down application performance but also creates a potential single point of failure for the entire network.
ADVANCED EDGE DEVICES AND SD-WAN ARCHITECTURE
Advanced security gateways have significantly higher throughput capabilities than older edge devices,
Advanced security gateways have significantly higher throughput capabilities than older edge devices, far exceeding the requirements of even the most advanced convenience stores.
RETAIL OPERATIONS
far exceeding the requirements of even the most advanced convenience stores. Ample access to bandwidth allows edge devices to enable immediate data availability, which is critical for maintaining operational efficiency and enhancing overall performance. Even during peak usage times, the network remains responsive and reliable, improving customer and employee experience.
SD-WAN allow for easier management of multilocation networks. They optimize performance across sites by directing traffic through the most efficient paths and ensure that every connectedapplication routes directly to its host, significantly improving data transmission efficiency and eliminating the potential single
point of failure found in more typical designs. This direct connectivity allows for fast processing of payment transactions and uninterrupted video feeds, enhancing the customer experience and operational reliability.
As the retailer case study illustrates, throwing more bandwidth at an older, outdated network infrastructure won’t significantly improve an underperforming network. Once an advanced security gateway was installed at the retailer’s test location, the full data plan speeds immediately became available, and the network disruptions disappeared. Within two months, the retailer’s entire network had converted to advanced edge devices, and all network applications at each store were working together flawlessly.
Simon Gamble is the co-founder and president of Mako Networks North America, a company specializing in network management, PCI DSS security, SASE SD-WAN connectivity and cloud management with deep experience in the petroleum space. Learn more at makonetworks.com.
The Fleet Benefits of a Multi-Year Procurement Plan
Having a five-year plan provides most flexibility for optimum fleet decisions.
BY BRIAN ANTONELLIS
Change and uncertainty have defined everything as 2025 gets underway, from the broader economy and operational costs to the political and regulatory environments.
For organizations with heavy duty truck transportation fleets, this has been particularly prevalent with the relaxing of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) mandate, specifically the “Advanced Clean Fleet” regulation, which would have required organizations to gradually add zeroemission vehicles to their fleets.
Even before the change to the CARB regulations, many of these organizations were operating without a multi-year approach to their procurement plan. In
a recent survey of 3,000 transportation fleet executives, 71% said they’re operating trucks for more than five years. When asked how many trucks in their fleet are model year 2019 or older, more than half (62%) said as many as 50 trucks in their fleet fall into this “higher-aged” category.
Even though most fleet executives say they are running a five-year-or-more life cycle, 68% also said it is necessary to replace as much as 50% of their fleet over the next 2-3 years, which means they are now looking to shorten their life cycle. While 36% said they had a pre-buy procurement plan in place because of the expected mandates, over half (64%) said they either do not have a plan or are unsure if their organization has a plan.
WHY A MULTI-YEAR PROCUREMENT PLAN IS NECESSARY
A strategic five-year procurement plan serves as an important roadmap for procurement decision-makers, guiding everything from equipment acquisition, maintenance and replacement and lease surrender/remarketing. It allows organizations to anticipate and prepare for future needs, technological advancements and additional regulatory changes. A long-term view can help companies optimize fleet makeup, reduce operational costs and enhance overall performance.
One of the primary benefits of a strategic five-year procurement plan is the ability to align fleet operations with broader financial and organizational
goals. “Supply chain leaders will need to remain agile to adapt to fluctuating prices and changing demand,” said Jenna Slagle, senior data analyst at Project44, just prior to the tariffs announced in April 2025.
This alignment ensures that every vehicle acquisition supports the company’s mission, whether it’s improving sustainability, enhancing customer service or maximizing profitability.
COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL PLANNING
Financial planning is also an important component of any longterm procurement strategy. By forecasting fleet needs over a five-year period, organizations can allow for more accurate budgeting and secure favorable financing terms.
Even more so, a five-year plan gives organizations the ability to adjust as they go, fully understanding that mandates, regulations, customer portfolios and financial goals shift and pivot. Having a plan in place allows companies to make modifications— both big and small—paving the way toward increased business agility.
With long-range planning, finance professionals can align with their fleet operations teams and more frequently review procurement strategy and finance options. Key financial metrics that should be taken into consideration include:
• Lease vs. buy
• Sales tax analysis
• Lease type analysis (FSL vs. UBL, TRAC, FMV, etc.)
• Comparative cost analysis to determine the optimal time to upgrade equipment
• Diesel vs. EV comparative cost analysis
• Per unit P&L
• OEM equipment cost tracking
• SWAP rates
• Residual values
BUILDING A PLAN
An asset management partner can help build a five-year plan. A partner will conduct a thorough assessment of the current performance of the
fleet, including a complete fleet list with vehicle in-service and out-ofservice dates, identifying areas for improvement and set clear objectives such as reducing costs, improving fuel efficiency, improving safety and CSR scores or enhancing vehicle uptime. Conducting a thorough analysis and creating a holistic modernization plan is important to determine the optimal number and type of vehicles required in the coming years.
Organizations should work with their asset management partner to create a five-year strategic timeline with key milestones and deadlines. As time goes on, it’s important to continuously monitor any upcoming regulatory changes to EPA regulations, which may lead to additional cost increases for new trucks. Planning for a potential “rush” on certain types of high-demand units can help organizations avoid higher costs associated with certain model year trucks.
Financial assessments are another important component of the procurement process. Conducting a total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis that leverages in-service dates and utilization data for each vehicle helps organizations understand the full financial implications of their procurement decisions. This includes factors such as purchase price, fuel costs, maintenance and depreciation.
The right asset management partner can also help establish strong relationships with reliable suppliers and OEMs to negotiate long-term contracts. A thorough lease versus purchase study can help organizations determine the right type of financing for their equipment, as well as examine various lease types such as full-service or unbundled leases.
Organizations should prepare a clear presentation of the procurement plan for stakeholders, outlining the benefits for each group. Then, they should establish a change approval process for modifications to the fiveyear procurement plan, ensuring that any adjustments are well-considered and aligned with overall business objectives.
A strategic fiveyear procurement plan serves as an important roadmap for procurement decisionmakers, guiding everything from equipment acquisition, maintenance and replacement and lease surrender/remarketing.
Brian Antonellis, CTP , is the senior vice president of fleet operations at Fleet Advantage. For more information visit www.fleetadvantage.com.
‘Uncertainty’
Is the Best Way to Describe 2025 So Far
A new administration and tariffs combine with more traditional challenges.
BY DENTON CINQUEGRANA
Petroleum supply and demand has seen dramatic swings since the pandemic began more than five years ago, and market volatility does not look like it is going away anytime soon—especially with the Trump Administration and a new era of tariffs.
Anyone who was paying attention knew that President Trump was going to be aggressive with tariffs—after all, he called himself a “Tariff man” during the 2024 Presidential campaign.
Those expected tariffs hit full force in April as the United States rolled out a tariff framework that was quickly met
with reciprocal tariffs that were met with more hikes to newly introduced tariffs. The fallout was immediate; the market was shaken by moves that could potentially rearrange world trade—and significantly raises the likelihood of a global recession in 2025.
When tariffs were introduced in early March on Canada and Mexico, there was a swift reaction in the petroleum markets in New England: Rack prices jumped in response to a tariff surcharge on products like diesel and heating oil coming from Canada. A higher price for heavy Canadian crude oil, a popular feedstock for Great Lakes
and Midwest refiners, caused a brief rise in those rack prices.
While there has been a back and forth on some tariffs, the global face-off on tariffs is not likely to dissipate long term and uncertainty is likely to be hanging over the oil market (and other markets) like the sword of Damocles.
OPEC+ MAKES A MOVE
Meanwhile, predictions of a small surplus in the global liquids supplydemand balance have grown to expectations of a more significant supply surplus over the rest of 2025. It was already expected that OPEC+ was going to return some of the barrels that were curtailed voluntarily by some of the key producers like Saudi Arabia. Couple that with non-OPEC supply growth and global demand growth that was anticipated to be within reach of the annual norms.
The amount added was relatively light—around 140,000 b/d—but oil markets were stunned by an OPEC+ announcement that the cartel is going to roll forward four months of production increases at once. The additional barrels alongside the uncertainty of the global economy have led to some forecasts of surpluses of 1 million b/d in 2025.
Ultimately, this supply surplus could put the “drill, baby, drill” mantra to a screeching halt if low crude oil prices discourage production.
Uncertainty has been the key catalyst in WTI and Brent oil prices dropping to four-year lows. The price of WTI slumped below $60/barrel in the risk-off environment of early April. OPIS believed, along with many investment banks, that the year was going to be “front-loaded” with high oil prices in the first six months. By “front loaded,” the prevailing thought is that the highs come in a traditional cycle, where peak prices are in mid-spring, say from late April to early June. However, the high may very well have been achieved in the first two weeks.
2024 CARRYOVERS INTO 2025
Oil price highs and lows have tightened the past few years. In 2024, there was a $22.50 difference between the high and low trades, which is about $10 less than the range of 2023 and not even half of the 2022 range. However, the early 2nd quarter sell-off in oil prices brought the 2025 high-low range already close to last year’s and, if anything, prices are biased toward going lower.
Meanwhile, refiners had a rough go in 2024. When it comes to margins, 2025 has had a slow start as well. However, it does appear that even though prices have dropped sharply with crude oil, the relationship between oil prices and refined product prices has been steady.
A lower price environment typically bodes well for retailers as retail gasoline prices are not likely to eclipse the
2024 high of $3.68/gal on April 19. The average price for gasoline in 2024 was $3.33/gal, and it appears that there is a higher probability of a lower price environment this year.
Typically, retailers will sell more fuel in times of low prices, but this year may offer a different challenge, especially if there is an economic slowdown. Already gasoline demand has been trending lower because of the growth of hybrid work options after the pandemic and an increase in vehicle fuel efficiency.
According to OPIS data from roughly 40,000 retail gasoline sites, same-store sales in 2024 were down just over 4% from 2023, but when compared to the pre-COVID gallons sold data, retailers have lost 24%.
Early 2025 continues to see the trend of about 4% demand destruction; however, there are a few potential positives for demand this year, especially with the ongoing call for a return to the office. While hybrid officeremote work schedules are common, multiple companies are now bringing workers to the office five days a week. Combine increased commuter traffic with lower prices, and demand in 2025 could be at the very least flat with 2024.
Also if gasoline prices are low enough and airfare remains elevated this summer, vacationers may choose to drive instead of flying and further increase demand. However, an economic slowdown and an increase in unemployment could derail a potential demand bump.
RETAIL MARGINS
It wasn’t that long ago that we said that 30 cents was the new 20 cents when it comes to gross rack-to-retail margins. It turns out that may need to be updated.
In each of the past two years, U.S. gross rack-to-retail gasoline margins have been around 40 cents/gal, according to OPIS data. In fact, 2024 gross margins were a record 39.7 cents/gal.
Early 2025 continues to see the trend of about 4% demand destruction; however, there are a few potential positives for demand this year, especially with the ongoing call for a return to the office. While hybrid officeremote work schedules are common, multiple companies are now bringing workers to the office five days a week.
FUEL MARKETERS
Even with all the background noise so far this year, margins still appear to be in the same neighborhood, based on the first quarter of 2025; gross margins were 34.7 cents/gal, 1.7 cents higher than the 1st quarter of 2024.
Finally, the trend of unbranded market share growing at the expense of branded continued in 2024. The trend began in earnest in 2021, and the unbranded market share since then has grown from just inside of 52% to nearly 57% today. Price, of course, plays a role, as unbranded discounts to the averages have widened from about 4 cents in 2021 to about 5 cents.
While there are some possible carryover trends from 2024, economic uncertainty is expected to be a major factor and that should keep intraday volatility in oil markets and other risk asset for the rest of 2025.
OPIS believed, along with many investment banks, that the year was going to be “front loaded” with high oil prices in the first six months. However, the high may very well have been achieved in the first two weeks.
Denton Cinquegrana is chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service (OPIS). A Dow Jones company, OPIS helps market participants navigate the key issues of our time, including the ongoing transition to sustainability.
24/
Every July 24 (24/7 Day), the NACS Foundation unites convenience stores across America in recognizing first responders, medical personnel and American Red Cross volunteers who work around the clock, 24/7, to serve our communities. Now in its seventh year, the event unifies the collective efforts of 30,000+ convenience stores that honor and thank the extraordinary commitment of hometown heroes with items like a hot cup of coffee, cold beverage or a breakfast sandwich.
To learn more about participating, contact Kevin O’Connell at koconnell@convenience.org, or visit 247Day.org.
No Fines. Faster Lines.
Streamline transactions
Single scan age verifi cation keeps your lines moving fast, and your customers happy.
Reduce fraud, prevent underage sales
Logs admissible proof that age was verifi ed, without capturing private information.
Seamless integration
Already integrated with your current POS; no new equipment is needed.
F A D AVA LABL OW
TruAge gives you fl exibility to accept both physical IDs and emerging technology— including the California mDL and the TruAge App. Activate today.
Preparing Fuel Pricing for AI
Proper operational fuel pricing fundamentals provide solid benefits today while making a transition to an AI solution easier down the road.
BY BRANDON GORMLEY
Fuel pricing models have progressed from rudimentary cost-plus approaches to competitor-based rules pricing and spreadsheets to SAS solutions. So, what is the next step in the progression? The answer is undoubtedly AI. More specifically, sophisticated neural networks that “think and learn” like humans and churn through a multitude of datasets
in a manner beyond human capacity. Setting a pathway for AI pricing and other AI enterprise solutions can be much easier by taking some fundamental steps, mostly related to your team, data and execution. First, it helps to have a team with strong lines of communication, which acts as an internal conduit to keep team members aligned with the decision-making process. It’s crucial
to have a system in place to accept feedback, review performance and make adjustments when necessary. Without a systematic process, decisions lack discipline and aren’t appropriately evaluated for future corrections.
The fuel team must also have clear objectives that they are collectively working to accomplish. This could be achieving internal KPIs or companyspecific financial goals that help
AI will challenge your teams to manage your fuel business at a far more sophisticated level. Your pricing analysts will make the transition from an analyst who prices fuel all day to a true analyst who occasionally must make refinements to price positions.
align efforts and keep team members marching in the same direction.
The next critical element is data. Nowadays, knowing the costs, volumes and margins of your company, as well as brand performance versus competition, is practically table stakes. The faster and more accurately you can capture this information, the better suited you are to make more accurate, data-driven decisions and react more quickly to market changes.
Lastly, there is execution. How quickly can you implement new price positions for your customers, and what effort does it take once a price change or change in pricing strategy is made? Ultimately, an automated integration directly to your point of sale and/or price signs is optimal. It will enable you to confidently change prices more frequently and faster. At an absolute minimum, establish high expectations with store team members for manual price changes.
Why mention the importance of these building blocks regarding AI? Their value is certainly not exclusive to that technology. It is because AI will challenge your teams to manage your fuel business
at a far more sophisticated level. Your pricing analysts will make the transition from an analyst who prices fuel all day to a true analyst who occasionally must make refinements to price positions. Today’s AI constantly review data inputs, including prices, cost, volumes and margins, but they also evaluate customer transactions and mobility data to create demand curves by hour and by day so that you can optimize your price position depending on what you want to achieve. These minor price adjustments at the correct times present themselves as “micro-opportunities” to boost your bottom line.
The benefits can go well beyond these micro opportunities. Because these models use transactional-level data, more sophisticated versions can alert or notify you when pumps aren’t working correctly or when other issues arise that could cause a bad customer experience at the store, helping your fuel operation run as smoothly as possible.
So get ready for the AI future and enjoy the clear operational benefits from solid fundamentals, both before and after that transition.
Setting a pathway for AI pricing and other AI enterprise solutions can be much easier by taking some fundamental steps.
Brandon Gormley is the executive director of retail software sales and client success for OPIS. Before joining OPIS, Brandon spent a decade in the convenience retail industry, leading fuel pricing, merchandise pricing and business intelligence teams.
The Not-So-Secret Strategy to Hold Your Team Accountable
From defining gaps to determining tasks, accountability is a step-by-step process.
BY JOHN KIMMEL
Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple,” according to John C. Maxwell. He has written over 200 books, and the ones I’ve read do in fact make complicated topics very simple—like accountability.
I’ve also found that reading about a topic like accountability and putting it into action are two different things. Accountability only has a tangible impact if the tasks for which someone is being held accountable for drive the organization’s results toward a desired goal.
Holding your people accountable can seem complicated and overwhelming. But if you take the process one step at a time, the complexity will fade away as each step is completed.
A step-by-step process can help you hold your team accountable. When the pieces are in place, accountability is
easy. Each step has its own merit and will improve your organization.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY GAPS AND DUPLICATIONS
Whenever our firm is rightsizing an organization’s staff, we inevitably find gaps—the jobs that no one is doing, and the jobs that multiple people are doing. The tool we use to uncover gaps and duplications is a set of clearly defined written job descriptions for each team member. We’ve found that about one in 10 petroleum marketers have up-to-date written job descriptions for each employee.
We recently helped a company that, like many smaller businesses, didn’t have a dedicated HR team. Someone was in charge of adding employees to the company’s health insurance plan, but there was a gap when employees needed to be removed. The
consequence was that the company was paying for unused employee insurance. We also found that three people thought they were responsible for ordering pumps, reels and other items related to skid tanks. This resulted in an accumulation of mismatched inventory from different suppliers. Ironically, the same three people did not think they were responsible for entering the items into inventory, so the items were not accounted for properly.
STEP 2: SPEND TIME WISELY
It’s important to determine the most valuable tasks for each position. For example, while salespeople need to return e-mails, enter notes in the CRM and prospect for new customers, among other things, the only activity that generates revenue is making sales calls. Therefore, every salesperson should minimize
the amount of time spent on other activities—while still handling those activities appropriately—so that they can maximize their time spent talking with customers.
The late Skip Miller taught that “Revenue = Frequency x Competency.” If you increase the frequency of sales calls, your revenue will increase as well. We find that the average sales representative is making three to five face-to-face sales calls per day. With the proper guidance, those same reps can average 10 to 12 calls per day, and that will increase revenue.
Every role in your organization has tasks to do that are more valuable than others. For CFOs, forecasting might be their most valuable task. For GMs, training might be most valuable. Make sure everyone knows what is most important for them to focus on.
STEP 3: IMPORTANT AND URGENT
The next step is to teach your teams to determine what is important, what is urgent and how to handle each type of task they encounter. Once they understand how important and urgent tasks are to be prioritized, the ability to manage time will be more efficient.
In Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits,” he used a matrix that organizes tasks based on their urgency and importance. Covey did not create this matrix. As far as I can find, it originated with Dwight D. Eisenhower, who needed to prioritize his time as a supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II and later as U.S. president.
Some tasks that our teams do are neither urgent nor important. I call this the “funny cat video” category. These are tasks that should be removed from the to-do list. This may sound ridiculous, but these tasks consume enormous amounts of time.
The other category that many employees struggle with is doing tasks that are important but not urgent. These tasks include things like maintenance, training and meetings. Items that fall into this category should be scheduled. The problem is
that many employees don’t use their calendar and instead rely on memory, which results in poorly maintained equipment, untrained employees and missed meetings.
STEP 4: HOLDING YOUR TEAM ACCOUNTABLE
Here is where the rubber meets the road. Fortunately, holding the team accountable can be accomplished with a weekly one-on-one meeting between a subordinate and supervisor. While these meetings should have several questions that are asked every week, accountability comes into play when the supervisor asks, “What are the most important things that you must get done this week?”
The following week you discuss each of those tasks; Were they completed, what may have kept them from being completed, and what needs to be done differently to make sure they are completed? If the supervisor is concerned that the solutions provided won’t get the tasks done, it’s a perfect opportunity to lead by sharing your experience and helping the employee achieve success. These meetings usually last 30 minutes to an hour.
Some of you just did the math. Spending an hour with each person that reports to you might be a large amount of time. You might even be thinking, “I have 50 people who report to me. I could never commit this much time to a weekly meeting.” If so, you have just discovered why one person overseeing 50 people is a terrible idea. Most managers can’t handle more than five direct reports with a consistent level of excellence.
Maybe this leads you to considering how you can reorganize your team. Maybe you need a strategic plan or some other piece of the puzzle to get the best possible results from your organization. If that’s the case, I promise you two things. One, you cannot hit a target that you don’t have, and two, when you do hit those targets and look back to consider the effort you made to get there, you will be glad that you did.
Accountability only has a tangible impact if the tasks that someone is being held accountable for drive the organization’s results toward a desired goal.
John J. Kimmel is the author of “Selling with Power.” He provides custom solutions to increase the effectiveness and profitability of sales teams for petroleum marketers all over the United States. Learn more at johnjkimmel.com.
BEHIND THE FUEL LEADERS RANKINGS
The 2024 Fuel L eaders Report, published by Fuels Market News and NACS, is based on data collected by Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) and drawn from hundreds of retail operations of all sizes throughout the fuel retailing industry. OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, tracks the performance of over 250 fuel retailers and ranks them in an annual report. Through a special partnership with OPIS, NACS presents a targeted subset of this data in the fifth-annual Fuel Leaders Report. Analysts use the OPIS rack-to-retail margin methodology to estimate the gross profit on a gallon of gasoline.
While some chains may pay more or less than the posted rack, the OPIS methodology provides a reasonable metric for each chain.
OPIS also tracks the market share based on a third-party partnership with a company that tracks location information on tens of millions of cellphones in the United States through various mobile apps. OPIS geo-fenced 130,000 stations (by hand) in the country to track the number of times a device visits a convenience store to provide insight into which sites are seeing the most potential customers. While there may be regional disparities in smartphone
usage, the relativity of visits between a site and its direct competitors is unprecedented. To bring the cell phone ping data more in line with fuel sales, OPIS only uses visits from devices that indicated they were in a moving vehicle during the trip, which eliminates pedestrian traffic from the counts. This cellphone ping data is used to calculate market share for each brand.
Getting the best estimate on each chain’s volumes starts with the monthly taxable gallon information reported on a state level by government entities. Analysts then apply market share to estimate total gallons by calculating each chain’s market share in the state against the total taxable gallons reported each month, and then divide that number by the count of stations to approximate monthly volume per site. Matching the estimated volumes to the margins shows total profit on gasoline sales and estimated profit per site.
Taking it all a step further, analysts study the data on a localized level, comparing one chain’s sites to the other sites within a one-mile radius throughout the communities in which they operate. This information makes it possible to determine each brand’s market share against direct competitors. Researchers also calculate a head-to-head “winning percentage” by examining chain performance against competitors in the same
community to identify which brand was more efficient. As an example, if “chain A” and “chain B” compete in the same 10 communities, and “chain A” was more efficient (market share divided by outlet share) in eight of those communities, that would indicate that “chain A” had an 80% winning percentage against “chain B.”
OPIS ranks each chain in a variety of categories but weighs them differently based on conversations with industry insiders on what they felt were the most important metrics. Estimated monthly profit per site is rated the most important category, followed by total overall estimated profits. Other categories ranked include price differential, overall market share, local market share, margins and property values. The final overall ranking takes weighted ranking by category into consideration to determine the chains with the best performance. Some chains in the report have thousands of sites with a huge multistate footprint, while others are small single-state operators with just a few dozen of locations.
The full OPIS report containing highly granular information on each chain is available for purchase from OPIS.
Estimated monthly profit per site is rated the most important category, followed by total overall estimated profits. Other categories ranked include price differential, overall market share, local market share, margins and property values.
50 Leaders FuelsTop The
Here are the top leaders based on three critical performance factors.
By Keith Reid
The companies in the 2024 Fuel Leaders R eport are highly diverse. Their size ranges from 31 locations to more than 6,000. They are spread throughout the country and operate with a variety of formats, ancillary profit centers and key offers. What they have in common is that they have figured out how to operate their fueling programs in a highly efficient manner, which is the foundational focus of the OPIS Top 250 Retail Power Brand Report from which our Top 50 Fuel Leaders are determined.
FMN takes the full report and focuses on three critical performance factors for the top 50 brands:
1. Pricing strategies
2. Attracting retail and fleet customers
3. Head-to-head competition
TOP 50
(The full OPIS report provides more granular and typically localized detail in numerous additional categories and is available for purchase.)
THERE IS NO COMMON SIZE
The largest chains in the industry are well represented among the Fuel Leaders, but so are much smaller, highly dynamic companies. Among the top five, there continue to be substantial, mid-sized chains. (Numbers in parenthese are negative)
Our 2025 report (based on 2024 data) saw six new companies enter the Top 50 this year (comparable to previous years), with some making significant jumps from last year: New York-based Byrne Dairy (53 to 41); Indianabased Family Express (65 to 50); Utah-based Holiday Oil (90 to 40); Illinois-based MotoMart (64 to 46); Arkansasbased Murphy USA (64 to 48); and California-based Power Market (76 to 45).
Meanwhile, the top five have been highly consistent over the last few years, changing only in order. QuikTrip rose from second last year to claim the top spot this year.
Size, Top 5 Brands
What are the lessons here? Economies of scale give the larger players a range of advantages such as favorable purchasing power, broader brand recognition and often greater cashflow/credit and human resources to apply to initiatives. However, smaller operations have more flexibility to pursue opportunities, can be better focused on their markets and can increasingly take advantage of powerful but affordable technologies that help level the playing field. Success comes to those that can leverage their advantages— large or small—though consistent, high-level execution.
The makeup of the top 50 reflects that both types of operators can succeed. Overall, 60% of the top 50 are companies that have at least 100 sites; the remaining 40% have fewer than 100. Arizona-based Circle K (6,086 sites) and New York-based Delta Sonic (31 sites) defined the range.
PRICING STRATEGIES
In every NACS consumer survey since 2007, consumers have said that price is the top factor that determines where they purchase fuel—and in-store items. Some of the most recent findings captured in the Transportation Energy Institute’s report “2024 Driver Behaviors and Perspectives” were:
• Most consumers (53%) stated that purchasing gasoline was the primary motivator the last time a consumer visited a convenience store.
• Seven in 10 consumers (70%) said that the price was the most important factor in determining where they purchased fuel, followed by location at 20% and brand at 10%.
• Two-thirds (66%) of consumers said they would drive five minutes out of their way or turn left across a busy intersection to save 5 cents per gallon. Surprisingly, nearly half (48%) would drive 10 minutes out of their way for the same savings.
How have the Fuel Leaders responded to the pricing opportunities in their markets? None were significantly off the average. Three of the top five brands were priced slightly lower than their market averages and the other two were slightly above. (Community Price Differential is defined as all competitors in the same high school attendance zone.)
Overall, 60% (compared to 56% last year) of the Fuel Leaders’ brands were priced below the average for their competitors in their markets. Leading the list for a lower-than-market average price (as was the case last year) were Fastrip and Rotten Robbie at 31.8 cents and 24.9 cents, respectively.
Among those in the Fuel Leaders that were priced above their markets, Power Market topped the list at 24.2 cents followed by ExtraMile at 20.6 cents.
Beyond the overall average price, we also look at the percentage of time in a given day that retailers were above or below price in their markets. Of the top 50, four companies were priced lower than their market at least 94% of the time. For the top 5 brands, results were mixed: Two were below market price most of the time, two were above market price most of the time and one was at market price exactly half the time. It goes to show that while pricing is an important conscious factor among consumers, their behaviors suggest that unless the price is well beyond the norm, they appreciate the overall package of offers that a retailer provides.
ATTRACTING CUSTOMERS
One key aspect tracked in the OPIS data is national market share. OPIS tracks visits to properties through cellphone location data that is used to determine U.S. Market Share (USMS), Community Market Share (CMS) and Local Market Share (LMS). While the report focuses on many efficiency factors, as might be expected, scale comes into play with the total U.S. Market Share being dominated by the largest national and regional chains.
US Market Share Top 5 Brands
Top 10 US Market Share
Scale becomes less important as the market focus narrows, leveling the playing field. Here, companies that have mastered their markets and brand presence shine. Unsurprisingly, the unique phenomenon that is Buc-ee’s dominates, as it is often seen as a destination stop similar to a tourist attraction for many motorists.
Top 10 Community Market Share
calculated at the “community” level. For example, QuikTrip had 112 “head to heads,” meaning it went up against 112 of the brands as identified in the full report in at least one of its stores. They were only cheaper than the head-to-head competitor 68.8% of the time, but they were more efficient (meaning it had the higher market share of the two brands) 96.4% of the time.
The top five brands truly show their competitive market leadership with efficiencies above 89% and a solid representation at the top tier of the category.
Top 10 Head-To-Head Efficiency
Top 10 Local Market Share
Head-To-Head Efficiency
HEAD-TO-HEAD COMPETITION
A successful operator knows the competition and how well it stacks up against direct competitors. But what are the true metrics in those competitive relationships? The headto-head numbers essentially indicate how one brand does against another brand in regard to market share when they compete directly against each other at the station level. It’s
Keith Reid is editor-in-chief of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at
Who Are the TOP 5
The top five brands are familiar, as they historically fall into the top five or close to it. One notable change this year is that QuikTrip moved from second into the top spot. It should be noted that fuel ranking aside, all these operators are high performers with reputations for excellence in virtually all areas of operations.
QuikTrip Corporation is a privately held company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1958 by Burt Holmes and Chester Cadieux, QuikTrip has grown to a more than $11 billion company with over 1,100 stores in 20 states. The company employs more than 31,000 associates.
QuikTrip began to sell gasoline in 1971 as states legalized self-service stations. In 2006, QuikTrip was one of the first two retailers to earn a “Top Tier” fuel rating, which exceeds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for gasoline additives.
2A privately held, family-owned company, Wawa Inc. began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey and later became a dairy. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, the company opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products.
With over 1,000 locations, Wawa stores are in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio and Washington, D.C.
Wawa offers a range of fuels including E10, E15, E85, ethanol-free, diesel, CNG, Avgas and propane. The company also offers Level 3 charging stations. Millions of customers use the Wawa app and Wawa Rewards program daily to earn points and get discounts on fuel.
Established in 1952 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Sheetz Inc. is one of America’s fastest-growing family-owned and operated convenience store brands with more than 25,000 employees. The company operates over 775 store locations throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and North Carolina.
The company promotes its fuel quality and use of technology to ensure that the quality is maintained throughout the fueling infrastructure. In addition, the company markets all grades of gasoline, on- and off-road diesel fuel, K-1 kerosene, E85, E88 and ethanol free Plus 90 throughout its network. It has EV charging at more than 100 of its locations and passed the milestone of two million EV customers.
Kwik Trip/Kwik Star is a family-owned company that serves customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and South Dakota with approximately 900 convenience stores. The company also plans to open its first locations in North Dakota later in 2025. Kwik Trip also distributes more than 80% of the products featured in its stores.
In 2025, Kwik Trip was recognized by USA Today as the best gas station in the country for the sixth consecutive year.
It offers seven grades of gasoline (including E85 and ethanol free); six grades of diesel and DEF; compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and electric charging.
Maverik traces its roots to when Reuel Call opened a twopump gas station in 1928 in Afton, Wyoming.
Today, Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop fuels adventures from the Midwest to the West Coast. In 2023, Maverik acquired Kum & Go and, together, the two brands serve customers in over 800 locations across 21 states. It offers rewards, including fuel discounts, on the Maverik app and through the Adventure Club card and Nitro card.
New to the Top50
HOLIDAY OIL (# 40)
Utah-based Holiday Oil was founded in 1964 and has grown to 74 locations. The company was named one of the Top Workplaces in 2024 by The Salt Lake Tribune. It supports charitable initiatives including Fueling Families food donations; Christmas for Kids customer donation matching; Sub for Santa clothes, blankets, diapers and toy donations; and Tools for Schools.
BYRNE DAIRY (# 41)
Byrne Dairy & Deli is a thirdgeneration, family-owned company that has been in the dairy business since 1933. In 1954, the company opened its first convenience store and now operates over 75 convenience stores throughout upstate New York. In addition to fuel, Byrne Dairy & Deli convenience stores offer pizza, delis and ice cream, with many stores carrying donuts and cookies, fresh from its bakery.
POWER MARKET (# 45)
Power Market, part of H&S Energy, has 70 stores serving California and Oregon. H&S Energy, owned by the Hassan family, operates Power Market and several different convenience store banners in California.
There tends to be limited turnover in the top 50 fuel leaders from year to year. However, there are always new entrants to the list. Here are the six companies who cracked the code for driving efficiencies in 2024.
MOTOMART
(# 46)
MotoMart is a fourth-generation family-owned convenience store brand based in Belleville, Illinois. It was founded in 1954 and now operates 83 stores serving communities across the Midwest. Its offers include Mojoe’s Private Blend Colombian coffee, exclusively crafted for its MotoMart locations, a variety of fresh, graband-go options, Krispy Krunchy Chicken and Hunt Brothers Pizza.
MURPHY USA (# 48)
Murphy USA stations (unlike the stand-alone Murphy Express sites) are uniquely positioned near the parking lots of one of the world’s largest retailers, Walmart. There are more than 1,700 stores located primarily in the Southwest, Southeast, Midwest and Northeast United States.
FAMILY
EXPRESS (# 50)
Family Express was founded on Christmas Day in 1975 when Gus Olympidis opened his first convenience store in Valparaiso, Indiana. Today, the company operates 81 stores throughout northwest and north central Indiana. In 2020, Family Express tripled the size of its distribution center and bakery and initiated a completely new packaging system to offer its customers the freshest products in the safest way possible.
CONSUMER ENERGY ALLIANCE
IN THE LEAD
From petroleum marketers to homeowners, the group advocates for all energy users.
By Keith Reid
TDAVID HOLT CEA PRESIDENT
he U.S. energy industry has been so successful in meeting its customers’ needs that for some people, the appreciation has been lost as to how complex the process is, how easily it could be disrupted by unbalanced policies and how important it is to businesses of all types and sizes and to their customers and employees.
The Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) aims to increase that appreciation and give energy users an advocate for affordable, reliable and cleaner energy solutions. Its members include families, farmers, small businesses, distributors, producers and manufacturers. This past spring, Fuels Market News interviewed CEA President David Holt for a deeper dive into the organization’s goals and operations.
WHAT IS CEA’S MISSION?
The whole idea behind the CEA is that energy in all its forms—oil, gasoline, diesel, natural gas, electricity, renewable energy—is the lifeblood of the economy. Every job relies on affordable and reliable energy. Our economic livelihood—our personal security at home—relies on being able to turn on the lights and have something happen. Back in the early days, the premise behind our founding was that there wasn’t an effective consumer advocate that represents manufacturers, farmers, truck drivers, small businesses, homeowners and everyone else who depends upon energy. CEA now has about 400 member companies, the vast majority of whom do not produce a molecule of energy—but they need energy every single day to sustain their lives and their jobs. And in 2026 we’ll celebrate our 20th anniversary.
THE STRONG REPRESENTATION OF THE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE IS APPARENT.
Those local chambers are really the frontline representatives of the business community in small towns, all over the country. We have a lot of local chambers, and a lot of their members are individual CEA members as well. The relationship that CEA has with those local chambers and business leaders is critically important to providing a common understanding and balancing this debate in a thoughtful way. Right now, a lot of the energy debate is occurring at that local level, but many of those who oppose refinery expansion or a pipeline moving through a community that would bring local jobs and economic growth are from outside the community and funded by national groups.
LATELY,
A LOT OF THAT BALANCE SEEMS TO BE AN ALMOST EXCLUSIVE FOCUS ON ELECTRIFICATION AT THE EXPENSE OF COMBUSTION, INCLUDING LOWER-CARBON RENEWABLE SOLUTIONS. DESCRIBE THAT CHALLENGE.
The United States is proving its energy leadership with innovation. We’re leading the world in carbon reduction, but we’re also leading the world in volatile organic compound, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter reduction. Virtually every environmental measuring stick has the United States leading the world in meeting and exceeding environmental goals.
Consumers all over the country want cleaner energy. But these mandates and these draconian policies don’t provide meaningful environmental benefits and certainly increase prices for families and small businesses. The groups that oppose fossil energy, natural gas or oil also oppose carbon capture technology, which is a great strategy for industrial users that produce carbon. So, there’s clearly another agenda at play here.
The business of carbon reduction is here now. Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies have solutions for petrochemical plants, ethanol plants, refineries and other industrial plants all over the country.
YOU’RE SEEING THAT CARRYOVER INTO THE OPPOSITION OF PIPELINES THAT CARRY CARBON DIOXIDE FROM CAPTURE FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION. WHAT’S THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THAT?
There’s a group called the Bold Alliance that has attempted to demonize carbon pipelines related to ethanol production. They’re trying to scare people on eminent domain and right-of-way usage. A lot of pipelines try to use existing right of ways and be associated with current pipeline routes. They are using a lot of the same fear tactics, almost going door to door to scare citizens. And the CEA goes up against them to tell the truth and provide balance to these discussions.
We all need to recognize that the environmental movement is also a business. A lot of these groups raise a lot of money by saying “no” to projects and striking fear in voters’ hearts—and they are not accurate. They’re not dealing with facts, and they conveniently ignore the economic implications for families and small businesses.
THERE ARE A LOT OF STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS WITH THE GRID TO BE ADDRESSED WITH A PUSH FOR ELECTRIFICATION. AND THEN IF YOU ADD THE ELECTRICAL DEMANDS OF AI TO THE EQUATION, THOSE CHALLENGES SEEM TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE.
In 2016, we had 100 “intermittency days,” which is when a state or local government makes an announcement for their citizens to conserve power. In 2023, we had about 350. We can all be concerned about unaffordable or expensive energy, but we are moving ourselves into a position where we’re having more and more potential blackout days.
We need to make sure that we have enough of what’s called base-load power, which is the available power that can peak up and down depending on the need. And that really comes from natural gas, and very soon nuclear. It’s encouraging to hear so many states and
I think one of the worst things that could happen to the EV market is for states or Washington to mandate a certain required number of EV purchases to force consumers into a market.
Washington, D.C., talk about small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technology to augment natural gas. I’m not saying we do away with renewables—wind and solar will have a role—but they are not always available power.
HOW MUCH SUPPORT IS THERE FOR THAT? MODULAR REACTORS WERE A PART OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ENERGY PLAN, BUT A LOT OF THE SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE THE MOST AGGRESSIVE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL SECTOR HAVE LITTLE TO NO LOVE FOR NUCLEAR.
I think it’s strong and getting stronger and it’s good that we’re having these conversations. This isn’t your grandfather’s nuclear industry anymore. These are small modular reactors that don’t produce a lot of waste. They are all scalable so you can “stack” them to serve communities of various sizes. I think the big discussion for the next several years is which technology or technologies are going to win as the preferred choice. But we can’t get from here to there without nuclear.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE HERE TO STAY. THEY HAVE A MARKET THAT APPRECIATES TECHNOLOGY, THE TECHNOLOGY IS READY FOR PRIME TIME (AND IMPROVING),BUT THERE’S A LARGE MARKET THAT STILL APPRECIATES INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD MIX FOR THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR?
The market will pick the proper balance. I think one of the worst things that could happen to the EV market is for states or Washington, D.C., to
mandate a certain required number of EV purchases to force consumers into a market. That would strain the grid, and we still don’t have enough recharging stations around the country. On average, EVs cost up to $17,000 more than an internal combustion engine. As they age, the replacement cost for EV batteries is about half or a third of the cost of the EV when it was originally purchased.
All these things are difficult for consumers to accept unless they’re well educated, and they make an informed choice—if they’re allowed to make that choice. I think the market will respond and there will be a large segment that will pick EVs. They’re efficient and they’re fun to drive. And if you don’t have to drive 500 miles or so on a regular basis, they are a practical choice.
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR MESSAGES OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR MEMBERS?
We have a very strong communications team, and we do a lot of op-eds and interviews all over the country. We have a strong social media push and we’re getting stronger. We have members in a variety of states and we’re in constant communication. We have pipeline campaigns going on right now—plus transmission campaigns, oil and natural gas campaigns, both onshore and offshore, all over the country. We meet with governors, state legislators, city council members, mayors, county councils and large national associations of all types all over the country.
It’s really a combination of those face-to-face meetings, understanding the key stakeholders in the community, the business leaders that understand and appreciate energy implications and the impacts of bad policy or good policy. Then, mobilizing them to take a leadership role and giving them a voice as part of that leadership role.
Frankly, it’s that advocacy approach long used by groups that say “no” to progress and “no” to energy in some way. We are a group that says “yes,” and we need to find a solution. We must use ingenuity and technology, but you must make sure that energy is affordable and reliable.
THERE ARE A LOT OF ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP. COULD A LOCAL PETROLEUM MARKETER OR RETAILER BECOME A MEMBER?
We’re open to everybody. The entire U.S. economy needs to be represented in the CEA in some way to amplify our messaging. We would welcome having fuel marketers and retailers as part of the mix. It makes us stronger as an organization. The Transportation Energy Institute has been on the CEA board for several years, so we are already engaged with petroleum marketers. But for that local conversation or state conversation, the more involvement we have the better.
The United States is proving its energy leadership with innovation. We’re leading the world in carbon reduction, but we’re also leading the world in volatile organic compound reduction, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter reduction.
Keith Reid is editor-in-chief of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at kreid@fmnweb.com
INDUSTRY NEWS
LSI AN OFFICIAL LIGHTING A SPONSOR OF USA PICKLEBALL
LSI Industries, a U.S.-based manufacturer of commercial and industrial lighting and display solutions, announced the renewal of its partnership as an Official Lighting Sponsor of USA Pickleball. According to the company, LSI’s lighting systems are designed to meet the specific needs of pickleball courts, delivering optimal illumination, reduced glare and energy efficiency—whether for private clubs, recreation facilities, public parks or tournament venues.
WEX LAUNCHES WEX EV DEPOT
WEX, a global commerce platform, announced the introduction of WEX EV Depot. This new feature enables simple, secure and frictionless charging at private chargers when using the WEX Fleet Card. The newest addition to WEX’s comprehensive charging platform makes WEX the first fleet management business in North America to offer electric vehicle (EV) charging payments across depot, public and at-home charging locations.
NORTHWEST PUMP ANNOUNCES MULTIPLE ACQUISITIONS
Northwest Pump & Equipment Co. announced the acquisition of SME Solutions (SME), Service Station Systems (SSS) and Able Maintenance. SME, SSS and Able Maintenance have served the Pacific Northwest and northern California petroleum and energy infrastructure market for more than 50 years.
CARY OIL PARTNERS WITH MAKO NETWORKS
Cary Oil, a petroleum supplier distributing nearly 1 billion gallons of fuel annually to over 900 branded locations nationwide, has expanded its partnership with Mako Networks. Cary Oil said it selected Mako Networks to address critical challenges in network reliability, customer support and compatibility across multiple oil brands.
GASBOY SECURES SOURCEWELL CONTRACT
Gasboy, a Vontier company and North American provider of fueling technologies and solutions for the public and private fleet sectors, announced that it has secured a Sourcewell contract alongside Vontier portfolio partners ANGI, Teletrac Navman, Veeder-Root and Konect. This move provides over 50,000 government agencies streamlined access to Vontier’s fleet and fueling management ecosystem.
OPW Retail Fueling, which provides fluidhandling solutions, has announced the availability of the 68EZSB Reconnectable Swivel Breakaway. The 68EZSB features a compact, lightweight design that incorporates 360º swivel rotation at both the male end and middle joint with an easily reconnectable breakaway on the opposite end.
CASEY’S PARTNERS WITH FUEL RISK PLATFORM ROADFLEX
RoadFlex, a fleet payments platform, announced a new partnership with Casey’s General Stores. The collaboration brings fuel savings to RoadFlex cardholders at over 2,800 Casey’s locations. The savings are automatic and straightforward for RoadFlex card users and the platform makes it easier for fleet managers to track and manage fuel expenses.
Sparta Commodities launched Sparta for Fuel Oil. Designed specifically for traders and analysts, it introduces live blending intelligence, dynamic arbitrage tracking and AI-driven analytics. The platform integrates proprietary market data, real-time FOB and CIF differentials, freight analytics and optimization tools for fuel oil trading.
SHELL TO ACQUIRE FUEL REWARDS LOYALTY PROGRAM
Equilon Enterprises (dba Shell Oil Products U.S.) signed an agreement to acquire the Fuel Rewards loyalty program from PDI Technologies and Excentus Corporation. The company said this acquisition, subject to closing conditions, will allow Shell to further develop the nationally recognized program to deliver future enhancements and value to wholesalers and members.
SOLAREDGE LAUNCHES NEW SOLARPOWERED EV CHARGING SOLUTION
SolarEdge Technologies Inc. launched a solarpowered EV charging solution for businesses. The new solution includes a new EV charger for businesses, powered and controlled by an energy management system introduced following Wevo Energy’s acquisition last year. This solution joins the SolarEdge C&I ecosystem for commercial-scale solar and storage solutions.
MCLANE AND WAWA EXPAND PARTNERSHIP
McLane Company Inc., one of the largest distributors in America, and Wawa have expanded their partnership to support Wawa’s growth in the Midwest, Mid Atlantic and Northeast regions. McLane’s Bluegrass distribution center, located in Hebron, Kentucky, will serve new Wawa locations in Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio as the retailer continues to expand in those states.
KAG ACQUIRES MC TANK
The Kenan Advantage Group announced it has acquired M.C. Tank Transport Inc., a diversified transportation company specializing in the delivery of liquid bulk chemicals in tankers and ISO containers. The West Chester, Ohio-based company operates from eight terminal locations and three ISO container depots throughout the Southeast and Midwest, delivering and storing caustic soda, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and other specialty chemicals.
OUR ADVERTISERS
Thank you to these advertisers who have demonstrated their support of the fuels industry by investing in Fuels Market News.
NACS State of the Industry Report® Inside Back Cover www.convenience.org/Solutions/Business-Intelligence-Data-Analytics/NACS-State-of-the-Industry-Enterprise
TruAge 23 www.mytruage.org
REMEMBER THIS?
Octane’s Steady March
BY KEITH REID
In the Winter 2025 issue of Fuels Market News Magazine, we covered the critical importance of high-octane U.S. aviation fuel in World War II.
Octane has also been critically important for automobiles. National Petroleum News (NPN) articles from the 1920s and ’30s regularly covered fuel quality and octane with the rise of higher performing, higher compression engines. Octane was still an issue as the 1950s arrived, as illustrated by the article “New Cars Need Higher Octanes” in the January 20, 1954, issue. Octane ratings are basically the pressure at which a fuel will spontaneously combust instead of normally combust, so higher compression engines require higher octane ratings, or the “knock” caused by spontaneous combustion can damage the engine.
As the NPN article noted “…most 1954 model automobiles will have increased horsepower and compression ratio. This will probably mean an even greater demand for high octane gasoline during the coming year. Of 32 new 1954 models, only 10 failed to increase in horsepower. All others went up anywhere from 5 to 55 horsepower. On compression ratio, 16 went up and 16 stayed put.”
Compression ratios had moved up from a high of 7:1 in 1953 to 8:1 in 1954.
While it was too early to determine what effect the rise in horsepower and compression ratios might have on fuel performance, it was anticipated that one or more models would experience knock difficulties, similar to what happened with Buick’s 1953 models. To some extent, it wasn’t just the fuel but how the engine was tuned, and those Buicks that needed 90 to 93 octanes to run
smoothly were eventually able to achieve the same result with octane ratings between 85 and 92.
Going back to the early octane issue days, various brands had developed some form of “super” high octane offer. By the early 1950s it was common to find two grades of gasoline, a regular and a premium, with octane somewhere around 79 for regular and 85 for premium.
It’s interesting to look back at this early stage of the “hot rod” golden era (1950s to the pre-Arab oil embargo in the early 1970s). The average horsepower for 32 models in 1953 was 135.9, and in 1954 it was 148.6 for the same models. Five models were cited as pushing past the 200-horsepower mark with the Chrysler Imperial at 235, Lincoln at 205, Buick Roadmaster at 200, Cadillac at 230 and a Packard with 212.
Today, the average horsepower is in the 180 to 240 range according to Autolist, and some models are as much as 400 to 700 horsepower. Compression can average between 8:1 and 14.7:1 and octane between 89 and 94.
Today’s octane ratings are in line with those of the late 1950s, but modern compression engines perform well without knock concerns. A key advancement has been the arrival of digital sensors and computers with sophisticated ignitions to keep knock under control. In fact, these vehicles can run regular or midgrade if required, although with some loss of performance and efficiency.
Keith Reid is editorin-chief of Fuels Market News. He can be reached at kreid@fmnweb.com
For more than 100 years, from its founding in 1909 to when it went out of business in 2013, National Petroleum News (NPN) documented the rise of petroleum marketing and retailing in the United States. NACS, PEI and the Transportation Energy Institute have catalogued the rich history of NPN in its entirety. Each issue of Fuels Market News looks back at the history of our vibrant industry, through the eyes of NPN, to see how it reflects the issues, challenges and opportunities we face today.
