In the U.S., diesel demand hasn’t been hit as bad, as truck deliveries have continued. But Pilot Co., America’s biggest truck-stop company, is facing a 25% to 30% slowdown as the impact of coronavirus moves through the supply chain, keeping economic activity muted and workers at home, Chief Executive Officer Jimmy Haslam said in an interview.
“With big box retailers starting to slow and automakers shutting, we expect more slowdown in coming weeks,” he said.
Alex Baloga, president of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, said his state’s figures were roughly in line with drops in the larger states, but there were glimmers of hope.
Members with fuel pumps at stores have reported increased traffic in the last few days to numbers not seen since late February. Stores are still looking for creative ways to make money.
“There are not a lot of good options out there,” he said. “One of the things we are looking at is the return of video poker machines to the stores, with responsible social distancing, and allowing liquor sales at the stores. We want to start having that discussion.”
--With assistance from Jack Wittels, Fred Pals, Javier Blas and Brian Wingfield.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.