KNOXVILLE, TN — Pilot Travel Centers LLC invested $49 million to upgrade the showers at all of its North American stations. Truck drivers will be able to enjoy the new showers by December 2013.

“We have by far the largest network of showers in North America, and we want to make certain it¹s the best,” said Mark Hazelwood, executive vice president of sales for Pilot Flying J.

Part of the shower upgrades is the new porcelain tile and mold-resistant grout, which will be installed to improve maintenance and cleanliness of showers.

Other shower upgrades include:

· more hooks to hang and store personal items
· new shower gel
· better ventilation
· iPod listening stations so drivers can play their own music
· benches for seating or to place personal belongings
· softer, thicker, larger towels
· new cloth bathmats
· new shower heads

Showers will remain open at each location so that drivers can use the facilities, despite remodeling.

Over the next 18 months, Pilot Flying J expects to have rebuilt 75 percent of all their showers.

“We want professional drivers to feel more at home when they visit our locations,” said Jimmy Haslam, CEO of Pilot Flying J. “We know that drivers just want a clean place to rest, relax, and refresh before they have to get back out on the road.”