It’s a good time to be in trucking. Those are words heard all over the industry during the boom times of the past few years. But who benefits more from all those trucks carting across the country than the companies that keep the tractors fueled and the truckers fed?
Tom Love and his wife Judy ranked No. 209 on Forbes new list of the world’s billionaires, which makes them the richest couple in trucking.
With holdings estimated at over $7 billion, the founders of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores lead the trucking industry in personal wealth. The Loves rank No. 73 on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans.
After starting with one gas station in Oklahoma back in 1964, the Love empire has grown to more than 430 locations in 41 states, bringing in over $16 billion a year in sales. Mr. Love is the company chairman and Mrs. Love is the executive secretary. The couple’s children also work for the company. Forbes notes that the Loves gave $5 million to the University of Oklahoma’s business college in 2018.
We profiled the Loves last summer in Fleet Owner. Read that story here.