Powered by safety, innovation, and empowered drivers, Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s private fleet is fueling the future.
The coast-to-coast tanker operation moves gasoline, diesel, crude, and renewable fuels for the integrated downstream energy company with the nation’s largest refining system.
Marathon Petroleum's private fleet has more than 500 tractors and trailers. The company, which includes a separate field maintenance and storage operation, ranks No. 211 on the 2025 FleetOwner: Private list of the U.S.’s largest private transportation operations. The operation was the largest of three private fleets honored with FleetOwner 500 Private Fleet of the Year awards during the National Private Truck Council conference in Orlando this May. The awards are sponsored by Descartes.
Driving toward success
The fleet’s leaders credited its more than 1,100 company drivers and supporting maintenance team for fueling its success. “Them wanting to come to work is a big reliability piece,” Joe Ernst, transportation scheduling manager, said. “We have one of the nicest fleets out there—not only in appearance, but it’s well maintained, safe to drive.”
Those drivers move refinery feedstocks, finished refinery products, and renewable fuels via tanker trucks. The bulk fleet’s products include gasoline, diesel, ethanol, crude, jet fuel, butane, sulfur, asphalt, and waste bin hauling.
Boasting an 85.5% driver retention rate in 2024, Marathon outpaced the private fleet average of 20.2% turnover, according to the NPTC Benchmarking Report. According to Jocko Langlois, East transport operations director, drivers receive top-tier pay and substantial benefits packages.
The fleet also has a rigorous hiring, onboarding, and certification process that helps it ensure its drivers fit the operations. Once they join the team, Marathon offers robust corporate and fleet-specific recognition programs for safe driving.
While Marathon has some long-haul drivers who support product or workforce disruptions, most private fleet drivers operate in day cabs, running 12-hour, slip-seated shifts on regional routes that get them home after work.
Creating a winning culture
Langlois credits company leadership and supervisor training for the high driver satisfaction. “When we bring new field leaders into the fleet world, we run them through a training process to ensure it’s a fit for both of us,” he said. “We help them learn all the different pieces and parts of the job before they have the full leadership responsibilities.”
During that extensive training, incoming field leaders learn Marathon’s various supply processes and procedures while also being exposed to the company’s culture: “How we want them interacting with the drivers,” Langlois explained. “We want them to recognize the employees for the good things they do, and coach them when they need to improve.
“I think if you have a good set of leaders out there, that really helps the drivers want to come to work,” he added.
A lot of that leadership begins with safety, according to Jaki Frantz, Pacific transport operations area manager. “Safety is paramount in our culture,” she told FleetOwner. “If you’re a driver and your leadership takes your safety seriously—and any feedback you have about the sites you’re delivering at or mechanical issues—we ensure that we address those with priority. We talk about safety on a daily basis, and we stand behind it as well. That’s been one of my favorite things about working at Marathon—it’s not just talk. We actually embody the safety culture.”
Ayars said that all Marathon employees share a safety mission. “No matter who it is—whether it’s a dispatcher in the scheduling center or a driver who’s on the front line—we all support one another regarding safety. We are very committed to ensuring people go home the way they came to work.”
