Fuel Choices

[mtlakejim]

Well no one liking bio diesel is music to this oilfield workers ears!!


DRILL BABY DRILL!!

[Last2Die]

Never had a problem with flying j or pilot or even loves, the turn over on diesel is high. We use the gas buddy app to find the gas prices where we are traveling and go from there. I also get a discount on pilot and J's, since I purchased the coach from CW

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

When hooked I prefer P/FJ. Easy in/out and safer. Think about $30K to $500K for an RV and $25K to $70K for a toad or TV. Now chasing pennies on fuel? Maybe just camp in the driveway.

Exactly what I was thinking!

[waynemoore]

Who was it that said “watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves”?

On a cross country 9000 to 10000 mile trip, truck stops bio diesel’s reduced mileage and much higher cost for the fuel adds up.

I own a business and at 76 I still have a descent steady income coming in. But I am not into wasting money.

Just saying is all.

[footz1941]

One place in Arizona at the bottom of the exit ramp Shell was 3.73 gal Two blocks away was 3.17 gal at QT truck stop. QT also has a good variety of snacks and drinks. In Texas Buckees usually has the lowest cost fuel and EZ in and out

[Texan]

Originally Posted by waynemoore

Who was it that said “watch your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves”?

On a cross country 9000 to 10000 mile trip, truck stops bio diesel’s reduced mileage and much higher cost for the fuel adds up.

I own a business and at 76 I still have a descent steady income coming in. But I am not into wasting money.

Just saying is all.

I have a decent retirement but if I can save 30 or 40 cents per gallon on fuel then I will. I usually buy 60 to 70 gallons or more at a time so I am looking at saving 20.00 or more per fill-up. I don't see a reason to waste money just because I can.

[Oldharley]

If you use enough fuel you can negotiate with Pilot on your fuel price. We get extremely good pricing but when you buy a million gallons a year you get good pricing. I've seen over a $1 a gallon difference in what they advertise and what I pay through negotiated pricing. But now that I can carry 190 Gallons I don't fuel up much.

[Bierp]

I'm a big fan of Flying J when hauling. 40 feet of 5th wheel and 22 feet of truck (nominal overlap) just makes the big rig lanes so much nicer. The high speed pumps and DEF at the pump are big wins.

I also prefer the long handled window washing squeegee.

For Flying J, there's a phone app that lets you prepay so you just enter a code at the pump rather than having to go in to prepay.

Loves has most of that too, but I don't think you can prepay in their app.

[daveinaz]

I hate all biofuels. Ethanol is terrible for engines. Bio-diesel and low sulfer diesel bad too. Less energy per gallon. Worse performance. And lowered mpg.

Unfortunately, it's really hard to find pure fuel anymore.

[laverdur]

My first criteria is to avoid biodiesel if at all possible. Many of the truck stops have gone to bio. Some will argue that bio is cheaper than pure diesel so you are saving money. That logic works until one realizes that 20% bio means that you will use 20% more fuel to do the job than you would if it were pure diesel. That equates to 20% fewer miles per gallon. So to be cost effective, bio needs to be at least 20% cheaper than pure diesel. I have not seen that to be the case. I have a 57-gallon replacement tank so I never have to fill up on a travel day. That means that I can most often fill up when driving solo. That solves a lot of problems with space.

[Maury]

As the original question involved prices more than a few cents difference, it does make a difference for some of us. When we first "hit the road" we always went to Flying J because the prices were less than its competitors. Then we began to notice this was not the case and so, as the price differential increased, we began to go to other diesel stations. Even with a smaller fuel tank the savings was worth it (to us). At 50+ cents and being full timers, the savings added up. All the positives re: Flying J are true - the rise in price same to be calculated on the "people will pay more if they get used to us and we make it comfortable for them." I felt we were "played" a bit -

[Bfisher003]

We have the Pilot/Flying J RVPlus card and since we are still Good Sam Elite members we get $.09 a gallon off the cash price of diesel. We prefer Flying J because most of them have RV fuel lanes, so easy in and out. Late last year we went from a travel trailer towed with a F150 Ecoboost and since Ford recommends using premium gasoline when towing we did, so most of the time the price of diesel for our F350 is less than we were paying for premium gasoline. Plus better mpg when towing our Montana. Win-Win.

[goxley11]

We have found that Flying J is a little more RV friendly than Pilot. The J usually has dedicated RV pumps where Pilot does not always have those.

That said, we don't need to stop with the rig since adding the auxiliary fuel tank. We now carry 80 gallons of diesel and fill up after unhitching at the end of the travel day. We stop at rest stops only and make sandwiches out of the fridge in the camper.

[Photomonjax]

If you have money to throw away by all means go to P/FJ. They are the most expensive in most parts of the country and Canada. When pulling off the interstate I look for where I can get in and price. A 15 to 30 cent difference adds up to a lot on long trips .Besides that, why make the guys in Knoxville richer.

[woodman]

Most people want convenience, so truck stops offer fuel, food and rest rooms all at one exit and that’s one of the major reasons they’re so popular. Since we usually hit the road for 6-8 hrs minimum, we may use a rest stop along interstate routes and fuel up near the RV park we stay at overnight. We usually unhitch every night so I choose where to purchase fuel, but also can stop at a grocery store for fresh produce. I carry a large capacity diesel tank so have more choices to make as to when and where I choose to purchase diesel fuel. Our winter home is quite a drive, so if I were to purchase diesel at truck stops, I’d easily pay an extra $30-40 more for fuel on our journey, and no it’s not just pennies, it’s often 20+ cents per gallon more. Added, the food at these places, is usually high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, all of which are known for causing metabolic syndrome, hypertension, heart disease and obesity; I mean just look at most of the truckers. Then add the inactivity of driving, well I think you get the picture. Everything is about the decisions you make and their order of priority in your life.

[Bierp]

Originally Posted by woodman

Everything is about the decisions you make and their order of priority in your life.

Yeah, I already mentioned the long-handled squeegees.

[richfaa]

We choose FJ for the convenience. Having over 135K in Truck and RV we are not going to be real concerned about a few cents more for diesel. We do not see the huge price differences that many here do and with the RV plus card we pay less than at other stations. We have been eating that unhealthy food at FJ for years and are still kicking.

Different stroke for different folks what you do is right and what we do is right.

[bear]

Costco is often as I can save more than I do it usually then pilot next would be Safeway when I get enough points dollar off.

[Byron B]

We carry 70+ gallons of fuel so rarely stop during the day for fuel. Unless absolutely necessary, we avoid truck stops. 30-50 cents per gallon higher and lousy food to boot. We stop at a rest stop and make our lunches and carry snacks and drink some in the truck. End of the day we normally unhook and go into town. Use the Murphy and the Gas Buddy app and find a station in our vicinity. AND we carry our own long handled squeegee!

[Bierp]

Originally Posted by Byron B

AND we carry our own long handled squeegee!

Genius!