I noticed on my drive home that diesel prices skyrocketed overnight! One station went from $2.95 to $3.09. The next station was at $3.19 and they were also at $2.95 yesterday.
At this rate we'll be paying $7.00 in a year or two if the economy turns around a bit.
all of them are gradually working there way up into our minds and our pockets. they've got me so i'm happy to pay $2.50 now! >:(. our last fill was$2.89 at a citgo with pilot at $3.19 across the way. geesh.
The most I've ever paid for diesel for the bus was just over $4 around labor day 2008. 4 weeks later the price was down to somewhat under $4.
Last year it cost us each $300 for trip in the bus with quite a few people. This year it will probably cost $400 to $500 each the way things are going. We may have to start going every other year to save money.
We already pay $3.81 and we live 25 miles from th refinery!!!!!
Hey Billy, Welcome to the board ;D. What type of bus do you have and where do you hail from? And if you don't have a bus yet, what type is in your future? LOL Today 3.81 sounds high, tomorrow we wish we had filled the tanks when we're looking at 5.00 and more.
Will
In a way, increasing fuel prices might be a good thing. The only thing driving oil prices up today is speculation, not demand, not capacity.
The good part of that is that the speculators must believe that the economy will improve and demand will increase. Hope they are right.
Quote from: Len Silva on April 06, 2010, 02:28:01 PM
In a way, increasing fuel prices might be a good thing. The only thing driving oil prices up today is speculation, not demand, not capacity.
The good part of that is that the speculators must believe that the economy will improve and demand will increase. Hope they are right.
How much is the economy really going to improve if oil and thus fuel prices go through the roof and end up at $4 or $5 a gallon (or more) for gas and more for diesel?
We already know from experience that a lot of drivers pretty much stay home when fuel is $4 to $5 a gallon. People don't go to festivals, don't go on vacation, don't shop, and don't go to movies and restaurants when fuel prices are high.
I didn't mean that high oil prices are a good thing, only that the speculators seem to think improvement is coming. Personally, I think commodity speculation should be outlawed.
There was talk awhile back that they were going to limit oil speculation only to traders that had storage facilities but when oil lobbyists started hearing that talk seriously being considered they did two things. They "allowed" oil to adjust itself back down to what supply was really demanding but holiday weekends and summer overwhelm their self preservation tact and all "bets" are off.
Len,
These guys were proven wrong over 90% of the time over the last 4 years. Did Nigeria have another coup? No
Did the 2009 hurricane predictions even remotely meet oil speculators bets? Nope
Did Russia and China come online with the 20-25% increase in damand Nah they missed it there by a whopping 94% but that didn't stop them from running up oil prices with their so called knowledge based predictions and projections.
The three most disturbing facts of the "oil" runup are:
1. Even speculators say it has nothing to do with actual supply and demand anymore
2. The hedge funds that trade these commodities are almost completely funded by our own 401 k's and pension funds
So, that means they are using our money to bet against us with the idea that we are gonna be too stupid to know what they are doing and then they are sticking it to us again at the pump all the while giving out billions in bonuses to themselves.
Welcome to the "new" capitalism.
3. They have identified the Connecticut based group and the individual responsible for feeding our media false information to create little "scares" that result in our little hedge fund managers running to oil that they have no way to store and they give this guy awards as a great business man.
Nice work guys.
One of these days people are gonna figure out what these folks are doing and I have a feeling they're gonna be angry.
But not as long as they keep us arguing that this is or isn't capitalism.
My revenge is gonna be a life better lived, by being a better dad and husband and friend than these folks could ever dream of being.
Please don't misread my rant as anything against the blog or it's inhabitants. I kinda like being poor and in search of a 3 cent difference in diesel with y'all. It beats being like the folks on Wall Street. Hell, they patented over 10,000 of our genes while we weren't looking. There is a 75% chance that they "own" your cancer if you're unlucky enough to have it.
Where did common sense and decency go friends?
Rick
Diesel hit 3.09 here yesterday, I got my ribs untaped yesterday in time to find out i can't afford to celebrate lol. The fine folks up here are saying that if we're really lucky it may hit 4 by the end of the month, oh joy, oh happiness, oh crap.
We are new to the board. We currently own 1957 PD-4104-2476. We live in Soldotna, Alaska. I hail from Western NC, originally, but have been in Alaska 40 years. I drive for a tour company in Anchorage and plan on this year and then to completely retire next year. I worked 32 and 1/2 years controlling air traffic. May be looking for a newer coach this fall..Bill
If I was concerned about fuel prices I sure wouldn't have bought a bus!!!
Quote from: Chopper Scott on April 15, 2010, 07:47:11 PM
If I was concerned about fuel prices I sure wouldn't have bought a bus!!!
Fuel prices were a fair bit lower when I bought my bus in 2006. Nobody was predicting diesel hitting almost $5 a gallon two years later.
I can afford to travel at $3.09 a gallon. I'm more concerned about the future in another year or two when potentially $5 a gallon could seem cheap.
I think it was my fault, I bought my bus in 2002 and on the way home the increases started, I'll take the blame.
Quote from: cody on April 15, 2010, 08:05:53 PM
I think it was my fault, I bought my bus in 2002 and on the way home the increases started, I'll take the blame.
Really....how's about starting with a refund for us po folk?
Welcome aboard, Billy. Enjoy yourself!
God bless,
John
Being concerned with fuel costs and affording the fuel costs are issues that concern us all, not that many of us have the deep pockets that some others may have, 5 dollar fuel may be slightly more than an inconvineance to some but for most of us it's a major issue that we have to deal with, I was out on the road on an extended run when the price was spiking and it did cut into the budget, not enough to stop us but enough to make us wonder where it was ultimately heading. The price of fuel would have to get conciderably higher before we stop but it does mean we may cut other expenses to compensate. Being born incredibly good looking instead of rich is a curse that many of us are faced with lol.
If obama has his way with this cap and trade stuff fuel will be over $8.00 a gal if we are allopwed to buy it.
For us, to travel, or not to travel is not an option. We are on the road for work 3, sometimes 4 weeks a month. We fill the bus up on an average, 1 to 2 times a week, on average. So, this just means each time it goes up, we make less and less. Filling up 165 gallon tank is no laughing matter. :o I dont see how the economy can get better with those kind of fuel prices. As it goes up, I guess we will become the poor working class,lol, cause not working is not an option. ;D Not to get political on here, but.........We Did not vote for Obama. ::)
Quote from: belfert on April 02, 2010, 05:23:04 PM
I noticed on my drive home that diesel prices skyrocketed overnight! One station went from $2.95 to $3.09. The next station was at $3.19 and they were also at $2.95 yesterday.
At this rate we'll be paying $7.00 in a year or two if the economy turns around a bit.
"Hope and Change" = "Hope I have some change left."
Staion near us went from 2.88 to 2.98 overnight (Wednesday). At least WalMart was still 2.88, so we filled up. Haven't been to town today if there are any new changes. Jack
I was actually considering hybridizing my 1988 RTS a few years ago. I had found a newer 40' electric airport shuttle bus that had caught fire and burned in the passenger compartment. The electric Rockwell axle, batteries, charger, and motor speed controller, were all intact. The auction closed with no bids, not even the $50 starting bid. I was unable to get a price quote from a logal big rig tow operator for the tow to bring it here, and without a quote I was not willing to risk losing my account for failure to pick up the property.
With the range it had, I could have spent a week here or a week there while solar charging the traction pack in between 100 miles runs for electric-only operation. Or fired up a large diesel genset for providing power on demand for extending runtime on longer trips.
Bob
The wife and I have changed our retirement plan (retiring within the next 2yrs). We were planning on full timing in the bus with extensive travel plans, I also bought the bus when fuel prices were low. Over the past year we have re-thought those plans because of fuel prices and where they may go in the future ... it's just to big of a gamble to take, for us, not knowing where they may end up. Our plan is to travel not sit in a RV park because we can't afford the fuel. The scarry thing is if fuel is at these prices today with 75% of the world in reccesion and low demand what's it going to be when we pull out of this mess.
So we bought a beach house in Mexico (Gulf Coast) and plan to live there during the winter months (6months) and fly back to Canada and travel in the bus during the summer (6months). If fuel prices get to high for a year or WHY ... we'll just stay in Mexico year round until fuel becomes affordable again.
Look at the positive side. When fuel was $460 a gallon a couple years ago it was real easy to budget fuel for a trip $5.00 gallon 5 MPG = $1.00 a mile When the trip was over there was money left so we went out for dinner (McDonald's) LOL We still had a great trip I love my bus. Still don't like Micky Ds
Rick 74-mc-8