Fuel Shortage

[richard5933]

...Meanwhile.Loves & TA's prices are in the 3.80s - BS! 

Dan - don't look at the retail prices on their signs. You've got to get a discount card and look at the negotiated prices on the app. With the TSD card I can usually save about $0.50/gal at TA off their sign price.

[dtcerrato]

Dan - don't look at the retail prices on their signs. You've got to get a discount card and look at the negotiated prices on the app. With the TSD card I can usually save about $0.50/gal at TA off their sign price.

Rich that part I understand. What's BS IMO is when the price is inflated then a middle man discount card has to get in the equation to come to a reasonable price like QT in this case sells it for w/o a discount. WTF! rant over.

[buswarrior]

Dan, you've got it backwards.

Why are they bothering to put these prices on the pump at all?

Nobody is paying that price, except the uninformed... and the guys who lost or max'd out their company fuel card

The fleet I was working for recently, had a set price for the fuel. no matter which of that brand's stations we attended, same price. The taxes take care of themselves with IFTA for the commercial peeps. That flavour of fuel station, we were usually around 15 cents per litre under the pump price. US gallon is 3.78 litres, the exchange rate today is $1.25, so about US .45 cents per gallon. Fleet runs about 35 trucks long haul full time.

Nobody but the civilians are paying any attention to the numbers on the pump, they are meaningless.

Whoever consumes more fuel, gets a better rate. Hitching a ride on volume discounts makes for some savings. Those discounts aren't being handed out for nothing.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[richard5933]

Rich that part I understand. What's BS IMO is when the price is inflated then a middle man discount card has to get in the equation to come to a reasonable price like QT in this case sells it for w/o a discount. WTF! rant over.

I'm sure that it has everything to do with the convoluted way companies report profit/loss in the US.

I'm also sure that if QT was setup to service large fleets they'd be doing something similar.

Fuel pricing in the US is an odd duck. One of the industries that operates largely on prices negotiated behind closed doors while they continue to advertise a retail price which is much much higher.

Actually, nearly everything in the trucking world seems to have odd pricing structures. Have you ever tried to understand how freight pricing is calculated? When I ran my wood shop it was a series of endless frustrations trying to understand how freight companies were charging me for LTL shipments. It wasn't until I got put in touch with a company rep and got an account set up that I realized how severely they overcharge mere mortals for freight. Get an account and suddenly you pay 80% less on many shipments.

[luvrbus]

I'm also sure that if QT was setup to service large fleets they'd be doing something similar.

Quick Trip is setup to serve large fleets at their truck stops and do play the same silly game as TA,Pilot and Loves.To me it makes no sense when you can buy diesel at the front pumps cheaper than you can at the truck pumps at Quick Trip with the cards.The fuel is lower priced on the truck prices than the others most of the time and they take most of the fuel program cards if not all.Circle K plays the same game at their truck stops too

[buswarrior]

Variation due to the local tax structures also is in the mix.

Tax on heavy or commercial added at the back pumps, not on the front pumps.

Federal, state, county, town, all can put taxes in some jurisdictions, and lay them against whichever, whatever they have decided gets to pay.

There are jurisdictions in which fleets forbid their drivers to buy fuel, because of the tax structure.

There used to be a few printed trucker guides that had all the tax info in them, they let you figure out where to plan to get the cheapest fuel cost, IFTA balances the taxes, or for us RV types, we could choose the lowest overall combined price, as we don't have any way to get out from under the taxes.

For instance, back then, Toronto to Arcadia, wait to fuel until Buffalo NY, cheaper US fuel, run to Wytheville Va, cheapest fuel tax jurisdiction on the trip, fill it again in Brunswick GA, the FL taxes added 25 cents a gallon in those days, put as little fuel as possible in FL, get clear, do the same in reverse to get home. Accumulate free showers at Flying J, when the onboard shower facilities are lacking.

Anyone know if there's a fuel tax table like those anywhere? We can dream of wandering around again...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

There is nothing you can do about the price of fuel except shop to save a few bucks you buy it or stay home .It get confusing in OR when you see a posted price then they add $.25 a Gal because you are RV and here in Az they discount $.08 a gal for RV's.I don't shop were they add 5 or 6 cents a gal for credit cards the $.35 one time charge I can live with 

[Tedsoldbus]

When I went to Indiana even the truck stops were 4 a gallon and I needed some! Rat bastards. It was a Saturday. Coming home on Tuesday everybody had dropped prices. Paid 3.45 a gallon in Indiana at a corner store. Took on 100 gallons and ran all the way home. In N Ga right now it is 3.30 and no shortage.

[chessie4905]

I read an article this summer that some, many stations can electronically change (raise)prices quickly to take advantage of weekend and holiday travel.

[richard5933]

I read an article this summer that some, many stations can electronically change (raise)prices quickly to take advantage of weekend and holiday travel.

Wisconsin stations are limited by law to only one price change a day. They almost all use electronic price boards and machines though, and they can change things very quickly when they want to.

[luvrbus]

Fuel prices vary with the bio content it comes in B5,B10.B15 and B20  and B25 is on the way.I pay more for pure diesel because my engine likes it better and it improves the fuel mileage,it doesn't cost me that much more since I don't add the fuel additive I do with the bio fuel that Cummins recommends using bio fuel 

[chessie4905]

I ended up passing up a couple stations with best price because of only selling bio diesel. Might work in the Duramax ok, but wasn't  wanting to risk it on trip. I did notice that No Mobil stations sold it.

[belfert]

A number of states, Minnesota included, require the blending of biodiesel into the diesel sold at the pumps.  I have run at least a few thousand gallons of biodiesel blend through my Series 60 and not yet aware of any issues from doing so.

[luvrbus]

A number of states, Minnesota included, require the blending of biodiesel into the diesel sold at the pumps.  I have run at least a few thousand gallons of biodiesel blend through my Series 60 and not yet aware of any issues from doing so.

You can buy both at most places in the West pure diesel is 5 to 6 cents a gal more that the Bio mix, your 11.1 series  60 calls for no more 5% bio fwiw

[freds]

Tax wise you definitely want to fill up in Arizona before crossing into California as it jumps thirty cents a gallon.