fuel lately

[Airbag]

I love this, I remember $1.60 a gallon. Then they run it up to $5.00 for an extended period so when they drop it to $4.50 we are all supposed to jump for joy.

I have a friend that worked the refineries all his life and cannot understand why diesel is so much more than gasoline. It never used to be. He says it is cheaper to make. People tell me it is because of all the diesel powered cars and supply and demand. I think much of it is we buy so much of it for our military. All I know is that it hurts. Can't take the kids camping.

[oldmansax]

I fueled up my ambulance last night for $4.299 in Cambridge, Md., down from $4.898 last week.

I remember swearing over $030.9 per gallon in Santee, SC., many years ago.called the guy at the fuel desk a thief.

I guess I need to find him & apologize...  

TOM

[Blacksheep]

Still coming down almost daily!

Last night, same station....$4.33

Ace

[jackhartjr]

Ace, I even saw some last night in GA in the $4.30's range.
Saw gas for $3.49 here in Hickory last night too!
Jack

[HighTechRedneck]

Diesel as low as $4.25 in Chattanooga, TN last night.

[white-eagle]

i think this has been said b4, but the high diesel price is not due to manufacturing costs or supply and demand.  
it's easier for the greedy oil barrons to gouge the diesel market because most trucks are able to pass it on to the price of goods and there are less diesel voters.  there is an uproar when some parent can't afford to drive her kid to school or herself to work.  but no one can figure out just who's gouging whom when bread, milk or clothing goes up, actually due to the high diesel cost of transporting those goods.
the news shows pay more attention to the price of gas and voters pay more attention to the politician that plays the excess oil profits game.  truckers don't get the press nor are they the majority of voters.
so raise the price of diesel to compensate for the slightly lower price of gas even when gas costs more to make.

ohio flying j diesel $4.22

[TomC]

Diesel fuel once was a rather crude product that was just between kerosene and lubricating oil.  Then first they reduced the sulfur from 5000 parts per million (ppm) to 500ppm, then now to 15ppm.  Think of it as the Diesel fuels equivalent of taking the lead out of gasoline.  The reduction to 15ppm allows all Diesel engine manufacturers to be able to run exhaust particulate traps with catalytic converters.  These new devices are so effective, I had a customer bring in his new truck with 6,000 miles on it and you could still see the chrome on the inside of the exhaust stack-hadn't turned black yet!
If you've been around Diesels for alot of years, you can remember how stinky it used to be just to fill up your tank.  Now Diesel fuel has barely any smell.  And last weekend, I changed my fuel filters and was amazed at the fact that Diesel fuel is just about clear now-almost looks like water.  So no-Diesel is not a crude product anymore.  The higher level of refining along with higher demand for the product (and it will continue to increase with more Diesel vehicles in the future) makes for a more expensive fuel then in the past.

I am jumping up and down that the fuel is coming down right before I leave on a 12 day 1000 mile trip.  I'm going to Mammoth (strangely the exact same weekend as I did last year) for a few days.  I am staying in my metal cabin and parking in front of a friends wood cabin along with 3 other couples (at least one member of each couple I've known since high school-now that's some old friends!).Then onto Carson City, NV, South Lake Tahoe, down to Sacramento to see the train museum in Old Town, then to the bay area where I'll park in the driveway of probably my oldest friend (known since junior high) in Pleasant Hill, then on back home.  Getting 5-6 mpg, at $5/gal- I was planning on $1,000 for fuel for the trip. Now with it down just $.50, it'll save me $100.00 or more.  Looking forward to getting out of Dodge.  Got to go-wife and I are going to the bus to do laundry and last minute clean up before departure on Wed night (to get through the desert heat).  Good Luck, TomC

[ktmossman]

The typical pattern for fuel stations is to immediately increase the price at the pump when the price at the depot goes up, regardless of what they paid for what they already have in their tanks.  When the price at the depot goes down, they wait to drop the price at the pump until they receive a load of the lower priced fuel.  That way they maximize their profits on both ends. They will also "slow drop" their prices if they can get away with it. If the price drops 5 cents in one jump, they will space that out and drop a cent or two per day or every other day to extend their profit window.  Of course, their profit on fuel is usually only pennies per gallon at best.  They make their money on in-store goods.  The highest profit margin is fountain drinks and coffee.  I used to get a kick out of QuikTrip doing the "super-summer-special" of a 46 oz. drink for 79 cents and people would think it was a wonderful bargain.  Total cost, including the cup, lid, and straw was under 10 cents...nothing like an 700+% profit margin!

[letz4wheel]

And I can recommend the fuel stop for the tater wedges but not the fried chicken    I have never bought the diesel there sorry to say.

Been here? Well either way I recommend the fish dinner on Friday it's AWSOME!   BK 

PS ya their chicken sucks!

I get there fairly often. I bought my 1st atv at Abernathys and use the backroads as a sneak-by to the house in Evansville.

[Busted Knuckle]

I get there fairly often. I bought my 1st atv at Abernathys and use the backroads as a sneak-by to the house in Evansville.

Small world, huh? My sister lives in Evansville! Give a shout sometime when coming thru, if we're here we'll buy the coffee or drink of your choice! We are easily accessable off US 51 between Union City & Fulton !    BK 

[Kirby-XL40-FL]

Do we win a prize for the first spotting of less than $4.00?  At two stations (one is a Citgo) near Independence, VA on Hwy 58/221, the posted diesel prices are $3.99 and $3.98.  Admittedly, Independence is a bit off the beaten path.  The Chevron in Hillsville, VA (I-77, Exit 14) has a cash price of $4.23 today.

Kirby & Linda

[belfert]

The sad thing is prices for diesel were under $3 at the end of September 2007 even in Reno, NV where prices start to climb near CA prices.  At the beginning of March 2008 diesel was running $3.39 near my house in Minneapolis.  That was around the time prices really started to climb.  I was sick for 10 days and prices were running $3.69 by the time I was well enough to leave the house.

What makes today's prices even worse is just five years ago in Sept 2003 I paid $1.21 a gallon for diesel in Cheyenne, WY.  That was my first diesel powered vehicle.  I didn't pay much attention to diesel prices before then.

[Blacksheep]

4.29 today and still dropping!

[belfert]

I paid $4.18 a gallon yesterday for about 20 gallons of fuel.  I was expecting to spend closer to $200, but I way overestimated how much fuel I had used since the bus was last fuel in late September.

The silly thing is that there are three stations in two miles:  One is at $4.18, another at $4.67, and another at $4.54.  Which one do you think gets all the business right now?

[ktmossman]

We have one near us that makes me curious every time I drive by.  It is an older independent station, with little to no store for non-fuel purchases.  But the gas is always 15 cents HIGHER than everyone else around (including Chevron).  I never see vehicles fueling there (understandably) and I can't figure out how the guy stays in business at all.  It almost makes me wonder if it is a front for some other kind of activity....