Diesel, where to fuel?

[Bradford]

Only problem is Indiana where the truck lanes require a DOT number. Commercial vehicles in Indiana are tax exempt.

[augerdogger]

I buy fuel at truck stops because of the difference in time to fuel. My current rig carries 235 gals, so the time difference to fuel is about 2 and 1/2. We don't travel much, 15-20,000 miles per year, and I try to fuel every day, ~100 gals. I have had diesels since 1982 and ALWAYS carry spare fuel filters that were only needed twice. Dirty diesel seems to be a thing of the past but I do have a clogging problem with the 2 micron filter on the diesel burner used for heat and hot water.

[hiddenone]

I've got to agree with those above, use stations get that get alot of traffic so the gas is fresh but the nozzles are sometimes bigger and won't fit in a truck or some RV's...and don't forget the fuel cards.
Does anyone know how to get the tax on diesel removed from the bill like truckers do in some states?

[Culpkr]

Why does flying j charge .5 cents more for diesel when using my credit card and not .5 cents more when filling up my toad with regular gas.

[cruizerEd]

I am in a 36 class a towing with a total length of 42ft and no possibility to reverse.
I use gasbuddy and google maps satellite and street view to scout out the stations.
I have been saving about 20 cents a gallon this way. Some of these stations even have truck lanes. I have been in chevron, shells, and independents with truck lanes.

[Turbo38sfi]

40ft Class A, normally flat towing my Tahoe behind me and occasionally towing a 35 foot V-Nose trailer. ALWAYS fill up at truck stops. Easy to pull in and pull out. When towing the truck, I can't back up so that's the top priority. Get in and get out quickly with plenty of room.

Never had an issue at a truck stop and I can fill up from either side. Facilities of the place don't matter to me as I rarely ever go in because I have everything I need in the RV. If I do, it's for something that went wrong on the road and I need a bulb or some other truck related part I can find at a Flyin J.

[MikeandClaudia]

We carry 100 gallons of fuel. I make it a hard and fast point to fill up before we get to where we are going to stop. We volunteer a LOT and may stay 1-2 months, so I want to make sure that we park with a full fuel tank. This is to 1. To stop condensation and, 2. To have a full tank in case we have an emergency. (Tornado, hurricane, medical emergency, etc)

The evening BEFORE we get to our destination, I peruse Gas Buddy.
I will look for the cheapest price on Diesel, make sure that the station is close to the major hwy. that I will be traveling on, and then I will look at the map of the station to make sure that it is where I [think] it is. I may even google the address of the station and see if they have a picture of the station to determine if I can get in and out.

As I drive to the station, I may do a "drive-by to locate the diesel pumps, and I may wait until I can get in alright. Hey! I am a patient person and I don't feel "entitled" as many do these days.

When I get near the location we are headed I will again (or my DW will) use Gas Buddy to check out a near station with diesel that we figure we can get in to, and we will top off the tank to try and insure against condensation.

Slow and steady is my motto. It drives my DW CRAZY; but I get her there!

[stevewitt1]

I've been an oil-burner for years with diesel Class C's, pickups, vans, TDI's, boats and now my 38' pusher. Truck stops may turn fuel over faster but in the last couple years they don't seem to represent any bargain for sure. I use Gasbuddy along with Google Maps as was already said. Last Jan-Feb I drove NE Wisconsin to Yuma and back. The least I saved was around 15-20¢/ gal and the most was 70¢/gal in Joplin, Missouri. I check out the station on a map and have only once drove by to a second choice due to maneuvering issue. On my last trip the savings totaled close to $75. Call me cheap but I guess I am, LOL

[FireFlyer]

Been pulling various RV's for nearly 20 years. Just finished a 3 month trip this summer that covered 10,922 miles with our 2013 Ram Dually and a 41' Raptor toyhauler. We're 57' overall length when hooked up. There isn't a magic answer....it all depends on you, your patience, your comfort with your rig, where you are traveling. In other words, it's up to you. My experience and preferences?

- There are a LOT of gas stations out there that sell diesel. The vast majority of them are not designed for a rig my size to get in and out of easily. Between the layout of the pumps, entrances, where the convenience store is, and other crazy drivers in the parking lot, most are a giant pain. Are there some that are easy and trouble free? Absolutely yes. The problem is that I don't know/can't tell until I get there (unless I'm traveling to a familiar place/route). Yes, I can check the satellite view from Google, but that requires a current cell connection (may not be available in some areas) and it may not be up do date.

- When traveling on the interstate, we almost always use major truck stops and fuel at the truck lanes (or RV lanes if they have them). I don't have to worry about it. I know I will fit and it will be a relatively simple process. As others have said, it might be dirty, noisy, and a bit itimidating the first few times, but it is really no problem. The biggest hassle is that very few allow you to use your credit cards at the pump. For the major chains like Flying J, Pilot, TA, etc, you will have to pull up, go inside, give them the pump number and how much fuel you want, go out and fuel, pull up to the line so you clear the pump for the next driver, go back inside and get your receipt. If you have the Good Sam/Flying J card you can start the pump outside....some of the independents will also let you start the pump with a card. I've never minded walking inside....it gives me an opportunity to stretch my legs.

- The truck pumps have the large size nozzle. If your truck is a late-model diesel, it will fit without a problem. Some older diesels had smaller, car-sized intake pipes, but all the late-model trucks can accept the big nozzle. What you can't do is click on the auto-fill and stand back. Way too much volume coming out way to fast. In my truck, I have to stand there and hold the nozzle manually. Even the slowest setting was typically too fast.

- 100% of the truckers I met and talked to at the fuel island were friendly and didn't have a problem with us being there. Just don't hold up progress. They're trying to earn a living and don't want a slow poke slowing things down. Fuel and pull up, get your receipt and move on. If you do that, they're good people working hard to make a living.

- I can't add anything to the whole argument about old fuel in neighborhood stations. I've been driving diesel pickups for 20 years and bought a lot of diesel at a lot of places and I've never had a problem with old/bad fuel. I also know folks that have gotten bad fuel at big truck stops. I think it's like everything else in life....it's a box of chocolates.

- You WILL pay more at the truck stops (or any gas station) that is near the interstate. Location, location, location. That's the way of the world. Some of the truck stop chains have loyalty programs that will knock off a few cents a gallon. Flying J is one that is popular for RVers.

- I always try to drive 'on the top half of the tank'. I start thinking about/looking for fuel when the gauge is getting near 1/2. This leaves me lots of margin for taking my time to find a good spot. This summer that worked for the entire 10,000 mile trip except for one time when we were off the interstate, I started looking for fuel at half a tank, drove past 20-30 stations where I wouldn't have been able to get in or out, and was getting seriously worried. I eventually just stopped in a Walmart parking lot....unhooked....went and got fuel...and came back and hooked up again. As the trip wore on, I would look at Google maps the night before, compare it to the trucking apps that are available, and plan a mid-day fuel stop. Again, only had that one time that I had a problem. When I got into the RV park at night, after getting set up, I would go and fill up somewhere closeby so I could start the next day with a full tank. Like someone else said, I am looking at options for an auxiliary tank so I can go a full day without having to fuel.

- DEF fluid. If you have a late model diesel, you're going to have to deal with DEF fluid. In my case, I used 2.5 gallons of DEF (1 plastic jug) for every 1,000 miles when towing. Your experience may vary, depending on what truck you have, how it's computer is set up, and how you drive.

Hope that helps? Unlike others who will post, I don't claim to know it all and I'm certainly not an expert. All I can do is share my actual experiences. It's a good thing you're thinking about fueling in advance. I've seen some pretty ugly situations where folks pulling a trailer didn't think about it until it was too late and they were jammed in a bad place. Take your time....think ahead....it won't be a problem

Have fun!

[38Chevy454]

Originally Posted by Gordon Dewald

If you tank does not have the large filler spout you may not be able to fuel in the truck lanes.

X2, this is an important point. The big truck lanes have the large diam nozzles so they can fuel faster. Sometimes the 1-ton and less pickups don't have the capability to use the large nozzle size. Check your truck before getting into the truck lanes.

I always use the truck lanes, but then my MH is a truck conversion. It allows me to fuel both sides fuel tanks at same time.

[hhansen59]

I got my smiles this morning reading this topic. We spend $100K+ on rigs and then worry about a few cents difference in fuel....doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I have had a diesel of one kind or another for 40 years from a 40' to my present F350 and TT. I only pull into stations that I can visually inspect before entering as I can maneuver ok but I don't like getting excited about trying to exit..old age I guess. The only time I pulled into a truck stop and the attendant that waved me off because it was the area where they don't have the added tax for commercial users was in Oregon so I just pulled on through and went on to the next one. As to worrying about what the truckers think of you and your RV, who cares! You pay with the same kind of money as they do.

[CHS32]

Ditto on Gas Buddy. I drive a 39' diesel pusher towing a Wrangler. Just made an 12,000 mile trip to Alaska and back. We routinely use Gas Buddy to look ahead and plan our fuel stops. Truck stops such as Pilot and Loves are routinely 25 to 35 cents more than some of the smaller gas stations. We used about 1500 gallons, so 25 cents a gallon adds up pretty fast. There really aren't mom and pop stations around much anymore. Anything close to the interstate is going to be busy. I've got 50,000 miles on this thing and never had a bad fuel problem. I do check my fuel filters regularly and change them every 9,000 miles.

[Lisa Aiken]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

Until a few years ago, the answer was simple: Flyin' J. But Flyin' J screwed up and got bought out by Pilot, so now they're just another truck stop with high prices.

Pilot/Flying J are okay as truck stops go, but they won't be the price leader the way the old Flyin' J was. The good thing about most Flying J truck stops now is they still have the RV lanes out front near the car pumps. Those RV lanes have both diesel and gas pumps, and even long/tall fifth-wheel trailers can get in and out with no problem.

In either the truck lanes or the RV lanes, common courtesy is expected. After you finish filling up, then pull forward enough that the diesel tanks of the 18-wheeler or RV behind you can reach the pump. If there's not room to pull forward that much, then go park out in the toolies while you finish your business with the truckstop.

I towed a 5er for over 11 years and over 100,000 miles all over the USA, and never had a truck driver fuss at me. At only one ancient truckstop in New Jersey was the filler tube on the pump too big for my SuperDuty diesel input filler tube.

ALWAYS buy your diesel from a very busy diesel station. Never buy diesel from a Mom&Pop convenience store where you're the only diesel customer. As others have mentioned, stale diesel that's been in the tank too long can result in a plugged up fuel filter and a dead truck.

We had fueled at a mom and pop for the 1st time and could have killed my husband. All he needed was about 10 dollars more of gas to get to his destination and that was it. Bad gas or water in gas and about $2000 later in repair to our truck. I am a firm believer. All it takes is once. The price of gas will average out. But will only use stations or truck stops with high turnover

[mspoe]

I have a 2016 Four Winds Super C built on a Ford F-500 chassis. The diesel has plenty of power and torque and I am very happy with the performance. But I have a huge complaint about the DEF fill on this motor coach. I too use the semi lanes at truck stops to refuel, and have tried unsuccessfully twice now to use the DEF pump on those islands. The pump starts but immediately stops. Someone told me that the only way to refill the 6 gallon DEF tank on this motor coach is to use the Blue DEF bottles. I tried this and they are exceptionally messy and spill DEF while using them.

Does anyone out there know the secret to using the fuel island DEF pumps?

Thanks!!

Marshall Poe