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Lotus · 07-27-2008, 01:49 PM

Well I just finished a long trip in our new Tradewinds 40F...what a great time. Anyway, we stopped at a variety of truck stops to top the 150 gal tank off. I quickly found out that RVs seem to be dirt on the road compared to trucks. Without a DOT number, truck number/association, you have to pay higher than the published billboard prices, sometimes as much as $.40 more/gal. Even the surcharge for credit card was .08 vs .04 for trucks. I figure I paid about $40 more a fill-up.

Any hints or tips to get costs down?

Lotus · 07-27-2008, 01:49 PM

Well I just finished a long trip in our new Tradewinds 40F...what a great time. Anyway, we stopped at a variety of truck stops to top the 150 gal tank off. I quickly found out that RVs seem to be dirt on the road compared to trucks. Without a DOT number, truck number/association, you have to pay higher than the published billboard prices, sometimes as much as $.40 more/gal. Even the surcharge for credit card was .08 vs .04 for trucks. I figure I paid about $40 more a fill-up.

Any hints or tips to get costs down?

Mike Canter · 07-27-2008, 02:16 PM

With a Flying J card you now get the cash price whe using a credit card plus if you purchase items or eat inside you get one cent discount for the next month. Not much but the best there is. Never had to pay higher than the cash billboard price and never paid a credit card surcharge during my 2300 mile trip I just completed.

LindaH · 07-27-2008, 03:26 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Lotus:
Without a DOT number, truck number/association, you have to pay higher than the published billboard prices, sometimes as much as $.40 more/gal. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
You don't say WHICH states you were traveling in, but what you are describing isn't true for ALL states.

In Arizona, for example, consumers pay $.08 LESS per gallon for diesel than the commercial rigs do. In Oregon, however, it's the opposite; i.e., consumers pay more for diesel than commercial rigs with a PUC.

We do the majority of our traveling in the West: Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington. Arizona and Oregon are the only ones among these states where consumers and commercial rigs pay a different price for diesel...at least I've never noticed it anywhere else.

There *IS* a difference in many places, however, between the CASH price and the price you pay when using a credit card. As Mike said, if you fuel up at a Flying J and use their RV Real Value Card, you'll get the cash price even if you pay with a credit card.

Moder2 · 07-28-2008, 02:32 AM

Lotus,

There are two reasons pricing is different.

First off is the Cash vs. Credit pricing, which some resellers do pass on, and it is something to beware of. Normally it is 4-8 cents, and as others have said, if you ask for a Flying J RV program card (you get one as a FMCA member Benefit, and you can also go to any FJ and get one on your own for free), you will always pay the cash price, and a discount program related to what you spend in the store will increase your discount per gallon below the cash price for the next month. Other resellers have similar programs, but Flying J seems to really target the RV Market. I know Loves used to do something similar, but I am not sure they still do or not.

The other difference depends on what state your in. That is FUEL TAX. Each state varies as to what they charge at the pump for Retail and for IFTA (International Fuel Tax Agreement) permit holders. The majority charge the same tax at the pump for both customers and commercial customers file quarterly to adjust their tax. The tax for IFTA holders is based on miles ran in each state, and they file with that information, and the amount of tax paid at the pump on each gallon purchased in each state. There is a ton of information on the web about what the fuel tax in each state is and how it is collected on the web. As a retail customer you will always pay the full retail tax at the pump, unless you qualify for IFTA, and pay for the permit, and file quarterly, track all your fuel related numbers... Again in most states you will end up paying more as a commercial customer, some states don't charge that tax at the pump for various reasons, but the biggest being that they know the truck isn't going to use all that fuel in that state and they are trying to appear to be competitive with pricing. Indiana is a good one for that, if you do not have a DOT number or IFTA tag, don't even pull on a truck island, in most cases they won't let you fuel since the pumps are set not to charge the fuel tax.

SO, it does makes sense to somewhat plan your stops for fuel around what the cost and tax is. Flying J's website does offer a service where it gives you fuel and tax cost in each state, at each location.

Hope that makes some sense

John

read & learn · 07-28-2008, 02:37 AM

Welcome Lotus
We find that with the price of fuel you must do your homework as prices vary greatly from one fuel stop to another.
Saw sign from hwy Diesel 4.84, but the pumps had it posted as 4.94. We just pulled right on thru and fueled up a couple of miles down the road. This was an exception as we try to look up the price of fuel on the web before we leave in the morning.
What we do, is see what the big boys are charging and use that as what we should pay for fuel in the area where we are traveling. Been finding Hess as one of the cheapest in the North East.

Lotus · 07-28-2008, 03:49 AM

Really appreciate the responses.

Regarding the credit card surcharge, I *do* expect to pay that from time to time. But what I'm saying is at one particular Pilot truck stop in WV, we were charged .08/gal whereas all trucks were charged .04 CC surcharge. I'm talking *any* truck, and not just preferred truck lines. Of course I would expect any establishment to give discounts to good customers. But like I say, this increase was due solely to the fact I was not driving a semi...I asked. We're not talking a lot of money here, it's just a principle thing I guess.

We have a Flying J card, as well as Love's too. Unfortunately, they are not as commonplace as TA, Citgo, and Pilot here in the east.

Anyway, thanks again for the replies. This coach is our 5th diesel pusher in 15 years, and hope to be able to contribute to the forum.

Best,
--dave

LindaH · 07-28-2008, 07:19 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Moder2:
I know Loves used to do something similar, but I am not sure they still do or not. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Loves used to give a discount on fuel if you had a Good Sam Club membership card. It was a PITA to use, though, since you couldn't pay at the pump but had to go inside to pay. However, Loves dropped the program and now Good Sam Club has a similar program with another fuel distributor (I don't remember who right off the top of my head, I just know that in the places we travel, there are very few of those stations).
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by read & learn:
Saw sign from hwy Diesel 4.84, but the pumps had it posted as 4.94. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
At the truck stops like Flying J, Loves, Pilots, etc., the price advertised out on the big boards is the price the commercial trucks pay for diesel...the consumer price may be different, depending on the state (like AZ and OR in my previous post).

RRT2 · 07-29-2008, 09:45 AM

FJ in Indiana didn't give us cash price when we used our RV card! Was told we had to have a DOT number.

Rose

Gary RVRoamer · 07-29-2008, 03:59 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Indiana is a good one for that, if you do not have a DOT number or IFTA tag, don't even pull on a truck island, in most cases they won't let you fuel since the pumps are set not to charge the fuel tax. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I fueled at a Flying J in Indiana last April and used the truck pumps. No problem, but I had to pay the state fuel taxes in addition to the cash price. Truckers don't pay them at the pump - they are billed monthly (or perhaps quarterly - I've forgotten) rather than at the pump. The Truck DOT number is how the billing is tracked, which is why it is required to get the no-tax price. And without a DOT number you cannot pay at the truck pump like you can at the RV diesel pumps, but that's no big deal.

However, I do avoid buying fuel in Indiana if I can - the price + tax amounts to more than most of the surrounding states, so it makes sense to fuel up before or after Indiana.

Lotus · 07-30-2008, 05:10 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Moder2:
The other difference depends on what state your in. That is FUEL TAX.
John </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I checked with a friend that owns a trucking/storage company and you're spot on John, thanks. Site stations just list as a 'surcharge' and really don't explain that's actually TAX being collected instead of billed with DOT registrants. Now I know.

Just to satisfy my curiosity, I called that Site station about the *additional* surcharge I paid on the CC. They said the clerk was in error to charge me the .04 above the normal .04 surcharge. They offered a refund, but I told them not to worry. Like I say, it was more principle based than loss of a few bucks.

RUFINIT · 07-30-2008, 07:38 PM

Flying J has indicated that they will not give the cash discount when using a credit card at the truck pumps beginning Sept 1, 2009.

Gadget Man · 07-31-2008, 07:29 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RUFINIT:
Flying J has indicated that they will not give the cash discount when using a credit card at the truck pumps beginning Sept 1, 2009. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is correct. I've read in other threads that in order to get the cash price on CC fuel purchased from the truck lanes, you must now have a Flying J CC. You can still however get the cash price on CC transactions at the RV pump island.

Craig

Mike Canter · 08-11-2008, 02:12 PM

I just received a letter from Flying J and they have said that "The Penny is Back" on Rewards Member and RV Value Flying J cards. Effective 01 September you will automatically receive a $.01 per gallon discount on fuel and can build the discount based on how much fuel you buy a month. You can still get a discount (which is more) if you buy that great food they sell. I guess they must have lost a lot of business when they dropped that discount.