Community Forums

ctcamper · 12-29-2011, 06:21 AM

When going out west I figured I'd give Flying J another chance. I sampled a bunch and got disgusted with them all over again. If I really needed gas en route I would look for a Loves. Loves has more room to maneuver than 99 percent of the Flying J's for a gas rig.
If I had a diesel then this would be a different story. Lots of room to pull through for a diesel at any of the truck stops no matter what brand name is on them.
The gas pumps in Flying J are either perpendicular to the convenience store or at an angle. Makes it hard to swing if you have to get close to the pumps. One even had HUGE black trash containers after the concrete/metal posts shortening and already too short distance by another 4 feet past the post. I had inches clearance between the trash on one side and the curb in front of the station as I pulled out. This was after waiting 10 minutes for the cars to clear at that place so I could pull out.
Flying J ... I ended up at several that had gas stations that didn't honor the discount. The discount I supposedly got on some was the price posted on the pump. Some were run by a different outfit. Example was I believe a ranger gas station in the Flying J. The girl there gave me a card for their gas to get a discount ,probably saw my expression when she said they don't honor the flying j card and felt sorry for me lol . Some told me the discount was already reflected on the price that was on the pump. The car lanes had the same price as the RV lane. I even went back to a flying J with the car to test this. Same price without the card as with.
Over all I had more headaches dealing with flying J than any other gas station I have ever gone to.
I ended up doing what I have done before for all these years after going through the same headache....e I get gas when I pull off an exit for a campground. The non-truck stop stations alot of times are much easier to pull in and out of, especially if the pumps are parallel to the road.

Dunner · 12-29-2011, 06:27 AM

No problem with the Flying J at 67th Ave and I-10 in Phx and Danny's car wash scales are right across the street.

chasfm11 · 12-29-2011, 08:07 AM

Our experience does not mirror yours. We used to use a lot of Love's stations but rarely found one where we could get into the non-truck area. Since we use diesel and can use the truck lanes, that's where we go. I'd never consider the regular car/gas lanes at Loves. Been there. Done that. Won't try again.

I never found Pilot to be RV friendly in any way so I'm not surprised to hear that Flying J as taken the same route since Pilot acquired them. It isn't service but price that has driven us away from Flying J. Most of the Flying Js that we used to use seem to be 10-15 cents per gallon higher than other stations for diesel.

Given the economy, I'm not surprised that it is taking Pilot a long time to get their combined stations up and running with their new discount cards. I applied for one and received it months ago. Very limited RV travel and the lack of attractive pricing have not allowed me to use it yet. If pricing continues in the same manner, I may never use it.

mhs4771 · 12-29-2011, 05:32 PM

Granted there are restrictions on the Pilot/Flying J RV card, some stations you only get the discount at either the RV Lanes or the Truck Lanes not on the usual Car pumps. I will agree that they tend to be a little higher, but we're pulling a larger 5er and getting into some of those cheaper places is next to impossible. Since we use Diesel we go thru the Truck lanes and make use of the Pump Start feature, pump our fuel, pull forward, then go in and pay with Credit Card, but get the cash price plus the 3 cents per gal discount. So all in all it works for us and brings their price closer to the stations we couldn't get into anyway. Quick side note, I recently contacted Loves to see if they ever thought about some kind of RV Discount card. Their answer: "We have no plans for such a program".

Dunner · 12-29-2011, 05:57 PM

I pulled into a Love's and all the pumps were full. There was not even a place for me to wait for a pump. I ended up at a Circle K that had plenty of room.

tomwalt · 12-29-2011, 06:09 PM

The only problem I find with Love's is that they are always crowded here on the East coast. I use both Flying J and Love's, but watch the going rate for fuel. I have seen Flying J/Pilot 30 cents a gal higher than the Love's just 2 exits away. Example I just passed was in Virginia I95 Exit 33 Pilot vs. Exit 4 Love's. I saved over $20 by going to Love's.

ctcamper · 12-29-2011, 08:10 PM

The girl at Loves told me they planned to start up a discount card about a month ago. I should send an email off to the corporate HQ and see what they say. It might be something new in the works or the girl might have been wrong.

I wish all the stops would put a gas pump at the diesel truck area although, I'm sure, that wouldn't go over big with the OTR truckers lol .

Texas TC · 12-29-2011, 08:28 PM

We like Loves also. Pilot and now Flying J seem to always want me to estimate the dollar amount of fuel I will be pumping at the truck pumps and I have never had that happen at Loves or TA for that matter. I generally use the truck pumps because the hose nozzles for diesel is much larger and pumps more volume quickly. I can be in and out much faster in the truck aisles.

I did like the RV parking area that many of the Flying J's had but, recently, I have run into several that did not have those parking areas. We try to use Flying J only when we need to add propane along with pumping diesel. They almost always have propane in the RV lane.

TxTC

Dunner · 12-29-2011, 08:29 PM

She just wanted you to keep coming back so she could justify her job.

tylerdmoore · 12-29-2011, 08:53 PM

I ran my own trucking company for many years and found that the best prices will always be found at the Mom & Pop outfits. I directed my guys to try and buy from them whenever possible. The large chain Truck stops make their money in the store...not at the pump. Trucking companies receive steep discounts at the pump for huge quantities purchased per month (I got 17 cents off per gallon as long as we pumped 15,ooo per month). The sales are all computerized and the cash is transferred daily to the TS main company (Comdata in my day). Our small 100 gallon purchases are really more of a hassle for them to deal with...they make more from selling a truck driver a hot lunch than they do off our 100 gallon purchase.

I personally will never buy from the large chains again. The Mom & Pop's are getting harder to find, but they are there and they want your business...not so with the large chains.

Just my 2 Cents

cb5300 · 12-30-2011, 11:05 AM

Guys,
The FJ problem is so easy to correct...Just drive on by and go some place else. That's exactly what I've done and I haven't missed FJ at all.

Chuck 1935 · 12-30-2011, 05:56 PM

I use MSN gas prices to see who will get my business. I love no chain and no chain loves me. It's all about money and whoever has the lowest price gets my business, period !
I also have found that the stations that have food inside tend to have the longest waits. Most dummies will leave their car or truck at the pump while getting food or using the john. This is true at Loves and Flying J.
Below is the site for MSN Gas prices to help get rid of your gas pains.

Gas Prices - MSN Autos

sdennislee · 12-31-2011, 02:45 AM

I still like the convenience of FJ, propane and dump if needed. Over all I just don't worry about shopping fuel prices. Now if there were 2 stations at the same exit and one was $0.10 cheaper I would pick them obviously. But normally I only see a nickel or so difference at a given exit. At that point I go for the station with the easiest in and out.

I average around 12,000 miles per year at 8 mpg. At $0.03 per gallon thats an annual cost or savings of $45.00, less than a dollar per week. If the difference is $0.20 per gallon the annual cost or savings will be $300.00 less than a buck a day. If you spend more time in the CG and less on the road the difference is even less. At say 4000 miles per year the difference in $0.10 per gallon totals $50.00 a year.

Not that I think it's ok to throw $$$$ away, I just don't find it worth the effort of searching for a nickel a gallon difference. I have yet to see a difference above $0.05 to $0.07 on the same stretch of interstate. Now coast to coast, state to state, in town vs. outside of town or big to small town different story on the variation in fuel cost.

I stick with FJ if I need other RV services, if not I like the smaller mom and pop places, they seem to usually beat the big guys.

The thing I like best about FJ is pump start so I don't have to keep rerunning my credit card every $75.00 to $100.00. Thats worth a couple cents on the gallon to me.

Works for me anyway.

Dunner · 12-31-2011, 04:04 AM

Took the words right out of my mouth, sdennislee. Sure the corner stations have high awnings, but the in/out is cramped. I pull a 20' enclosed and it is much easier to pass my exit on the way home and go two miles further to the Flying J. Besides that, I can go across the street to the Danny's Family Car Wash and weigh my rig with full fluids, if I so desire.

I haven't tried their propane service with my MH, but when I needed some smaller bottles filled, I had to buzz them 2-3 time to get someone out to the pump. Maybe they were just busy.

And another thing, at AZ Flying Js, the diesel price at the car pumps is 8 cents cheap due to non-commercial prices. I guess you could go inside, if you use the truck pumps, and get the discount, but at the car pumps, with my diesel Dodge and 5er, if I could get to a pump right away, I could be in/out in five minutes, . I hate having to go inside, unless I need some Lemon Hostess pies.