Diesel Truck Lanes

[Fairfieldwiz]

We love our TSD fuel card. But you do have to go through the truck lanes to fuel. The ones I've seen all have the larger, high flow rate pump thingys.

[RM-OH]

I find it interesting how different owners choose to fuel their DP.

I have fueled our DP in the truck lanes at truck stops 100% of the time. I’ve never fueled anywhere else. Fast, easy and convenient. And I use the TSD card.

[Ivylog]

Originally Posted by RV Driver

I find it interesting how different owners choose to fuel their DP.
I have fueled our DP in the truck lanes at truck stops 100% of the time. I’ve never fueled anywhere else. Fast, easy and convenient. And I use the TSD card.

So with 113K mikes at 7.3 mpg (from a previous post) you’ve used 15,479 gallons and for easy math let’s say the last 479 gallons you used the TSD card... you got hosed on 15,000 gallons. I haven’t used truck stops and haven’t found the TSD card to be a savings as it’s easy to beat their prices plus I use a credit card... another 10-15 cents savings.
I would say my savings (until the TSD card) has been a minimum of 40 cents/gallon using GasBuddy, SO you could have saved 15,000 X .4= $6,000+. In my book that’s expensive convenience.

[bigchick]

i'm very surprised that you can't use the high flow nozzles. we can use them on our pickup. you just have to inert them straight and keep the flow at a lower level.

i have seen big rig diesel lanes that have the regular nozzles on a couple of the lanes. look to see if the lane is labelled with the type of nozzle on the pump and use the low flow lane if it is available.

my understanding is the tsd card can only be used at the truck lanes.

also, while the tsd card can offer some nice savings, it is not always the best price. it always pays to shop around. i also use gasbuddy.

[RM-OH]

Originally Posted by Ivylog

So with 113K mikes at 7.3 mpg (from a previous post) you’ve used 15,479 gallons and for easy math let’s say the last 479 gallons you used the TSD card... you got hosed on 15,000 gallons. I haven’t used truck stops and haven’t found the TSD card to be a savings as it’s easy to beat their prices plus I use a credit card... another 10-15 cents savings.
I would say my savings (until the TSD card) has been a minimum of 40 cents/gallon using GasBuddy, SO you could have saved 15,000 X .4= $6,000+. In my book that’s expensive convenience.

Ah yes, I see we have another numbers guy.

According to your bottom line, I've been "hosed" (your word, not mine) to the tune of about $6,000 over the ten years we have owned this motor home.

My bottom line is this: I...DON'T...CARE. The comfort and convenience of fueling at a facility designed for vehicles the size of a motor home far outweighs the $600 per year I may have paid for that convenience.

If I was as concerned about the numbers as you seem to be, we would be traveling the country in a 1966 Volkswagen and sleeping at the side of the road in a tent.

[twojayhawks]

Question, does this "TSD" card allow you to pay at the pump without going in like the FJ/Pilot card?

[igave]

Yes it does. And like flying j if you want a paper receipt you have to go in for it-otherwise fuel and go. At Loves you can start the pump with your cell phone and don’t need to physically insert it.
It all boils down to each person. Don’t use it if you don’t want to or use it if you do. I choose to use it and like the convenience.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by igave

Yes it does. And like flying j if you want a paper receipt you have to go in for it-otherwise fuel and go. At Loves you can start the pump with your cell phone and don’t need to physically insert it.
It all boils down to each person. Don’t use it if you don’t want to or use it if you do. I choose to use it and like the convenience.

[Nwcid]

I just got my TSD card so my experience with it is limited.

No, it does not work on the regular card readers, even the ones in the truck lanes. You have to use the "commercial" card reader with the TSD. If for some reason there were a "commercial" card reader that covered all of the pumps (I am thinking small local stations) it may work.

Fuel pricing. I fulled the other day and my best price was not at an "in network" station. My normal "go to" station was $2.70. Best on TSD was $2.76. Another place that is 10 miles (each way) out of the way that the small savings on ~30gals is not worth it had a price of $2.42 at the commercial lanes. Overall I have not found TSD to be the "best" price and the "savings" are all relative. Sure save $XX over the listed pump price but the station across the street might still be much cheaper.

Truck lanes. I typically fill up where ever makes sense, grocery store, stand alone, or tuck stop. There are many variables to decide. The 2 things I typically do not like about using truck lanes is that a normal card makes you go inside to pay. I want to fuel and get out of the way. Second, they are usually higher priced. I do like truck stops/commercial lanes for high speed nozzles.

Now that I have an HDT I will likely use my TSD card for most fill ups. I have a total of 275 gallons which gives me lots of range at ~9mpg. This means I have lots of time to find the best price on fuel. It will also take a lot of time and turning around to fill at a traditional station.

The TSD card allowed me to activate at the pumps, I can use the dual high speed nozzles, the reader allows me to enter milage which will automatically print a receipt and log for my truck. Sine this was out of network this cost me a $1.65 flat fee, but I did put in 147 gallons (just over half a tank) so the fee was well worth it in time and frustration. Had I gone to the "in network" station it would have cost me an extra $50.

[Dutch Star Don]

Originally Posted by Ivylog

So with 113K mikes at 7.3 mpg (from a previous post) you’ve used 15,479 gallons and for easy math let’s say the last 479 gallons you used the TSD card... you got hosed on 15,000 gallons. I haven’t used truck stops and haven’t found the TSD card to be a savings as it’s easy to beat their prices plus I use a credit card... another 10-15 cents savings.
I would say my savings (until the TSD card) has been a minimum of 40 cents/gallon using GasBuddy, SO you could have saved 15,000 X .4= $6,000+. In my book that’s expensive convenience.

This post makes no sense, talking about previous purchases, and is out of touch with fuel prices!!!

Over the past 17 years that I've driven a DP, the fuel prices have ranged from $3.50 a gallon, in California, in 2005 to over $5.00 a gallon a few years later, during the fuel crunch. We soon all strived to find the best price on fuel from year to year. Back in 2005, I used gas company credit cards. I eventually moved on to one charge card, like Capital One for the savings. In the past 8-9 years, we moved to the PenFed card with a 5% discount on ALL fuel purchases at the pump. (We use the PenFed exclusively for our cars).

Last year, I acquired the TSD fuel card. In my area of So. Cal, there are no truck stops where I get a good discount using the card. When we arrive home from a trip, I disconnect the toad and fuel the motor home at a local Chevron, before putting it in the backyard.

But......on trips we've used Gas Buddy in combination with our PenFed card to find Indian Casinos and other non truck stop stations to get a better price on diesel fuel, usually beating the base price of the truck stops by .10 - .15 cents a gallon, before applying the PenFed 5%. HOWEVER, when there is a TA or Petro in the area, the TSD card has saved me anywhere from .30 cents to .70 cents a gallon.

So......the TSD fuel card is a better deal, when used at a station that gives discounts like TA and Petro.

[DieselDisco]

This is impossible. My 2018 terrain, 2006 vw passat and my duramax have all been filled with diesel at truck stops in the semi lanes. The large nozzle will fit in every diesel I've ever owned.

[TiffinUser]

My last fill up, about a month ago, at a Petro the price at the pump was $2.96 and I paid $2.66 with my TSD card. I'd rather use a truck lane than worry if the overhead of an auto station is high enough to pass under (a lot of them aren't marked) and then I have to figure out if I can maneuver out of a station I've never been to before. Not a problem at a truck stop.

[Dunrollin]

Originally Posted by DieselDisco

This is impossible. My 2018 terrain, 2006 vw passat and my duramax have all been filled with diesel at truck stops in the semi lanes. The large nozzle will fit in every diesel I've ever owned.

Believe it or not but my 2018 F150 Powerstroke would not accept a "big truck" nozzle until I removed the factory quick fill thing. On a few trips where we needed the truck I would fill at the truck area but she had to go to the auto diesel pump.

[Nwcid]

Originally Posted by DieselDisco

This is impossible. My 2018 terrain, 2006 vw passat and my duramax have all been filled with diesel at truck stops in the semi lanes. The large nozzle will fit in every diesel I've ever owned.

What is impossible?

My 2016 Duramax does not fit a large nozzle well. While I can can get it into the fill port it only goes in a few inches and when it is full spits fuel back out. So I rarely use the large nozzles on the OEM tank.

I do use them with my 50gal AUX tank.