where to get diesel

[whp4262]

the reason for the questions are because I have heard that truck stops are not necessarily friendly to rv's. not sure that there are any places that can fuel anything but a commercial rig. don't need to create any problems.

I have fueled up at a lot of different truck stops over the last 30 years with RVs and pulling trailers. I don't recall any of them that were unfriendly to RVs. Occasionally you might run into a trucker who seems a little annoyed that you are fueling at the truck stop but I just ignore them and go on with my business. You will make them mad though if you don't pay attention to how the flow works. Many truck stops require that you pay before you pump. So if you are waiting in line go give the clerk a couple $100.00 dollar bills or a credit card, point out your rig and tell him or her what pump you will be using. As danemayer said when you are done fueling pull your rig forward enough to let the next guy get to the pump. Go settle the bill and get going, if you are going to do more then just pay the fuel bill like using the rest room or shopping then go park your rig out of the way first. Leaving your rig blocking the fuel lane while you mess around in the store will make people mad guaranteed.


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[JohnD]

I have a gas engine and a 36 gallon tank . . . average distance in the mountains around 400 miles per tank while towing.

I do have two 5 gallon gas cans that I can carry if I feel the need . . .

We did run out of gas once out in middle of Nowhere, Nebraska with our old truck on our way back from South Dakota:



Nice place to have lunch while waiting for roadside assistance to bring gas . . .

As for gas stations, I always go to truck stops or the gas stations at exits on the outskirts of big cities while towing on the highway as they almost always have easier access to the station and pumps than the ones at highway exits in the city.

I know it is tempting to save a few pennies . . . but the hassle just isn't worth it!

 

[MCTalley]

We typically use the truck lanes (unless there are clutter-free and easy in and out RV lanes available) while traveling. Pilot, Flying J, Petro and Loves all allow you to give them a pre-pay amount that they ring up on your credit card but ultimately only charge your card the amount you actually put in. What this means is that you don't need to leave a credit card with the cashier and you don't have to make a second trip inside to "cash out".

Typically, I pull up to a pump, note the pump number, estimate how much fuel I'll need (in dollars) and round up to the next $25 increment. Go in to the fuel desk, tell the cashier that I'll need $xx in diesel (or diesel and DEF if filling the DEF tank), hand them my discount card (Pilot/Flying J), swipe my card, sign and head back out to fuel up. When done, I just pull away and off we go. If I told them $100 and actually only put $73.50 in, my credit card will ultimately be charged only $73.50. The exception to this rule seems to be T/A Truck Stops. For some reason, they still like you to come back in and sign a receipt issued from a dot matrix printer.

Several tips:
1. If you decide to fill your DEF tank at the islands, buy (or borrow) a magnetic collar for the DEF nozzle. I bought mine for around $40 from a Loves. It slides on the DEF nozzle at the truck stop before you insert it into the DEF filler and keeps the handle from continually kicking off. Large trucks have a magnet in the DEF filler neck to help prevent truckers from putting DEF in the diesel tank.
2. When pre-paying for your fuel, tell the cashier right up front that you are a "Private RV". If they ask you questions like "Truck Number?", repeat that you are a "Private RV".
3. If you do decide to go back in and get a final receipt, pull forward from the pump when you are done and before you head back into the store.
4. If you are going to go inside to the Wendy's, McDonalds, Subway, etc. to get lunch, find a parking spot with the trucks, don't spend ten minutes getting a sandwich while pulled forward at the pumps.

 

[Gaffer]

I use gas buddy for price then look at pictures of the station on Google maps using satellite and street view to check accessibility, approach angles etc.

 

[JohnD]

Yup . . . Gas Buddy is awesome!

Another app I have that not only does gas stations, but also restaurants, coffee shops, banks, hotels, shopping centers . . . all kinds of stuff!

It's called 'Around Me' . . .

Never leave home without it!

 

[wdk450]

I have asked this same question, and have come up with some answers that work for me.

First of all, if at all possible fuel up WITHOUT the trailer in tow. When I made my 6 day journey from Northern California to Elkhart, I found I could drive about 8 hours, about 440 miles at 55 mph per day. I would check into my RV park for the night, then fuel up, if at all possible. IF you MUST fuel up with the trailer in tow do all you can to check out and plan your entrance/exit BEFORE stopping at the fueling station. One time in Washington on US101, with very low fuel tanks, I found a "tight" station on a busy corner with needed diesel. I pulled into the Safeway lot BEHIND the busy station, parked, and walked over to the gas station to plan my approach/fueling/departure BEFORE getting back in the rig and pulling into the station. Also KNOW your clearance highth. One time in Battle Mountain, Nevada I pulled into a station and the first pump I came to and began fueling. Locals came up to me and warned me not to pull through the overhead shelter as the trailer air conditioner would not clear it. I backed out of that fueling stop. I have heard more than a few stories here of owners having collisions with fixed objects or getting stuck in small fueling lanes in tight gas stations. If you can find the far outside lane open, that would probably be your best bet with the trailer in tow.

If you have a stand alone GPS there are files you can add from the POI Factory (POI=Points Of Interest). I found a file with over 41,000 diesel stations listed on it here: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/37364 You must register (Free) with POI Factory before you can download the GPS files.

 

[danemayer]

There's a Walmart with Murphy diesel pump in Dumas, TX. There's plenty of overhead clearance at the diesel pump which is on the east end. The station is on a pretty good slope and the clearance on the west end is much lower.

Moral of the story: just because you have clearance at one end of the station, don't assume equal clearance at the other end.

 

[SilverRhino]

As others have stated, we try to fuel up without the trailer whenever possible. We have always used the "truck lanes" and have never had an issue. When we pull up to the pump or the line at the pumps, my wife will go in to the counter and give them the pump number and let them know she will be there to pay. This has worked well for us.

Using today's technology it is easy to plan ahead for fuel stops so that you do not end up trying to make your rig fit in a questionable station. When in doubt, have your co-pilot exit the vehicle and guide you in and out.

 

[Bohemian]

I recently stopped at a TA truck stop. No diesel and no room at the car pumps. I drove over to the 20 unused professing pumps. They would not take my credit card and allow pumping.

Now, I have looked at their website, there are user cards for professional drivers, but nothing for us RVers.

It looks like they don't want our business. Anyone with any other information or experience?

TA is lso he Petrol brand

 

[danemayer]

I recently stopped at a TA truck stop. No diesel and no room at the car pumps. I drove over to the 20 unused professing pumps. They would not take my credit card and allow pumping.

I've gone through the truck lanes at TA truck stops (and many others). Almost no truck stops take credit cards at the pump, but I've never had a human being inside any truck stop refuse my credit card.

 

[SilverRhino]

I've gone through the truck lanes at TA truck stops (and many others). Almost no truck stops take credit cards at the pump, but I've never had a human being inside any truck stop refuse my credit card.

I have never had an issue either.

 

[MCTalley]

I recently stopped at a TA truck stop. No diesel and no room at the car pumps. I drove over to the 20 unused professing pumps. They would not take my credit card and allow pumping.

As others noted, the card swipe and keypad on truck fuel islands at truck stops are for truck company cards and not Visa/MC, etc.

This did remind me of a truck stop we pulled into one time to the regular islands based on the sign indicating "Cars/RVs". I pulled the whole rig in based on the fact that there would be room to enter and exit. Wouldn't you know they didn't have diesel at any of those pumps? I had to exit out, drive around the corner and use the truck lanes.

 

[pegmikef]

You won't have any problems going through the truck lanes at truck stops. When you finish fueling, pull forward so the guy behind you can pull up to the pump.

Flying J/Pilot truck stops often have separate RV lanes up front. Sometimes I use them, but mostly I go through the truck lanes. And if your truck uses DEF, the bulk DEF at truck stops is way less expensive than buy jugs at Walmart.

Dan didn't mention it, but I have the Pilot/Flying J RV Plus card which gives me a 7 cents discount off the cash price, plus it works in the truck pumps so you don't need to take your credit card inside, and if you use the RV pumps or can fit in the diesel pump lane in the auto pumps section, there is no hundred dollar limit (I hold 80 plus gallons).

 

[Bohemian]

I've gone through the truck lanes at TA truck stops (and many others). Almost no truck stops take credit cards at the pump, but I've never had a human being inside any truck stop refuse my credit card.

Yes, I went inside, but the line was very long so I left. To me the is not an encouragement to do business. I went down the street to Speedway.

 

[TravelTiger]

In our experience, the RVers tend to take more time fueling/going inside/walking dogs, etc while fueling at the dedicated RV lanes. The pumps in the truck lanes pump much faster, and truckers tend to get out of the lane much quicker.


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[trading-time]

Pilot / Flying J, Love's, T/A, Petrol, Speedway --- all have Great Coffee also. Truck Stops pump large volumes of Diesel, so you get good fuel. As mentioned, Pilot / Flying J has a RV Plus card you can apply for and use a Control No. at Pump to start pumping. I would not buy Diesel from a low volume Station.

 

[jnbhobe]

I never use Pilot or Flying J their prices are 15 to 20 cents more in my area.

 

[brianlajoie]

We use "Next Exit" to plan fuel / lunch stops on the interstates - great tool. I use gas buddy if I cannot see the price advertised or if we're unhooked and in the city. One piece of advice I learned is when using high volume diesel pumps - listen to the fuel going in. As it starts to fill up, take it off auto fill. If you wait until the pump automatically shuts off, you will get a splash back of diesel all over the side of your truck. Another tidbit is if I cannot see the diesel pump as I pull in, one of us will get out before we get too close and locate the pump (We don't sit on the road, but in the driveway of the gas station). We have found several times where the diesel pump was in the center island and not on the end. I got caught once at a Pilot in Wyoming in the center island and had to wait for several cars to leave so I could pull out.

 

[rpotter]

I use the rver's friend book. It lists big rig accessible gas stations by state, highway, exit number. I love it. Wife checks out the exits ahead when we start getting near a quarter tank to be safe. http://www.truckstops.com/morerv1.html


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[pegmikef]

I never use Pilot or Flying J their prices are 15 to 20 cents more in my area.

I don't really use it that much, but on long hauls like San Angelo, TX to Lady Lakes, FL the extra cost is worth it for the convenience and when I considered the discount for RV Plus off the cash price it is usually competitive with anything on or very near the Interstate. I have no intention of getting off the interstate to chase around looking for another source to save a few cents per gallon.