Is it possible to add an auxiliary fuel tank behind cab？

You are still going to owe the fuel tax for CA on your miles driven there

currently $0.68 per gall
Vs North Dakota at $0.23

so it won’t save near as much as you think

 

Other options, fill up in some other place just before you get to California, and as need after you leave it.
Or if you have to buy some fuel in California for some reason, only buy just enough to get you back somewhere cheaper. You likely wouldn't need to buy much there, if any.

 

Good point.

 

@Rontonio @Oxbow it must be a nightmare doing the books trucking down there.
Here, our trucks each have fuel cards to 3 popular fuel companies. Our drivers choose when, and where to buy fuel, and they don't have to worry about keeping track of mileage or where. Most places have similar fuel prices in our area, they only sky rocket if we get down towards the Vancouver area, then it is much more expensive. They are also somewhat more expensive really far north, in very remote areas.
But we don't have to keep track of paying anything extra, all costs are built into the fuel pump price, we have no toll roads, we just drive.
It seems like you have a much more complicated system, and a book keeping horror show.

 

There's a section of the FMCSA rules that tells you all about fuel tanks and auxiliary fuel tanks.

To mount a tank that is not a regular truck side mounted tank, it has to be a DOT approved tank.

They list different rules and regulations about the construction of it and drop test and markings and all of that.

If you Google DOT fuel tank you will see there are certain companies that make them that conform to the DOT rules.

 

We still have to track in running between provinces in Canada. IFTA is the same everywhere. The biggest thing people try is to Avoid buying fuel in Quebec at all cost here.

 

There’s a reason most Ontario fleets tell you to buy as much of your fuel in Ontario. Because Ontario has the highest IFTA rate in Canada, next to Quebec I believe. You overpay your fuel tax by doing so, then once you do your quarterly reporting, you get a refund. It’s how a lot of big fleets subsidize their FSC program.

 

Never understood this logic. It's much like people getting excited about an income tax refund. If you're getting money back, it just means you've given the government an interest-free loan.

 

As has been mentioned, anytime you cross state/provincial lines you are subject to pay for the miles traveled in that state/province. This is collected via fuel tax which is paid at the pump. If one buys more fuel than they burn in one state or province it gets credited towards a locality in which one did not buy enough fuel. IFTA is a fantastic system with which to facilitate this, as one only needs to deal with their home state/province. In the olden days we had to deal with each state that we ran individually, and it was quite a chore.

To accurately compare fuel prices one must subtract that state/province fuel tax from the pump price. This is what @Rontonio was referring to. Often times the higher pump price is actually a lower fuel price if you are in a state/province with higher state fuel tax. We run primarily in Wyoming and Idaho. The state tax in Wyoming is $.24 per gallon while Idaho is $.32. The pump price we pay in Wyoming then has to be $.08 per gallon less than Idaho to be paying the same amount.

I suspect that you drive all your miles within BC, so there is no need to track gallons purchased and locale which it is purchased in as all miles are subject to BC's fuel tax, unless you have some off-road locations that are not subject to the fuel tax. Most states have a different license for vehicles that run only within that state, in which case IFTA is not required.

 

Exactly.