Fueling strategies to lower fuel costs

Not saying its right, but If I can get an extra trip by running hard I run hard. It does more than make up for the fuel in my case. But If running hard is gonna have no net result other than a shorter week, I can win the turtle race. May not benefit everybody as much.

 

Yes sir certain states with the massive fuel tax like Conneticut,Pennsylvania,NorthCarolina,Oregon I would avoid fueling up there.Missouri,Mississipi,Alabama,Tennessee ,South Carolina are good.

 

Nope your right on!!! I've had this discussion with a friend and over and over.Going slow makes sense only when time affords it. I an hurry up and stay on track, loose $45 bucks a day in fuel but make another $800 and be lined up to to do it and not be 5 hours behind.

 

If you have a smartphone, you can download an app for called "GasBuddy" , it will tell you who has the cheapest price close to your location, and last time the info was updated. It will not tell you how truck accessible the station is though. Here in Maryland they are building these huge Royal Farm Stores and Wawa's that often have one truck pump, big lot, and some really good hot and cold fresh subs and food.

 

Yeah my company doesn't want us to fuel East of Ohio and North of Virginia. We top off at the last loves before we cross.

 

Here's a link to fuel tax rates by state. http://taxfoundation.org/sites/taxfoundation.org/files/docs/diesel2013_large.png Amazing range, 0.14 to 0.56 cents per gallon.

 

That is $53.57 saved a day. If you ran for an extremely cheap rate, say $1/mile, on an average day, running an extra hundred miles a day, how much more would you earn, running 600 miles instead of 500. $100? 100-53.57=46.43x5(5days a week)=232.15+375=607.15

So which is better, to earn $607.15 or save $375? And that's running for cheap! Imagine the difference if you get paid a higher rate.

Youve heard that time is money. Time is more important than money. Time management is where the money's at.

 

As a newbie I'm just learning everything so bare with a stupid question. The lower the number the better correct? Or is that how much u get back per gal so the higher number would be better?

 

saving money on fuel is easy . just get the fuelbook ap on your phone and when you search you just hit the less IFTA button a there it is in black and white the real price of the fuel . Like did you know that fuel is really cheaper in Illinois then Alabama ? Who would have thought right ?

 

If he has a smartphone? He needs Overdrive's trucker tools app. and its free. There's a few things I do. Plan as much as possible, especially if you have and know preplanned loads in advance. He needs to know what each states road tax is and how much, if any, are collected at the pump. He'll also have to learn the states that don't participate in IFTA.

Now the app let's you shop fuel prices at the nearby truck stops, usually within 150 miles. Also, in the Amenities section, you can find out what, if any, fuel cards are accepted.
Most if not all mid to large sized carriers get fuel discounts at the chain truck stops. This is below the posted cash price. He needs to know what those discounts are and where and figure that into his strategy.

My rules of thumb for fueling;
1. Fill up at the cheapest available station in the states with the highest road taxes.
2. Don't fuel in Oregon, Indiana, Kentucky, or Virginia unless necessary.
3. Keep track of stations that routinely have the cheapest fuel in the area.4. When its practical, I like to be lighter for the climbs and fill up after.
5. NE and KS have the same road taxes, but KS tends to be $.10 cheaper at the pump.
6. Buy DEF at Loves. They're typically the cheapest nationwide at about $2.69 gal.
7. Splash fuel if/when you need to. But don't waste your time fueling any less than 50-75 gal. and try to do that at chains you likelike to shower at or are in the area you're going.
8. If the cheapest fuel around is only about 2-3 cents less than the chain truck stop? Its prolly worth the extra cents for the points, shower credits, drink refills, etc.
9. Keep biocides and fuel treatments w/emulsifiers on board, in case you get bad fuel.

I usually get a credit/refund on IFTA. But if I ran the states listed in #2 or NM, most of that refund gets applied there. I'm okay with that because before I figured this out I would get hit 2 to 3 hundred dollars each month in taxes.