Fueling: Top It Off, Or Fuel Half Way?

This is a weird question. I keep my truck topped up all the time to keep condensation out of the tanks. I don't even look at the price of fuel. I think its ridiculous stressing over fuel taxes or saving a penny a gallon here or there. Waste of time. Fuel when you need it and keep it topped off. Been doing it that way for almost 8 years when fuel was cheap and/or expensive. Really couldn't care less what any pump price was. I fuel where it's convienient, period.

 

Where is your sense of adventure? I would ignore the gauge and do like Kramer did on Seinfeld, see just how far it will go. Live on the edge.

Then again, you have to consider fuel tax in the states you are running. I prefer to fuel every day and all the way to the top usually in the mornings before it's gotten hot. You should be able to get better than that out of that Detroit too unless you are always 80k in nothing but mountains and idling a lot.

 

Top it off. When your on elogs your clock is always running.

 

I must have been a total... ignorance regarding the additional costs in IFTA etc.

If I fueled in say City of Industry, CA paying for 280 gallons (Total Capacity is 340, 325 useable) at 3.00 a gallon Drove 1100 miles at 6 miles to gallon purchasing 183 gallons in Armarillo East 76 at 3.00 per gallon....

Then Drove to Knoxville TN which is right about 1100 miles and purchased another 183 gallons at 6 miles per gallon and 3.00 per gallon fuel pricing.

Then finished the final leg of the trip from Knoxville to Avenel NJ which will be around 800 miles because of bypassing DC and a number of other challenges in routing.

Avenel NJ fills me up at 135 gallons, 6 miles to gallon, 3.00 fuel pricing.

Total fuel in gallons for the trip. 781.

Cost $2343.00 at 3.00 a gallon. x 781.

Fuel mileage held to either 6.0 or 6.5 Team truck situation Engine never off trip was completed in about 2.6 days flat including nights. A return trip to AZ would be slightly different in fueling. Example Holbrook AZ LIttle Rock AR and Armarillo Tx plus Mojave CA give or take a little bit.

The fuel mileage, total gallons used etc is essentially the same. Company FFE now has spent around... 4700.oo total in fuel in 6 days time. 6000 miles round trip.

IF the load both ways grossed 2.50 a mile ( I suspect this is a conservative figure...) the gross revenue should stand right about $15,000.00

Fuel at the pump cost -$4700 = $10,300

Spouse got .32 a mile for 3000 miles = $960.00
I got .40 a mile for 3000 miles = $1200.00

Total payroll to us = $2160.00

Remaining $8140.00 dollars to FFE. Not bad for a team reefer in FFE over a hair less than 7 days. We both will have burnt our 140 driving hours and a bit more for onduty which really is not that much when you consider the loading was a drop hook, 15 minutes to get it, 15 minutes to get return load and 15 minutes to drop in LA.

Did I forget anything?

Now how much cost is there for IFTA? AND highway tax etc. The routing is simple. I-40 to I-81 and then I-66 to US 15 then Frederick-I 70 Baltimore, 695 then 95 straight on up to 287 then US 1.

 

It's a complicated decision.

If you fill up at state with the lowest prices at the pump all the time, more than likely, you will be screwed come IFTA time.

Say you never buy fuel in PA but you run miles in PA. You will be hit for .7470 cents per gallon you should have bought in PA when you figure your IFTA tax for this quarter.

I didn't buy any fuel in PA this quarter and got hit for 50 bucks on IFTA because I ran 428 miles thru PA.
I probably should have stopped for fuel. Fuel in PA now is 3.299 gallon. I averaged 6.35mpg this quarter. So I should have bought 68 gallons in PA to satisfy IFTA. Plus I have to pay a 3 percent late fee on the 50 bucks because they figure it's 3 months late.

Their going to screw you every way they can.

It's not enough that I pay fuel tax at the pump on every gallon in every state.

Plus...IFTA every quarter on miles I drive

Plus.....the 550 road use tax on the 2290,

Plus.... my yearly tag is based off the miles in each state,

Plus.....tolls

That's being taxed up to 5 times for every mile I drive.

I guess double taxation is illegal but quintuple taxation is okay. LMAO.....

EDIT....of yeah....I forgot that Kentucky and a couple other add a surcharge also.

Make that 6 times taxed per mile in the surcharge states.

 

IFTA is figured for miles driven in each state. Each state has different rates.

Figure your miles in each state. Divide by your average mpg for the quarter. That gives you the gallons you were required to buy in each state. If you bought fuel in a state. then deduct the gallons you bought from the gallons you should have bought. Multiply that figure by the tax rate for that state.

If you didn't buy fuel in a state then multiply the gallons you were required to buy in their state by their tax rate.

LOL......you got that?

Here is the tax rates for this quarter.

https://www.iftach.org/taxmatrix3/choose_tableqnew.php.
EDIT: That link, for some reason comes up with Q4. Click the little box and switch it to Q3

 

I have it. So far. I'll spend some time figuring. I will return tomorrow with my best guess at this massive figuring. My head hurts too much to deal with this tonight.

Hate to see that 8000 dollar profit go buh byeee....

 

Simple answers for simple minds.

That 8k was not profit. Employment taxes, truck and trailer licensing, truck and trailer maintenance, truck replacement, unemployment, workmans comp, insurance, office overhead and more all come out of that 8k.