buying cheaper fuel.

I very rarely fuel at the big chain over priced truck stops. I always go to the smaller privately owned filling stations when the price is lower. I mainly buy my fuel at Krogers, I typically have $.30-$.50 off per gallon saved up on our Krogers card. Those savings add up very quickly.

 

any way you can save a dime

 

NASTC is what I use to save alot of money on fuel.

 

You get fuel one day and the next day you get e-mailed your statement. On that statement it shows what you paid at the pump(cash price) it also shows how much you will actually be charged.
On Fridays(the day I chose) they automatically withdraw money for all fuel purchased over the last seven days. I used to shop for the cheapest fuel I could find and then pay cash if that made it cheaper. Now I can look on the list they have on there website and decide where I want to buy my fuel. The list will show the cheapest price the fuel could be and also show the highest it will be. When you pumpit you will not know what it will be. Only that it will be between these 2 numbers.
Between 12/4-12/9 I saved $150.29 off of cash prices at the TA's. On one fill-up I saved $48.65.
I don't work for them or get anything for promoting them. Just a happy customer. You can read some of my other post. If I think somthing is a scam or not worth it I will be the first to tell people.
I also forgot to mention that your first year in the program you have to pay a 1 time processing fee of $50 to fleet one. That is the fuel card you will use. Lets you start most pumps from outside without having to go in and prepay. Then just walk in and collect receipt. With the bigger stops you also swipe your rewards cards at the pump. This program is one for o/o and small fleets that will get you the same discounts that all of the big boys brag about.

 

Well, the carrier fuel card can be a good thing sometimes. I can fuel at the Flying Hook in LaSalle, IL and get over 30 cents off the cash pump price. Factor out the IFTA and fuel is around $2.92 a gallon. And no card swipe charge. And if there ever is a card swipe charge, it is never larger than 75 cents.

I have the added advantage in that I can get online with my iPhone or laptop and check the carrier website and find all the fuel prices at all the fuel stops (in and out of the fuel network) and also the current discount. So I can locate the cheapest fuel anywhere along my run.

 

One thing alot of folks miss is the quality of fuel. Poor quality fuel, even at a savings of .30 cents per gallon, is still more expensive in the long run then good grade fuel that delivers better Horse power and performance.
I have quit fueling at Pilot/Flying J for just this reason as I have noticed more water in my fuel and lesser performance and fuel mileage when I fuel with them.

 

When I load in northern Wisconsin I try to fuel at the local Indian casino...it's usually about 17 cents cheaper than other places.

I have a BP station 10 mies from here that sells a 50 cetane premium at a 3 cent premium... pretty good fuel. And the Trucker's Plaza in Madison, WI also sells premium at a few pumps... the added cetane rating is great.

Ray's Truck Wash in Ft Wayne, IN sells all it's fuel pre-trated with Power Service cetane boost and is cheaper than the Pilot 1/2 block away.

 

You make a good point. But is the savings that much different?

 

I've heard the same thing about pilot fuel for years. It's pretty much all I've ever ran and when I clean/change the fuel filters every 12,000 I've seen a little water in there once. Anyways, my gut always told me the biggest factor in lowering fuel cost is to know how fuel tax works from state to state, how much to buy in a particular state you roll thru, what states to avoid buying it in etc, etc. Then, you look for the cheapest pump price in whatever given state you need it from. It's something I really need to do a lot of homework on myself. One little trick I learned from a smart operator was to always stop pumping at the half gallon mark. You'll get fuel tax credit for the half gallon you never purchased and over the course of a year's time it will put, he said maybe an extra $100 in your pocket in savings.. ..which is small, insignificant amount of money over the course of a year's time but it's easy money so why not, little things add up.. Usually when you run into these o/o out here who have been trucking for decades they are a huge wealth of info on the fuel tax hoops, well, sometimes anyways..