new o/o...need some help with fuel costs

In my world...the land of milk and honey

$50 will buy a lot of groceries. And that ain't being cheap.

 

Doesn't Dart pay fuel taxes? If they do, that would mean the cheapest fuel would be the cheapest pump price. If Dart has a wholesale price+pumping fee price for their fuel card, they need to provide you with a list of where the cheapest places to buy fuel are. Many large companies pay well under pump price at most truck stop chains, I would guess that Dart does too.

On filling or not filling-I try to keep over half a tank all the time, which usually means filling up when I get fuel. Cheap insurance against plugged fuel filters. I also have this idea in my head that the fuller you keep your tanks, the cooler the fuel will stay, especially during the summer. Cool fuel has more power per unit volume than hot fuel, but that's really beyond the scope of this conversation.

 

If your husband pays the quarterly ifta fuel tax, go to this site and add it to your favorites, and study it. It will show you the true price of fuel. An example here is that if you look at Florida and Georgia, you'll notice that Ga fuel is .15 cents (pump) cheaper than Florida (pump). However, look at the tax rate .13 in Ga - .31 in Fl. In the end buying fuel is cheaper in Fl by 3 cents. Another one to look at is Illinoiz. Pump price is high in Ill, but you're getting .43 cents credit. Ultimately cheaper than Ind where everyone thinks it's a good deal.

I run Wisconsin to Florida and back and I buy the majority of my fuel in Ill and Fla which have the highest pump prices of anywhere I travel. Fuel is cheaper at the pump in Ky, Tn and Ga, but they have low tax rates.

Just this last quarter for ifta taxes I got back $21. Quarter before that I got back $50.

Once you get a feel for this, you could stay ahead of your husbands routes and advise where to buy fuel, untill he figgures this out a little better.

http://www.etrucker.com/apps/promiles/fuelprices.asp

 

Winchester has it right. The trick is to find places that are regionally competitive like FL and GA. Just look at fuel seller websites to see which of their outlets has the best price along your route. In the FL example it might behoove you to buy more fuel than you need to cover the miles traveled in FL. Then you will get a credit you can use for a state where the pricing is not competitive. Your situation is not unique. There are all kinds of programs and advice on reducing costs in trucking operations. There is a popular radio show on XM on the weekends where the main focus is acheiving lower operating costs. That of course is good, but you can only go so far. I like to focus on changing the other side of the equation, revenue generation. Now if you are leased to a carrier on a mileage program you are going to be somewhat capped on your compensation. You can only drive so many miles a week and they are only going to pay you so much. If you eventually get your own authority you'll be more in control of your gross income.