Post by: belfert. I drove my bus 2,000 miles earlier this week.  I saw major truck stop diesel prices that were 30 cents to $1 more per gallon than at other truck stops.  I would see lines to fuel at Loves, or Flying J, or other major truck stops while across the street was another truck stop with much lower prices, but no lines. Do most truckers get discounts at major truck stops? If not, why would they not fuel up at the cheaper truck stop? I sometimes use the Mudflap app for fuel discounts, but it is not always the cheapest. Heading out west on I-80, Maverik is almost always the cheapest. Mudflap often has five cents off at Maverik, but I have credit cards that will give 5% back at gas stations. 

Post by: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM

I use Open Roads, as do many Bus Conversion owners, and I typically get up to 40 cents off per gallon at many truck stops.  https://myopenroads.com/

Post by: richard5933

Nearly every trucking company (at least the ones that stay in business) negotiates pricing with the major fuel stop companies. Sometimes, these deals are negotiated up to a year in advance.

The company I drove for had a contract with Loves for years but suddenly announced to drivers that we were to buy fuel at Petro. All those coffee and shower points I had saved up at Love’s were virtually worthless when that happened, as their routing system would ding me for going to Love’s instead of Petro, as they saved a few more pennies with their new contract with Petro.

Truckers and trucking companies most certainly do not pay the price of the pump. As Gary Hatt mentioned, you can use the Open Road program to get similar pricing for your bus. It saved me hundreds of dollars quickly. 

Post by: somewhereinusa 

I've been retired for a few years, but as an owner/operator, I paid retail at the pump. If you are leased to a company, it depends on the company. Depending on the shipper, we sometimes got a fuel surcharge, but it was never enough. When fuel was over $5.00 per gallon, it cost me about $700 every other day just for fuel.

Post by: belfert

The Open Roads website claims 40 to 50 cents per gallon savings. However, when Love's and other truck stops are often more than 50 cents per gallon higher than the competition, it would still make sense to go to the competition. 

Post by: dtcerrato

We followed Richard's lead on the Open Road, a.k.a. TSD logistics discount fuel App. Ironically, with sometimes the highest-priced fuel advertised, Love's was giving deeper discounts, whereas a station with lower pump prices was giving a lesser discount. We always use the card for bus diesel, saving anywhere from .13/gallon to $1/gallon  The $1/gallon discount isn't usual, but the semi-truck line was very long, and we needed more than 100 gallons. And yes, we saved hundreds of dollars. 

Post by: luvrbus 

I could always beat truck stop prices, even with a discount card of some kind.  Truck stops were not my cup of tea.  Gary Hatt fills up here at the Indian tribes' fuel stations.  The price is always lower than a Pilot or Flying J using a fuel card, and the price is the same per gallon, whether using cash or credit.  The AM/PM station, down the road, charges a $0.35 one-time fee for debit cards.  

Here in Arizona, it doesn’t make sense to fill your bus at a truck island. It will cost you 8 cents per gallon more because RVs get 8 cents off the road tax at the RV pumps vs. buying from the truck pumps. Diesel at Love’s in Lake Havasu is currently $3.94 a gal before using a discount card for 40 cents off. Fuel is $3.06 at the Indian tribes' station; do the math on that.

Post by: DoubleEagle

The bigger the trucking company, the bigger the discount they get. When I worked for a national outfit, I got free showers, priority restaurant seating, and points toward free merchandise in the stores. 

If I got better fuel mileage and less idle time than the average driver, the company would give me choices of free merchandise. An owner-operator with one truck did not do as well with fuel prices, but they also potentially made more money on good runs if they did not break their truck doing it.  

Post by: luvrbus

Truck Stops are making big money now by charging to reserve a spot for a tired trucker to park overnight. I see some of those spaces at Pilot going for $40 per night, and some are building RV spaces with electrical hookups. It won’t be long before RVs start paying for overnight parking at truck stops. That is probably part of a trucker reward program now: a place to park.

Post by: windtrader

My diesel shopping experience is via Open Road and Gas Buddy. We spend the majority of miles on secondary roads and the remainder on interstates. Open Road stations are usually along the major interstates near small towns, but not so much in metro areas.

Our best deals are often found at small independent stations, not the big boys (Loves, Petro, Flying J). The main considerations are that you will be navigating local streets and often finding space at the stalls, which is tight and often has some obstacles. The savings can be significant, and after paying dues during the learning curve, this option often presents the best prices.

By far, the biggest savings are to plan fuel-ups anywhere outside California; just that one rule is worth around a buck a gallon. 

Post by: luvrbus

You can find Walmart, Sam’s, and Costco across the US, which have plenty of space for RVs to fuel up. I stop at one in West Texas with truck pumps with large nozzles for quick fueling. I use the Walmart app for fuel, as it saves money. The difference between fuel in Needles, CA, and Arizona is a little over two bucks a gallon, well worth the three-mile trip across the river. We are also getting places selling non-ethanol gasoline now.  

Post by: DoubleEagle

The Costco’s and Sam's Clubs around here in the Midwest either don't have diesel or, if they do, have islands that are not roomy enough to handle large vehicles. Chains like Casey's or Circle K can have more room. If the price is good, I don't mind waiting to fill with small, slow nozzles, but the lower-volume stations also have more opportunities for contaminated fuel and clogging the filters. 

Post by: luvrbus 

I like filling with small nozzles: There is no foam, and there is time to walk around and check on the vehicle, clean the windshields, and walk the pets. They are also cleaner. I also liked the older Flying J's. You could get fuel, dump your tanks, fill them with water, and buy propane if needed—all at the RV island without moving, and there were no dump fees.

Post by: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM

I used to use Flying J's RV lanes all the time when I had my 36' Fleetwood Discovery, which had a propane tank for appliances, and with a trailer, as everything was right there.  However, with my 40' bus and toad, I am afraid to use them as frequently people park in the car spaces in front of the RV pumps, and I have always been concerned that I may not be able to get out of there due to so many cars in the way, causing me to have to wait until someone comes out to move their car.  And having a difficult time backing up with the toad can be challenging.  But I haven't used Flying J for several years, so maybe they aren't so bad now for a 40' bus with a toad.  Not sure. 

Post by: DoubleEagle

Flying J's have not been quite the same since Pilot bought them. Out East, at least, they did away with the buffet and put in Denny's. They used to offer fuel discounts to FMCA members. 

Post by: belfert

I would just use the truck pumps at Flying J. There is no reason to use the RV pumps at Flying J. I assume your bus can handle the large nozzles. I know mine can. 

Post by: belfert 

When I started this thread, I wasn't asking about how to get cheaper fuel for my bus. I already use various methods to do so.

I was asking if folks know if truckers actually pay full retail for diesel at Loves and other major truck stop brands.  These truck stops are always higher priced than other options.  Sometimes, there will be a truck stop literally across the street, which is much cheaper.

Post by: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM

If they did, they probably wouldn't stay in business long. But if they have two tanks and can carry 300 gallons of fuel, if they do not get a discount, they can travel until they can buy fuel in the cheapest states as they travel cross-country. I would love to have a 300-gallon fuel capacity in my bus. Just sayin'. 

Post by: rancher 

I have friends who work at two large national trucking companies with their home offices in eastern Nebraska.  Both have removed their underground fuel tanks, and all their trucks and reefers are fueled at truck stops. Both have a two thousand-gallon above-ground tank to fuel equipment used at the terminals.

I buy my on-road diesel that I use for the farm at Sam's Club. I will drop the grain trailer in Sam's parking lot, go to the station, and fill up. Our local Sam's is a little tight to get into, but they are always 30-50 cents cheaper than the truck stops or Casey's.  At the start of harvest, I always go into Sam's early Sunday morning and fill my 1000-gallon fuel trailer with on-road diesel so the trucks can get started. 

Post by: luvrbus 

EPA rules are so bad now with the insurance and per-gallon surcharge on fuel storage tanks that it is no longer worth having your own tanks.  You can buy fuel cheaper from an outlet without the hassle and the recordkeeping.  I did away with my tanks.  My service truck carried 2000 gallons and we just filled at the bulk station daily, or as needed. 

Post by: plyonsMC9

At the risk of being off-topic from the original post, but for the sake of completeness regarding fuel price discounts:  I have had good success using Maverik fuel stations as they usually have a very good price, then pairing that with their Nitro card, which also gives an additional .10 /gallon discount.  However, I will check out Open Roads.

Post by: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM

I generally use the larger truck stops because I pull a Toad and backing a Toad out of a small fuel station can be challenging unless you are backing straight.

I will also choose a Truck Stop if I fuel up later in the day and am looking for a place to spend the night. Truck Stops, especially those out west away from cities, have large open parking lots with plenty of room to catch some ZZZs.