Fuel Prices

[Len Silva]

All I can tell you is that when I first bought my 4104 in 1986, the price fuel just was not a consideration.  I think it took about five hours of my pay to fill it up.  Diesel stayed below $1.00 until about 1999.  Today, I would have to be making over $100.00 per hour to match that.

[luvrbus]

Exports are the cause of high prices we export around 120 millions of diesel a month to other countries just from one terminal in LA probably more than that amount leaves from the Gulf Coast terminals each month

 Do you like the price of fuel in Venezuela and Mexico ? guess where it comes from

[bevans6]

I can't believe this thread got to five pages on the price of fuel.  I just read the last three pages because I was sure it had migrated to some other topic.  I will stand up as one who doesn't care about the price of fuel.  If I want to go somewhere, I go.  I go in my car, in my truck, in my bus or in an airplane, or I walk.  If I don't go it's not because it costs too much, it's because I don't feel like going all that much.  I am just getting the bus back on the road properly after an almost three year lay-off, and I am going to take a 2200 mile trip this fall.  The bus costs the same as taking the truck and trailer, and staying in motels and eating at restaurants, and the same as flying for two people.  So no big deal what the cost of fuel is, I just don't care.  I went from earning way north of $100 an hour a year and a half ago to earning nothing now, and when I can't afford to run the bus I'll just close the door and walk away.  I've walked away from other things and I don't miss them a bit.  They are just things, and there are other reasons to be happy with life.  I am finally, after many years, happy with life.

Brian

[luvrbus]

One should care about the cost of fuel it's not all about buses it affects all of us at the grocery store,utilities just about every aspect and products we use from day to day in our life that part is not so easy to walk away from

 Our economy here is in the toilet because of fuel prices people were paying 50 bucks a week to get to work now it cost 150 bucks a week something has to give those people are sacrificing other things just to go to work

[wg4t50]

Fuel cost is not a consideration, it is the cheapest part of this game.  Just drove over4700 miles averaged about 7.5 mpg, on way home stopped by the factory for $6,000 upgrades.
If fuel is a biggie, maybe time to think of a small fuel efficient puppy.
Spent my life scrimping, now its time to play.
Me, I love power and get r done.

[bansil]

I'm one of the little guys I reckon,

Love buses and went with what I could afford; a skoolie....my dream coach is a senicruiser...oh yeah..front restored to stock uper deck a home on wheels!

Alas....my wife and I spend $110 a week(each) to get to work, make very good wages for "the area" my wife and I could both make more if we didn't take care of 2 sets of "parents/grandparents"
They can't make it on retirement/SS etc (70 and 85+ years old)....so we cover it....our son is getting ready to start 3rd year in college...we cover it.....

If fuel was cheaper would we go"more" nope...no time with work and taking care of folk....

NOW if fuel was cheaper we would eat out more and splurge more($25 bottles of wine instead of $6.99) and oysters and shrimp 3 times a day on our bus vacations...instead 1 time....

So we will drink our "cheapwine" buy a couple pounds of frozen shrimp....and fill in the blanks.....glad we do close trips...so we toast everyone....we can only do...what we can do CHEERS!

Oh and if we had "bank" we'd still drink cheaper local wines

[luvrbus]

Dave you and I are old some here are young with families like Rick which do put first fuel and expenses for a bus or needs for the family  

Me I sent 5 through collage and things like a bus and fuel would sometimes set on the back burner for awhile a long while lol

 I can see where fuel costs of today could be a problem plus the maintenance of a old bus for some because they don't have the funds as some here  

You paid your dues so did I but some here are 20+ years away from that goal and in today's world they may never see it  JMO

[wg4t50]

Doug,
Don't feel like your the only one to suffer thru kids, school, and all that goes with living,  my wife & I worked our business for 30+ years, she is a great money manager, if left up to , we would be much poorer.
Call it luck due a great choice for a wife, great doing the investment part.
She is not my 1st, but by far the best, so I m lucky finally. Spent years in hell.
Enjoy what you have.

[wg4t50]

Luvrbus,
 Your correct, here age 71.7 and it s strange when money is no longer my big concern, can assure you I hav been t the bottom of the pile $$$ wise, but worked our way out of it, as mentioned, It took a STRONG gal to get my attention 
The funny part, we now own nothing, everything is in trust, wills are correct, all I can do is live long enough to piss off a few folks then the Salvation Army & USO will have a field day.

[RickB]

Clifford for the record I'm 52 (we started late!)

I want to say upfront that I sure hope my situation didn't dampen anyone's passion for buses. I have shared that same passion as much as anyone here and I would never want to rob that from someone so to those I've "bummed out" with my post I apologize.

We are not a poor family by any stretch of the imagination in fact annually we are probably pretty darn close to that threshold that the President deemed wealthy enough to raise taxes on but I am honestly struggling to justify such a poor investment of time,money, fuel and routine maintenance required to own my bus and the inherent risk of a catastrophic failure is always there in the back of my mind too. I've broken down in the bad part of town, had my life threatened by a couple of mechanics that were pretty persuasive in their out and out extortion of my bad luck to break down in their town.

It hurts me to sell the bus, this board, the conversations with other owners, the endless search for the right 8v92 have all been really fun and have added alot of knowledge and adventure to my life. It's the oil. Pure and simple. It hasn't just affected us singularly but rather systemically. I spoke with a trader friend this week and he assured me that between the current moves in Washington and the inflated bubble that oil is riding upon that the calvary is coming soon. He believes the day is coming in the not too distant future when oil will plummet up to $70 in one day. First off I don't believe that. Second I would imagine it will just shape shift into something else. I'll stick around and peek in here from time to time and I'll genuinely be grateful for this time and this blog. Between touring with everyone from Manilow to LeAnn Rimes to Journey to Jonny Lang maybe I've finally just seen enough miles from that big wide piece of glass that sits at the front of every bus I've ever ridden in. I have easily over a million miles riding and probably another 100k driving. It's been one helluva ride.

Rick

[Dave5Cs]

If bus fuel wasn't so high what would politicians put their money into. Oh wait that's our money also? brian I am with you. We can't control it any longer so just enjoy life the best you can and enjoy the Bus even if it is just taking out the neighbors to a restaurant.

Dave5Cs

[Zeroclearance]

Well driving by the gas stations today seeing fuel a $4.10 to $4.15.   I can't tell you how happy I was to pay $3.94 a gallon for fuel..   

[bansil]

We are doing fine,its just rough when you work so hard and then when you start to see light they turn off the switch 

Diesel has been 3.79 for the last year plus here,

I plan at $5 a gallon and 5 mpg ( I get 10 mpg and fuel is under $4....so I make money when traveling by bus  )

So then i can justify it by saying "we didn't use everthing budgeted"(in my head it works out atleast)...the rest goes towards next trip

Gas has fluctuated almost $1a gallon in that time frame and daily it changes...same gas in tanks in the ground......just more profit for big brother

[Jon]

We've all heard the story about  the potential yacht buyer who was told when he asked about fuel consumption "If you have to ask, you cannot afford it". The same is true about AvGas, Jet A or diesel fuel for our buses. But we are experiencing an unusual situation with regard to diesel fuel pricing. Pilot Flying J is now dominant in the truck stop market and they have us by the gonads because they set the pricing. Depending on the market they now are pricing fuel much higher than their cost. I recently saw data to reflect their margins are in some cases $.35 per gallon above cost with their averages nationwide in excess of $.18.  The situation is not going to get better anytime soon. If you want to make yourself sick read this lengthy affidavit  http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/687037-affadavit.html and you will see how the management has zero respect for customers and is now part of an active FBI / IRS probe that has already resulted in arrests of executives and many more to follow.

Stop dealing with PFJ and bring your trade to TA-Petro or Love's or anyone else. Our aggregated fuel purchases are insignificant so it will not even have any impact on PFJ, but at least you will not be dealing with a company whose managers consider customers stupid and capable of being screwed.

[belfert]

If Pilot/Flying J is ripping off customers then Love's must be ripping them off too.  I checked several locations where Love's and Pilot/Flying J both have locations at the same exit and Love's is a penny or two less.  There may be less expensive options than either if one wants to get off the beaten track, but we didn't have the time to look for cheaper fuel prices.

We stopped at both Love's and Flying J on this trip.  I like Flying J because they have pump start with their RV card.  Unfortunately, my Flying J RV card is totally worn out and won't read any more.