Fuel Stops

1963jarhead wrote:
where are the lanes usually located for rvs?

depends on the flying J....but most are near the FRONT of the building, near the auto lanes.
most of the Flying J's that have RV lanes have a sign to indicate where they are.

where are the lanes usually located for rvs?

jmccen58 wrote:
Can anyone tell me if flying J or other truck stops have regular gas pump available in the tractor trailer fueling areas?

diesel only in the Truck lanes @ Flying J / Pilot (same now).
the RV Islands at Flying J have both (gasoline & diesel).

Can anyone tell me if flying J or other truck stops have regular gas pump available in the tractor trailer fueling areas?

I think a lot of it is going to depend on location and density. I'm in California and have only traveled in the West in my RV. There are plenty of gas stations that I can't get into, but there plenty more that I can easily get into. I've never had a problem finding one. But one thing I wouldn't do it drive through Los Angeles, or San Diego, or the SF Bay Area without having enough fuel on board to get through. I don't want to be trying to get off I-5 in downtown LA trying to find a station big enough to get into. But when you carry 100 gallons and have over a 700 mile range it's not hard at all to avoid having to fill up in the cities.

One thing to check for is overhead clearance. Most newer gas stations, especially ones that carry diesel, have plenty of overhead room. But older stations may not have so much. I did turn into a station once and got right up to the overhang and thought it didn't look like enough room. So I stopped and got out and looked, and sure enough I wasn't going to fit. I was towing my truck and it was still out in the street so I did end up blocking traffic a little while I unhooked the toad and got backed out of there.

cwdavis wrote:
One thing that wasn't said by those that related using truck fuel stops that might be useful to you is to use the trucker's pumps. Flying J especially would like 'RVs' to use the auto pumps, but those are generally tight quarters for Class As + toads. Pull in with the trucks and you shouldn't have any problems getting in or out of the station.

I've never had a problem getting in & out of the RV lanes (even at exit 77 / wytheville in virginia)....and I'm 42' w/out the toad (60' with).

If you use the RV lane you get the cash price (EVEN when you use your debit or credit card) without the hassle of having to pre-pay with green backs (like you would have to do at the truck islands) !

cwdavis wrote:
One thing that wasn't said by those that related using truck fuel stops that might be useful to you is to use the trucker's pumps. Flying J especially would like 'RVs' to use the auto pumps, but those are generally tight quarters for Class As + toads. Pull in with the trucks and you shouldn't have any problems getting in or out of the station.

I grant you that the RV lanes are tighter than the trucker lanes but we've had no issue with our 35' class A + toad. and diesel only at the trucker pumps so if you have a gasser, like we do, the RV lanes are the better choice than the auto lanes.

Ivylog wrote:
No problems. If the 18 wheeler that delivers the fuel can get in I figure I can too. Biggest problem is finding the pumps with diesel.

I've never seen a delivery tanker pull up to the pumps at a fuel station. The storage tank fill ports are usually well clear of them.

never had a problem ! even at 42 feet + the toad

We have a 31' Class A with a car hauler tied on, so total length of about 55'. I've used several places in a pinch, just have to be careful how you approach the pumps. Favorite is Flying J without question. They usually have dedicated RV lanes with linked pumps on both sides and the layout allows a lot of flexibility. The pumps there are high speed, too, do filling up is fast. Most also offer LP gas in the same lanes - bonus! Great prices and good folks, too!