Fuel at Border City

Things are always changing, so it's nice to have updates. Last spring when we came up I figured diesel would be cheaper at the Hub in Glennallen, but it was 50 cents higher than the last place I filled up in Cananda! So I just got enough to make it to Anchorage and filled up there.

I asked why the fuel prices were lower in Norhtern Canada and was told it was because they were barging fuel into someplace (Haines ?) and trucking it over which was a lot less transportation cost than bringing it down from Alaska or up from lower Canada. It was an Alaskan trucking company, Big State Logistics, doing the trucking. Maybe Joe, the owner, had set up the barging operation also.

If you wait until later in the evening, you can get a 40' MH into the Fred Meyers in Muldoon for fuel. If you have a rewards card at Fred's, you get 10 cents off per gallon for each $100 spent, but you only get 35 gallons. After that it's 3 cents off per gallon for as much as you want. Come in on the entrance on Lake Otis which is the North side. So go buy your groceries and then fill up.

And in Muldoon, just as you come off of the highway, is the City's little camper park. Dumping will cost $10 but we use it because there's lot's of room to turn a 40' MH around in there to dump. If youi're after hours, you can leave the $10 at the office. I haven't tried going in there with the toad on, but I don't think you can do it. Several of the gas stations have free dumping, but it's easier to pay the $10 than get into several of the free places on the east side of town.

Bill

Just some information for those of you that usually fuel (diesel) up at Border City to get cheaper fuel than in Tok. This is no longer the case

This was never the case for me the three times I purchased (non diesel) fuel there heading eastbound direction via Alaska Highway by topping off before crossing into Canada)...

My immediate voucher records showing May 1989 :

Fairbanks 1.069 US gal
Delta Jct. 1.199 -
Tok 1.399 -
Border City* 1.529* -
Whitehorse .530 Litre (1.832 @$1.0950 after USD-US Gal conversion)

Footnotes May 1989 :
- .530 Litre = 2.006 CAD per US Gal prior to USD conversion (+47.7c)
- Border City fuel comparison + 13.0c US Gal more than Tok
- Border City fuel comparison - 30.3c US Gal less than Whitehorse after USD conversion


My immediate voucher records showing September 2009 :

Fairbanks 3.299 US gal
Salcha 3.329 -
Delta Jct. 3.519 -
Tok 3.489 (surprise - first time cheaper price vs Delta Jct)
Border City* 3.759* -
Whitehorse 1.039 Litre (3.746 @$1.0497 after USD-US Gal conversion)

Footnotes September 2009 :
- 1.039 Litre = 3.932 CAD per US Gal prior to USD conversion (+17.3c)
- Border City fuel comparison + 27.0c US Gal more than Tok
- Border City fuel comparison + 1.3c US Gal more than Whitehorse after USD conversion.

** I was surprised to see Whitehorse fuel price at par, but actually cheaper vs Border City fuel after USD conversion.


My immediate voucher records showing September 2011 :

Fairbanks 3.849 US gal
Salcha 3.899 -
Delta Jct. 4.089 (passing thru - I stopped buying fuel here since Sep 2009)
Tok 3.999 (debit card only - cheapest price at 2 locations)
Border City* 4.249*(cash price - 10c per US Gal cheaper vs card use)
Whitehorse 1.249 Litre (4.855 @$0.9748 after USD-US Gal conversion)
(1.249 was also cash price, debit or credit was at 1.279 Litre rate)

Footnotes September 2011 :
- 1.249 Litre = 4.727 CAD per US Gal prior to USD conversion (+47.8c)
- Border City fuel comparison + 25.0c US Gal more than Tok
- Border City fuel comparison - 60.6c US Gal less than Whitehorse after USD conversion.

I remember how laid back Border City was in the past when they first opened, as they operated 24 hours year round in the past...

Evidently when I stopped there in 1991, 1994, (and 1998 returning from Dawson and Skagway in my camper rig) for a stretch or snack break, I did not purchase fuel as I carried enough spare fuel to stop between airports where they sold AVGAS in which my one vehicle needed 100 octane fuel.

In 2009 when I stopped at Border City to purchase fuel the one thing noted was it seemed to be a change of ownership indeed, I had that eerie feeling the way the clerk was acting like he just made a call to the troopers tipping them off as if I were a suspicious person of interest or something, relaying my plate and make of my rig it seemed like...maybe I fit the description of someone they were looking for, who knows in those parts.

The reason I think this is because I walked in the place as he hung up the phone quick after talking soft (with his back turned knowing I just entered the building), and stating I was going to purchase some fuel (prepay) as he asked me if I were going to pay with credit...I asked does it make a difference how payment is rendered as long as it is in form of US Dollars (thinking his answer would be credit only or certain card issers weren't accepted, etc.) as he stated credit transactions are currently down at this time, as I replied I was paying with cash anyways.....so I prepay $30.00 and go back to the pump as gee it doesn't work, so I inform the clerk and he says try again, the pump doesn't do anything again and another try it now, so the pump finally works...lord and behold here comes two Alaska State Troopers showing up by coincidence as they talk with the clerk inside, so now I was thinking a stall tactic was initiated by delaying to turn on the gas pump in order to keep me around for a bit, along with why the clerk did not disclose immediately that credit transactions were down rather than asking if I was going to pay by credit, however the troopers never bothered me as I am sure they checked my plate and status for priors and such while I was there.

I mentioned that story to a friend of mine that resides near Tanacross, as he told me he didn't have very nice things to say about the general area.

In September 2011 I purchased gas there with no issues, no twilight zone moments occured for me this time.

It is always nice to have updates on current prices and comparisons to past and present times of various places for fuel purchases :

Border City prices vs Tok fuel prices for fuel (confirmed timeframes):

May 1989 +.13c
Sep 2009 +.27c
Sep 2011 +.25c
May 2013 +.32c <----- wow, thanks for the update !

I figured diesel would be cheaper at the Hub in Glennallen, but it was 50 cents higher than the last place I filled up in Cananda

That place has always had higher fuel prices during my times passing thru there...the few times I commuted the long way to Anchorage I topped off there as well as The Hub was cheaper priced versus Paxson.

I last time I purchased fuel there in 1995 thinking I better fuel up here so I would'nt have to pay Valdez prices, however finding out later Valdez sold fuel much cheaper than The Hub...

The following year a friend that formally resided in Glennallen told me the prices in Gakona Junction nearby were significantly cheaper, and I confirmed that as it was anywhere between 12c to 25c per US Gallon cheaper....even gas at Kenny Lake was cheaper than The Hub when I compared prices along the way.

I too asked the bulk plant manager in Fairbanks why certain locations in Alaska had such a price range variation, as over 15 years ago I was told the North Pole refinery supplied fuel for the entire Alaska Interior, Fairbanks thru Healy on the Parks Hwy, Delta Jct thru Dot Lake on the Alaska Hwy, the entire Richardson Hwy route Fairbanks to Valdez...

The Kenai Tesoro refinery back in the day as I was told supplied fuel for all of the Kenai Peninsula, Anchorage, Southcentral Alaska, Parks Hwy thru Cantwell, the entire Glenn Hwy route and Tok Cutoff, Tok thru Border City on the Alaska Hwy.

Which this would make sense comparing the higher fuel prices in Glennallen, Tok, Border City and Cantwell if their fuel is trucked in from Kenai.

I have no idea if a certain refinery supplies Chicken with fuel or if they were subjected to a supplier route, however I have seen single fuel tanker Alaska Petroleum trucks (based in North Pole) hauling fuel to Eagle on the Taylor Hwy.

I asked about Southeast Alaska communities and was told they get their supply from Washington State via barged in back in the day.

This topic got started when I asked why 100 octane low lead AVGAS was 50 cents per US Gallon higher practically overnight when I was purchasing, as the bulk plant manager told me at the time the Martinez California refinery was the only 100 octane AVGAS supplier for all of Alaska as the serious catastrophe event happened that shut down supply, as they were now recieving AVGAS supplies from one of the Texas refineries instead until the Martinez California plant is restored....no Alaska refineries produce AVGAS at all which I found mindboggling compared to all the small aircraft that are around throughout Alaska.

Since the revised state royalty oil tax kicked in which the oil companies directly passed the increases to the refineries for their delivery of crude, the refineries have passed those increases to us consumers which is why Alaska fuel prices have increased around 25 percent or so compared to the US national average price.

This in turn had made various changes as pointed out on how delivery of processed fuel is delivered now in Alaska, to what extent I have no idea but have heard North Pole Refinery now supplies fuel to Anchorage however I have not confirmed if it is the case.

From what I understand - Northern BC and Yukon Canada gets their fuel supply trucked in from Alberta as one of their refineries had a shutdown for an extended period last year which impacted immediate increases in pricing at Whitehorse which was reported here on RV.Net.... I also talked to a couple of fuel haulers from Alberta for 40 minutes in Liard Hot Springs last September that were both pulling doubles, as they admired my old truck (and stated they spotted me before in the past), as their main assigned route is hauling fuel to Dawson City.

Two years ago while I was at White River in the Yukon, a fuel truck had blared the horn as he waived passing by while we were all gathering around the campfire, as the owner knew the trucker while mentioning he was independent and supplying various places either getting fuel supply from Washington State or Haines...to the extent of the routes I do not know as it was unclear to me how or who or what or where these fuel deliveries were taking place but I could guess some group is saving or making more bucks by making the trouble to deliver the fuel this way.