Diesel fueling Etiquette

[thirtydaZe]

This is actually a source of stress for me when pulling our TT in uncharted areas.

Truck stops, am i to use the semi areas, or the stalls for regular travelers?

Will I fit at that station?

Is my rig in someone's way?

Heading into the mountains, where will i be able to stop?

Once i hit ½ tank it's full on paranoia.

Something about the open road, towing, unfamiliar locations, it drive me insane worrying about my next stop.

We traveled the Ohio turnpike and each time we stopped it specifically said truck, rv, etc, use this entrance, every time i pulled to the diesel pump, i was in the wrong spot to fuel a non-commercial vehicle.

What are your go to places? large truck stops, local gas stations, i'm always looking for the easy in/easy out where i ruffle no feathers.

I love being on the road, doing the lifestyle, but this drives me crazy....

[thirtydaZe]

valhalla360 wrote:
While I think you are overthinking it...

Assuming the PU in your signature is the tow vehicle, why not simply fill up before hooking up? Unless there is something wrong, you should be able to do a 4hr run on one fill up.

It's what we usually do.

I meant tocomment on this days ago. Once a year for two weeks we travel, long distance, and actually plan on longer distances.

Omaha NE to CO this month. My concern is always the unfamiliar territory when having to go 6 hours in a day.

[slarsen]

Aux tank is a good but expensive option. I carry a 5gallon container in the truck bed, rigged so it can't move about. It gave me the satisfaction of having emergency range, and after 4-5 yrs and maybe 25 K miles, I never actually needed it. But I still regularly use it as my 'security blanket.'

[aruba5er]

In AZ if you pull into the truck lanes you may end up paying 8 cents a gal more because any truck over 26,000# pays more. Although you may not be that heavy, the pumps don't know that. Check B4 pumping. I had a guy come out and tell me that and they didn't care if I was in the truck lane, just be aware the cost.

[PA12DRVR]

RAINEYTXX wrote:
The auxiliary tank was my solution. Pulling a 43' fifth-wheel, it was always stressful wondering when the next stop would be and if I could find an easy in/out when driving in unfamiliar areas. We recently went from Dallas to Destin on "one tank" meaning we did not have to stop for fuel. We usually get about 9 mpg's when towing so with just the factory tank, it wasn't long after filling that I would begin to worry about the next stop. No stress now and can fill en-route with trailer attached at truck stops or continue to campground and fill truck tanks when disconnected when making trip un excess of 1000 miles. We have a comfortable 1000 mile towing range with the auxilliary tank when towing.

Yep. With the aux tank, when I had the 39' 5th wheel, we had about 1000 miles towing before even having to think about refueling. Since it was rare to do a marathon tow, that typically meant that we had no need to fuel during the day and could simply top the truck off where convenient after dropping the trailer for the night.

Being obsessive about "will I fit" "what's the protocol" "do I have the right card".....it was quite stress-relieving to simply be able to drive the truck to dinner at night and top off on the way back to the CG.

[RAINEYTXX]

The auxiliary tank was my solution. Pulling a 43' fifth-wheel, it was always stressful wondering when the next stop would be and if I could find an easy in/out when driving in unfamiliar areas. We recently went from Dallas to Destin on "one tank" meaning we did not have to stop for fuel. We usually get about 9 mpg's when towing so with just the factory tank, it wasn't long after filling that I would begin to worry about the next stop. No stress now and can fill en-route with trailer attached at truck stops or continue to campground and fill truck tanks when disconnected when making trip un excess of 1000 miles. We have a comfortable 1000 mile towing range with the auxilliary tank when towing.

[wintersun]

I prefer the car pumps if diesel is available as it is easier then dealing with the big rigs and their doubles at most truck stops. The truck pumps put out the diesel faster which is good but so do the DEF pumps which is not good. On a trip last week we encountered a Shell station that had diesel and DEF at the car pumps and it was great. The DEF was on one side of the bay and the diesel on the other so I could add DEF while my wife added diesel. The DEF pump nozzle was also much smaller than the ones at the truck pumps and lower output rate so a lot less spillage.

Part of my trip planning is locating places that sell diesel so I have places that I know will have it. I use gasbuddy.com and yellowpages.com (search for diesel fuel and nearby the towns along the route). If I find diesel and I am at half a tank I buy it and don't wait for it to get lower. That way I have more options for side trips without worrying about fuel. One does not want to run out of fuel with a diesel engine.

If your vehicle has an option for putting in a large capacity fuel tank I would do it regardless of the cost for the piece of mind and added flexibility.

At least with all the new diesel powered cars being sold it is getting much easier to find diesel at places other than truck stops and in smaller towns further off the interstate highways.

[John_S_]

DO not stress. It is easy to fuel. I just look for truck stops and many of them have an auto diesel on one of the end rows usually near the store door. the J and now Pilots have RV lanes.

[2oldman]

Mootpoint wrote:
it is criminal what they charge. 😞

haha...good one.

[Mootpoint]

2oldman wrote:

YC 1 wrote:
Buy some painters booties or hospital booties to cover your shoes when fueling in the truck lanes. Peeling them off as you enter your vehicle will keep the oil off the floor and carpet.

Great idea. Along with my disposable gloves I'll look like a crime scene investigator.

Diesel lanes are so dirty.

Well, it is criminal what they charge. 😞

[rambotheshark]

Just respect the truckers and their time. Understand that they are working and time is money in many cases.

[ependydad]

As the others have said, I've never had a hint of a problem at the truck lanes. In fact, I've only had good experiences - guys asking me about my camper (telling me they were also RVers), guys asking me about my truck, folks giving my wife a thumbs up when she was driving, and guys helping me back into a spot when I got to the point that it was blind.

Common courtesy happens.

[2oldman]

YC 1 wrote:
Buy some painters booties or hospital booties to cover your shoes when fueling in the truck lanes. Peeling them off as you enter your vehicle will keep the oil off the floor and carpet.

Great idea. Along with my disposable gloves I'll look like a crime scene investigator.

Diesel lanes are so dirty.

[valhalla360]

While I think you are overthinking it...

Assuming the PU in your signature is the tow vehicle, why not simply fill up before hooking up? Unless there is something wrong, you should be able to do a 4hr run on one fill up.

It's what we usually do.

[YC_1]

Buy some painters booties or hospital booties to cover your shoes when fueling in the truck lanes. Peeling them off as you enter your vehicle will keep the oil off the floor and carpet.