Locating diesel fuel stations

[Rays]

I am new to towing with a 2500 HD Chevy Duramax and am concerned about locating diesel fuel while traveling. What method(s) do you use for finding such fueling stations? Are any of the many GPS devices useful for locating these businesses? If so which GPS offers this feature?

[F450Harley]

Use buddygas.com to plan your trip and make sure that you select diesel. You will need to input you vehicle type, tank size, town & highway MPG.

[xrvr]

There used to be a book titled The Next Exit that gave info on gas, food,etc. for all interstate exits. I think it is still available. Also some GPS have truck route info which give diesel and truckstop info as well low clearance and narrow road info. Hope this helps. zz

[BillTex]

I'll copy/paste my response from another thread below. Another benefit to diesel when you are towing; the pumps are often separate to accommodate large trucks...this means more room for you to maneuver, and usually no one behind you so you can take your time and not have to move out of the way so quickly...

Excerpt;
My experience finding diesel has been just the opposite...maybe it has to do with geography...where we boondock; Northern New England, NY State the further we get away, the more prevalent, inexpensive, and even more potent the diesel fuel becomes. Out in the "woods" the locals are either loggers or farmers...and everything they have runs on diesel... so it is always plentiful, cheap, and has a high turnover, so it is fresh. Most stations offer both on road (15 ppm) and off road blends. Once in a while I'll fill with off road...boy is that stuff nice in the Duramax...
There are plusses/minuses to both gas/diesel...but I have never understood the argument of "hard to find deezul"...there are heavy machinery (skidders, loggers) UPS trucks, big rigs everywhere I have been...

We have never...not once...had a problem finding deezul...and in the remote areas, we find truck stops have credit card access diesel 24/7...


Report back after some deezul experience, and let us know how you did...and if you like the truck...

Bill

[Melody Ranch]

Do not even concern yourself about it. Diesel is available everywhere. Maybe if you pull into a small corner Quick Stop type there won't be a diesel pump. But, the next station you see will have it. If your in Montana, I guarantee its available everywhere.

[Blanchard]

Gotta agree with BillTex and Melody Ranch. Have never had a difficult time finding diesel while traveling. On the flip side, a lot of stations in the downtowns of cities may not have diesel, so if you're going to be doing some city driving in a strange city, best to fill up somewhere on the highway before you go in. But out on the highway there should always be diesel for the truckers. We can get a lot of miles on a tank so I just fill up when I see diesel, never letting it get too close to empty, and it's never been a problem.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by Rays

I am new to towing with a 2500 HD Chevy Duramax and am concerned about locating diesel fuel while traveling. What method(s) do you use for finding such fueling stations? Are any of the many GPS devices useful for locating these businesses? If so which GPS offers this feature?

Finding diesel is not a problem. It is very prevalent today. I have been pulling a TT with a diesel truck for 7 years and have never had a problem finding diesel.

One year ago we upgraded from a 21 foot to 31 foot travel trailer and I was concerned about finding fuel with enough room to maneuver over 55 feet of TV and TT. This is some of what I have learned in a year.

If I am towing, I don't stop for fuel in densely populated areas. Property there is more expensive, so stations, even truck stops are much more crowded with less room and more customers and busier streets.

If I am on the interstate system I refer to the Trailer Life book "EXIT NOW". It is published each year and lists what travel related businesses are located at every exit on every Interstate. Businesses with large vehicle parking are shown in red. When we are traveling on the Interstates, the one of us not driving uses the GPS and the Exit Now, to plan our fuel stops in advance and we always plan an alternate in case there is a problem with the first. I have found stations out of diesel or with the pumps out of order. Our truck has a distance to empty readout and it allows for a reserve of about 50 miles when we were towing.

If your are traveling off the beaten track, you are likely to find the service stations in the towns have much more room and often separate Diesel Islands. Just plan ahead and don't rely on a one service station town for a fuel stop. Have a backup plan.

Nearly all Flying J truck stops and often others have a separate RV island. Flying J and maybe others I have yet to discovered are RV friendly. However do not be afraid to use the large truck pumps as a last resort. If you use a truck stop it is very likely that you will have to go inside and pay in advance. In addition, since diesel does not evaporate rapidly like gasoline, diesel island are always messier that gasoline islands and large truck Islands are often super messy with large areas of diesel on the ground.

We do not usually uncouple the trailer for an over night stop, but if we do, I fuel then if it is at all convenient.

I have run across a couple times, that it has been necessary to back out after fueling. If this is the case, one of us stands behind to trailer to keep other vehicles from blocking us in. We learned this the hard way. There are a lot of clueless people driving around.

I am sure there is more I can't think of right now, but I don't want to take all the adventure out
of it for you.

Regards,

Ken

P.S. All out traveling has been west of the Mississippi. I have no idea what goes on in the rest of the country.

[tr674]

I have a ford dually and 34ft excello 1000, my wife and I have been to cali to florida, florida to alaska and all points north south east and west. No problem finding diesel fuel.
Flying J's are great for consistancy of in and out process with rv's. In Canada it is all over.

[OB Bambi]

The only thing that I have to add to this is when you do use the truck-stop pumps take along some disposable gloves. If you don't your hands will stink for at least that day, no matter how many times you wash them. Heck, buy a box, use them for emptying the black water tank, too.

Randy Bowman

[Mikethefixit]

My only comment would be Plan your fuel stops ahead of time before you leave even. Truck stops are the best places to buy fuel,just by the shear amount of fuel they sell ,you are almost guaranteed that its comes as fresh as it gets with NO WATER.NEVER BUY AT MOM & POP filling stations.
Also no matter what size trailer you have you are again Guaranteed ROOM TO MANEUVER.Trucks are mostly about 65 to 70 feet long and need the room,So you assuredly will have no problem.
Most,(not all) have really good food, at least they used too,but I have been off the road now 5 yrs.

[Melody Ranch]

My problem was....I wanted to beat the morning traffic , towing thru Phoenix, and I let my tank get low in the rush. Then in the area somewhere around Casa Grande I stopped at a gas station, that sold diesel. Guess what? They would not take Master Card....no credit cards. Only Debit Cards and cash....(pesos too....no comment there) So essentially no diesel.

[JFScheck]

I have driven "coast to coast" twice since January 2010 and am getting ready to head back East with my Airstream in a few weeks...

Both the southern routes and the northern routes have plenty of diesel available - more importantly they have plenty of Ultra-Low Sulfur available to include all through the Rockies as you burn through it heading over them great hills....

Last May only found one place in the Virginia Mountains that did not have Ultra Low Sulfur (back woods gas station off the main through fair) - since this December EVERYONE needs to be selling it - I'm sure there converted over by now too...

So don't worry - that great sweat goo we call "Diesel" is readily had - but now in the all so important "Ultra Low Sulfur" or "Diesel 2" for the civilians...

[ZoominC6]

The Next Exit is a good resource on the Interstate Highway system and a good Garmin GPS works well too as long as you update the software frequently.

We just returned from 6,100 miles on the road with the Airstream and NO problems on or off the Interstate system. Planning ahead helps and we look for a good station when half empty.

Looking for a good station for us includes finding one with a card reader at the pump, lots of turn in/out room, easy on/off to the highway currently being traveled. This takes both of us looking for the green diesel handle at times.

We hate filling with the trucks as most of the time you must take your card inside, wait in line at the counter, hand the card to the cashier, ask her to turn on the pump at your given island (sometimes asking twice if she's blonde or busy) and at times giving an amount to be charged. Good grief! Did I mention we hate that?

Our favorite diesel stops include LOVES and FLYING J as far as truck stops go. They always have diesel pumps for RVers.

You'll find diesel, no problem. You'll learn the ropes by experience and come to hate parts of it just like many of us.

[slowmover]

My only comment would be Plan your fuel stops ahead of time before you leave even.

Known as trip-planning (I'm another truck driver). I use Google Maps to set my two-hour driving breaks to correspond with rest areas, roadfood.com restaurants, and truck stops for fuel the day or the months before the trip. A good steady pace where time/distance is already known. Arriving rested -- and without incident -- IS the goal!

I like to know the exit in advance (prior to departure) so that the day is seamless . . trying to decide on fuel at the last moment ain't restin' nor recreatin' in my book. Departure time and arrival time are already known before turning the key. My attention should be on what's happening around me. And the plan can be dumped at any moment.

Use online truck stop directories (including AMBEST).

[Mikethefixit]

Rite on rednax

[xonvldz]

i learned my lesson in virginia late one night when i refueled at a local gas station.ended up with water in the fuel tank.now before leaving home i always go on the flying j truck stop site to fiqure out in each state where the truck stops are.at home i only use one fuel station that i know pumps lots of diesel.i also use a fuel additive with every tank since fuel quality cosistency is problamatic.truck stops generally have plenty of room for manuvering.

[ZoominC6]

Pick up a free Flying J discount card application and get a bit off on each purchase. The more you pump the higher the discount. Every little bit helps.

[fastrob]

My particular quirk is to fuel up every half tank. On mine every 150-200 miles. That gives plenty of time to look.
I combine a stretch & pee break with fuel. Keep drinking lots of water. Taking care of the drivers body is as important as food, fuel, death and taxes. Kidding on the last 2, just no avoiding them.
I tend to use places with high truck traffic before or after a city. City congestion gives information overload and higher accident risk, often times higher prices too.
Having and knowing about the water sensor/separator is important because you never know when water will strike.

[hookedonclassic]

Next Exit is a great resource. Just got one. Another one is "National Truck Stop Directory" available at Flying J, etc. It gives not only fuel availability, but for RVer's 1) Are RV's welcome, 2)Dumping stations plus a lot of other info.

One point mentioned earlier about stopping at truck stops. The larger ones are busy and it's important move your RV ahead after fueling when other trucks are waiting to fill. They are not on vacation.

[Antique Pedaler]

Finding diesel fuel in the west is never a problem. Finding a pump island that is parallel, rather than perpendicular, to the building can be problematic though.