I ws talking to a driver the other day tht says some stations hv better grades of fuel than others as well as states where fuel is weaker.

He mentioned the Shamrock in Denver as a good place for fuel.

Is there any merit to this argument or are all stations the same? Or that fuel from one place burns longer in the engine than fuel from another station causing a difference in fuel mileage.

Most drivers say fuel at Flying J's, Pilots, TA's etc. are all the same.

 

Most stations are the same.


However, there is some merit to actually typing out the entire word when you post. This isn't text messaging.

-p.

 

LOL..fuel is fuel.

The only thing that makes a difference is the condition of the underground storage tanks, or the above ground storage tanks, that a station uses.

If the tanks are unlined steel, have been in service for 20 plus years, without being cleaned or updated..you risk buying "bad fuel" form that station.

Some of the fuel can be contaminated at the loading rack. usually that will be at a "Bulk Terminal" located miles from the main pipeline temrinal, where a truck hauled the fuel in and unloaded it into a 100,000 gallon tank, then another truck came along and pulled out 8600 gallons to deliver to a station.

For the greatest part, the main fuel loading terminals...such as the ones Mr Belpre uses in Indiana, and some of the other posters on this site, from southern california, to florida and beyond, work hard each shift to maintain their equipment, so the fuel that leaves their gates is certifiable as "clean" fuel.

The majority of the major brands...ConocoPhillips ( 66, 76, etc) Valero, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Citgo (yeah..even the commies want to sell you clean fuel), on down the list, have inspectors that work for them, checking stations seperately from the government, to ensure YOU buy clean fuel. They do...They really truly do!

When you get bad fuel....99.9% of the time, it was the tank the fuel came out of at the station, which caused the contamination.

 

I concur. These people usually buy fuel from the same storage facilities. The only difference is the name on the truck. :wink:

 

Dead on! I tanked fuel at one time, and I delivered to a variety of stations but it all came from the same two or three pipeline terminals.

The only caveat I would put in here is that I tend to avoid places that do not do a high fuel turnover. They will usually have old tanks and the fuel sits in there for some time collecting condensation and just deteriorating. This is not always the case, but unless you are familiar with a particular mom and pop truck stop, you would do well to stick with the high volume outlets.

There is always a risk at any time for a load of bad fuel. Sorry, but trucking is a risk anyway. Just use a little sense and trust your gut and you will keep the risk down.

 

Good tip! I once fueled at a Petro-Pass in Ontario, Canada, just off 401 eatst of Toronto. The location had 2 pumps outside of a travel plaza, no attendant, and just a card-reader. When I later did service on the truck, the mechanic called me and asked what was in my tank. I looked and the "liquid" was whitish sort of like paint. I thought someone had poured some glass cleaner or something in my tanks. Petro Canada later called my dispatcher who called me saying my truck number showed on their report and they had a problem with fuel at that particular location on that particular day. Got me a refund for wasted fuel plus cleaning tanks plus buying 200 liters of diesel all over again.