I nearly dropped a load in my pants this morning as I passed the gas station on my way to work....
$2.39 a gallon!!!
6 months ago, right after I bought my truck, I was paying $1.74! That is a 37% increase in SIX MONTHS. At this rate, not only am I NOT going to race next year (as opposed to my planned "very light" year).. I'm going to have to sell everything I own, buy myself a Civic, and move back in with dad!
The really odd thing about this is that when I bought the truck, diesel was ~20 cents per gallon LESS than regular 87 octane gasoline. Now it's 10 cents MORE per gallon than PREMIUM gasoline. What gives?? Are stations just trying to gouge truckers?
Well, with the combined crude oil prices up 65% in the last year, and a shortage of home heating oil (which is the same as diesel), all the refineries are focusing their supplies on providing heating oil.
Thats why diesel is always cheaper in the summer months (no heating oil being used) and down south (no heating oil being used :D)
That's the best answer on why it's all up and down and down in the south.
I think that Biodiesel is starting to look attractive.
Here and there it's available. Might be worth looking at now.
QuoteThat's the best answer on why it's all up and down and down in the south.
I think that Biodiesel is starting to look attractive.
Here and there it's available. Might be worth looking at now.
Is that the stuff you make at home? Or is it something else, that certain gas stations sell?
Biodiesel is basically an oil product made from the oil of canola and other agr. refuse products. They do make commerical engines for it and distribute the fuel for it, but its more pricey.
If you wanna get real cheap, check out GreaseCar.com. They sell a kit to convert your standard diesel engine to run off of left over deep fry grease. Most restaurants have to PAY to have this stuff taken away, so they'll give it to you for free.
Downside is that you need to start and stop the engine on standard diesel and the grease congeals in the lines.
B100 (straight bio diesel...basicially a soy product with a little methanol) is going for about the same cost as regular diesel in Maryland.
Other places it's around $3 a gallon. Apparently, it might make your diesel run smoother with better lubrication.
WVO...waste vegetable oil...whole different animal...but you can make that into bio diesel of your own.
Here's a place to play...
http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=biodiesel&PHPSESSID=
QuoteDownside is that you need to start and stop the engine on standard diesel and the grease congeals in the lines.
With a Powerstroke, it's perfect since everything meets in the V of the engine. You use lines for the extra tank that run engine coolant in it (a separate line that moves warm coolant, obviously) to warm the WVO (waste vegetable oil).
The coking is only a problem really when you shut down the vehicle on it and it makes a mess on the injectors. Start up isn't going to be easy because it just needs heat.
As for a restaruant letting you have it for free...well, it's not necessarily that easy. Still, it is an opportunity.
My uncle knew someone that did the used fry oil in his Powerstroke, but he lived in the southwest where he didn't have to deal with real cold. He said the funny thing about it was that his truck smelled like french fries going down the road! ;D He used to mix in a small amount of gasoline with it, he apparently had that down to an art on how much to use. He supplied a local restraunt with a filter system he made up that would filter the oil. The restraunt would dump the oil into a barrel that had the filter system attached to it and it would automatically filter the fluid and pump it into a grease storage container.
Mixed gasoline with it? I think that would have been really bad. Methanol maybe.
QuoteMixed gasoline with it? I think that would have been really bad. Methanol maybe.
It was gasoline, I questioned that myself. If I remember correctly it was something like 2 gallons of gas to 50 or 100 gallons of fry oil.
i would expect maybe kerosene, not gasoline.
gasoline's octane is chemically opposite of diesel's cetane
Yeah, kerosene 50:1
Quote Yeah, kerosene 50:1
My uncle was telling me about this a couple years after he had known this person so it's possible he may have been mistaken about the type of fuel mixed with the fry oil. As I said before, I questioned gasoline as being the fuel mixed in also. :)
Hey Jimmy P you think thats, bad now that i own my own trucking business i go through about 300 gallons a week at 2.17 a gallon- you do the math :'(
QuoteHey Jimmy P you think thats, bad now that i own my own trucking business i go through about 300 gallons a week at 2.17 a gallon- you do the math :'(
I can't even imagine how bad this is getting for the trucking industry....
QuoteHey Jimmy P you think thats, bad now that i own my own trucking business i go through about 300 gallons a week at 2.17 a gallon- you do the math :'(
ooh, ooh, I can do that one!! Thats $651 a week. :D
Aren't you able to write off those costs as business expenses?
Yeah, it's called "increase the cost to customers"
Tell me what doesn't get anyway by shipping by truck, train, or plane. Pretty much the same fuel...diesel and jet fuel.
That's why milk is over $3 a gallon.
Thats the sad thing Dave, the only one who sees the increase is the company my semi is leased too :-/
I run 3 trucks of my own and 1 lease operator. My main customer refuses to pay a fuel surcharge. At this point in time I've resighned myself that he will accept a rate increase or we will disband and go looking for jobs. The next carrier will start with a higher rate than mine, I'm sure of it, but it's a chance shippers often take to keep carriers under their thumb. WHICH MAKES TRUCKING A SUC AS_ CAREER since you have to change jobs for inflation! OK, I'm done whining. JER how hard is it for you to get a rate increase?
And there are those that wanted to put a 50 cent tax on gas and fuel?
Ok, we all know that this is caused by the Chinese economy's need for raw materials. Seems to be lots of finger pointing, but if you have more people that want the product, well, the price goes up. Not much anyone can do here.
But I'd bet we see a little more work on biodiesel fuels. Really, the soy that is currently used for it isn't the best product for biodiesel...but things will have to change for that. Will take time.
Greasel...
not much of an option in the colder states I'd think.
And the pimp van... I ordered new glow-plugs yesterday as the light was staying on FOREVER (like 30 seconds), and this morning the batteries finally gave up the ghost... Ugh... there's another $200...
Why drive when you can ride. There is still 6 to 10 weeks left to ride before it snows too much (SE Wisconsin).
I commute about 12,000 to 14,000 miles per year on my bike which gets about 45 mpg and costs $180 per year to insure (full coverage with collision - 1997 BMW R1100RT). Cheaper and much more fun than my truck.
QuoteWhy drive when you can ride. There is still 6 to 10 weeks left to ride before it snows too much (SE Wisconsin).
I commute about 12,000 to 14,000 miles per year on my bike which gets about 45 mpg and costs $180 per year to insure (full coverage with collision - 1997 BMW R1100RT). Cheaper and much more fun than my truck.
I would... and I have considered it. But I've spoiled myself a little bit by doing so much track riding and NO street riding this year. I just don't feel safe sitting in rush hour traffic on I-90 on my way in to the city every morning. It's bad enough people don't see me in my 7,500lb, 4-door 4wd diesel pickup truck. They're REALLY not going to see me on the Blackbird or Softail.
QuoteGreasel...
not much of an option in the colder states I'd think.
There is.
Usually, you'll use a fuel feed and return line that has engine coolant in it...that would warm the WVO...some guys use a heater even on the bottom of the tank. Once you get it going, you'd be fine....You just start and stop on diesel.
sorry it took so long to reply, i work about 16 hrs a day, and then go to the gym, and try to balence out a girlfriend in there someplace and i think i ate some food, anyways- I think the sv or the gixxer would look awful funny with a 40 ft container trailer behind them so riding is out of the question
In Florida we are paying 219 to 2.26!! I talked to a friend of my dad that works at the Port for Marathon fuels. He says diesel will still be going up because the Govt has made fuel companys take more steps in refining diesel since its so polluntant!!
Don't blame the government.
Individuals that wanted the government to change it affected the change.
But a lot of that happened about seven to ten years ago.
The global market place for petroleum is the problem.
An increasing taxes.
Truck guys...tell us how bad your taxes are for your businesses.
Don't get me started, naw too late. I spend $2,800 to $3,200 in tolls a month mostly at the Baltimore tunnels for 4 trucks, Stickers for tags are $1,800each, Federal road use tax is $550 per truck, fuel tax I don't even want to look but at 28 to 33 cents a gallon it's over a thousand a month, and never forget the random "inspection", figure $100 ticket for something once a month. Wonder why a loaf of bread is so expensive. It's taxed to death before the bakery gets the flour, it's taxed again before it leaves the bakery. It's just part of business.
Don't move to Camarillo(Ca) Was ranked highest price in gas in the country. Before I left for the GNF and ROC it was up to 2.80.
Republic of California
Soy based diesel is needed ASAP. But it will get a road tax and all. So...
I'm out of the racing fuel business now, so I can't give any good answers on what's really happening, but I know that we had a surcharge over the past several years that was related to the increased expenses of raw materials.
Just harder to get in the global market.
Was it Clinton that opened that whole thing up? Wasn't that how he got elected with all the Chinese money? Maybe that's Kerry's big supporter too that he keeps talking about.
Sorry to get off topic... ;D