Fuel stops at the flying J. Any discounts on fuel

[basspond51]

I'm new with the FMCA. Are there any discounts for fuel. 

[hermanmullins]

basspond51,

Welcome to the Forum. Sorry that one of the programs FMCA hasn't been able to work out. Many of us maintain membership in Good Sams for their RV Plus card with Pilot/Flying J. It's not like they haven't been trying. However there are a lot of other Benefits, for example the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program.

Herman 

[bm02tj]

In the last couple of years Pilot & Flying J are priced so high I look else where 

I think they discount with an amount for large trucking firms that bean counters think they are getting a better deal when they are not  

[wolfe10]

1 hour ago, bm02tj said:

In the last couple of years Pilot & Flying J are priced so high I look else where 

I think they discount with an amount for large trucking firms that bean counters think they are getting a better deal when they are not  

Totally agree.

Years ago, Flying J was our "go to" fuel stop. No longer-- with or without a couple of cents discount, they are  almost always at the high end of local pricing.

Now  we use: http://then.gasbuddy.com/

When we will need fuel, scroll along that part of our route for best price (cover a day's drive in under 2 minutes on the computer).  Then use Google map/satellite plus street view to verify easy entrance/exit.

My theory is that the cheapest fuel in an area is almost by definition a high volume store.

[manholt]

Brett.  Cheapest fuel, tend to be across the road from Flying J, Pilot, Love's and/or T/A !

[rossboyer]

Our trip to Gillette and back we stopped at several FlyingJ’s. Found that they were competitive and with life Good Sam card, we got $0.08 off. The fuel was non-bio and #2. Many of the local ‘stores’ were 10-20% bio. 

We found that FlyingJ was higher on our trip back from Arizona last spring. All were bio fuel. We have found a couple of local stores near our overnight stops that sell non-bio #2. 

[wolfe10]

Ross,

One of the problems I have is that it is VERY difficult to tell what percent bio is actually at the pump.  Most pumps now say "up to .....%).  Clerks clearly don't know.  In many cases, a dice roll.

Exception is those states where legislatures/farm lobbies have mandated percent bio, irrespective of economic or ecological considerations.

[richard5933]

We often choose the Flying J just for their ease of in/out and because they have other services we need like dump station, scales, etc. With the Good Sam discount it's usually within a few cents of the cheaper guy across the street with the tiny lot. Even 4 or 5 cents difference is only a few bucks, and it's worth it to me to know that my bus will fit into their lots. They also have high-flow pumps so I'm not there all day trying to fill a 165-gallon tank.

[obedb]

When the founder and CEO of Flying J died in an aircraft accident (at least so I read and I remember seeing his Jet at an airport along I-15  north of Ogden, maybe Brigham City). The management  eventually wound up in the hands of others. I read his daughters  got the company in trouble when diesel prices skyrocketed. They entered into a long term contract  for diesel supplied to their stores. Prices later settled down and then dropped. They sold to Pilot. Almost never my choice in decades of trucking. 

Flying J was where I slept in my rig safely, fueled with quality fuel (fuel water separator told me so), enjoyed their corporate restaurants, their free showers with fuel coupons, their burritos when running hard and no time to enjoy a good meal. Pilot has changed a lot of things there, but as an RVer, I still try to fuel there when I can. Lots of room for big rigs and big motorhomes. If you are insistent on the cheapest fuel, maybe you picked the wrong hobby. It is a hobby and an expensive one. I enjoy convenience and pleasant employees.

[brocki]

Just my personal opinion.  We attempt to route to use their fuel stops.  The have good fuel, decent fuel islands, usually enough room and enough sites for my MH and towed.  With my GS fuel card, and if I subtract the few remaining cents difference  from the cheaper guy, my overnite rent is pretty cheap.

But it's a good thing we don't all think alike.  Half of these companies would be out of business.

[manholt]

Richard, I don't fit in a small lot, I'm at 63 feet with toad, so I only use sTruck Stops.  There are plenty out there and I also like fast pumps for my big fuel tank!  I go to the same pump the OTR's go.

Byron.  I'm just a coach owner, 17 & counting!  Afford it, has nothing to do with cost, I don't like to over spend, if I don't have to & I'm there only for fuel.

[kaypsmith]

I guess that I'm just lucky, I use Pilot/Flying J whenever possible, I have the GS rvplus card which saves .08 per gallon, and .05 on all  gasoiline products. Here in the southeast, most of their stops are within 3 to 5 cents and with the discount I do save money. I quit Loves when I was in need of a fuel filter replacement, Loves told me that they neither worked on Busses or Motorhomes, I spotted my filter on their shelf and asked to buy it so I could replace myself, was told, we have already told you that we don't work on your type. I limped back 12 miles to a Petrol stop, where they were glad to accommodate me. My fuel filter is super easy to replace, I sit on a stool at the rear of the bus and change the filter inside a door that is designed for changing that filter, only has one which is a two stage filter. Soooooooooo, Loves gets no more of my business for anything even if it is cheaper. 

[hermanmullins]

Kay we will keep that in mind when we travel to the Southeast, however back here in the wild, wild West they will run up to 25 cent more. And that adds up when putting in 70 to 90 gallons. When we started Rving I used Flying J a lot, but they were not connected with Pilot then. People  tell me that they stop at Bucees (? spelling) and found them to be very competitive. I like, in our area "QT" (Quick Trip). I have, what they call a Pump Start Card, where you can fill up with all the fuel you need then pay. Most of the time they are a cent or to higher but when I go in and pay their pastries are very good.

I do shy away from Love's. They are not RV friendly at all.

Herman 

[manholt]

Clarification:

ObedB.  Pilot joined with Flying J in 2012...very interesting read on Wikipedia.  It's now in the top 10 corporations in America!

[obedb]

Kay/ it is always better to have filter replacements and not need them than to need one and not have it.😉

They had a replacement and would not sell it to you? I would have gone to the manager. 

[obedb]

If you have to line up behind big rigs at the J or Pilot, that means you are getting good fuel. The fuel trucks are constantly at work trying to keep the big rigs fueled. Everybody gets maybe a small dose of bad stuff (but not enough to clog filters) because the constant deliveries keep the In ground tanks washed out.  In spite of what the occasional miscreant thinks , have never gotten any bad fuel at the Flying J.

Years ago, maybe early 90s I was able to engage a Flying J tanker driver in conversation at the Amarillo station. He probably would have been disciplined by the manager for being forthcoming, but I remember him saying that the tanker was used around the clock and the local pipeline fuel rack was nearby. The amount of fuel pumped daily was amazing. I wanna say close to 100,000 gallons a day, but I would not  bet big money on that. It was a major fueling station for big trucking companies and small guys like me. It was Texas with low taxes ,  and fuel got more expensive as you headed west.

My point is , once again, that if you have to wait behind a lot of big rigs to fuel, you are getting quality  fuel from a high volume store. That is why I prefer the Flying J. 

I do have a story about bad fuel and no replacement filter while going over Donner Pass. Another time. Learned a lesson on that encounter .  Never again. It applies to anybody with a diesel powered motorhome.

[manholt]

Byron, in the 60's, 70's you could  end up with "Barge gas".  Old, nasty, tar like fuel.  In 2008, I got into heavy condensate from a very busy T/A truck stop on I-10 in TX.  engine stopped in parking lot...got 3 glasses of water out of fuel filter, before I got diesel.  

[elkhartjim]

And you were paying dearly for diesel in 2008. As I recall I paid almost $5/ gallon in MS that year.  $4.89 or somewhere in that area.

 

[kaypsmith]

On ‎9‎/‎9‎/‎2018 at 2:28 PM, obedb said:

They had a replacement and would not sell it to you? I would have gone to the manager.

The thought came to me, but the shirt he was wearing had a name, I supposed that it was his, along with service manager just below. I sent an e-mail to the company, who in turn sent their apologies along with, he was only following rules. That's when I swore to never travel without a spare filter, and never ever frequent a Loves truck stop again. As I said, the coach limped the longest 12 miles that I ever remember, there were no cab companies available and there was no toad on that trip, that wont happen again, another reason for others that don't think that a toad is necessary, I had decided to rent a car instead on this trip.

[srflorie]

While the large truck stops may be easier to get into, they are usually much higher priced than some smaller stops. I have seen as high as 25-30 cents difference AND at most of the larger fueling centers, you pay 5 to 6 cents per gallon higher if you use a card of any kind, whether it is debit or credit. Some smaller stations do this too, but not near as many as the larger ones and even if they do, they are usually cheap enough to make a huge difference. So, even with the 8 cents discount for the GS card, you are still paying a much higher price at the larger stops. It may be easier to get into a larger stop, but with a little research using Google Earth, Gas Buddy and other apps, you can find a stop that you can fit into. In my opinion also, it is generally a lot dirtier at the pumps and you carry that diesel stink into your coach on your shoes more often from a larger truck stop than a smaller fuel stop. Again, just my opinion and experience. Unless the large truck stop is within a few pennies of the smaller guy, I'm going to the smaller guy.

[manholt]

I think Byron has stock in Flying J.  Wonder what he uses, when there is no Flying J or other name brands around?  Such as most mountain area's of Colorado!  

[obedb]

I plan my fuel buys carefully, and when I absolutely have to buy fuel from a small player, I sample the fuel by placing it into a fruit jar that I carry specifically for sampling. If it looks good, I buy what I need. Gotta be a light green usually with no obvious contaminants. 

The TA was never a favorite of mine. I did and still use the Petros when necessary. They were a cut above and still seem to be even though TA bought them.

Oddly, I have never seen a mom and pop across the street from a Flying J offering fuel for a much lower number. We also use cash for fuel. I estimate  the needed amount, pay cash at the fuel desk, and then fuel. If I can't get it all in our tank, I go in for a partial refund. Works every time. Have never known anyone to charge more for paying cash.

When I was a trucker I used the Flying J card and really chalked up the rewards points. I often used 500 or more gallons a week, used a Racor fuel/water separator, and was very happy with the lack of appreciable water to drain. Only used additives  back then for winter driving. Saw a lot of temps below zero as I traveled the northwest.

Started trucking in 1965. The more sophisticated  fuel filtering that goes on now did not exist then. Do not remember even air dryers , but we got by. Barge gas! 🤔🙄

[obedb]

OH shoot! Forgot to answer Kay about spares. I learned that lesson early as an owner operator. Limped over Donner Pass Westbound because of no replacement cartridge for my Racor. Bought some bad fuel from a small western chain called Bingo. After that experience, I stocked up on replacements and stayed away from the Bingos.

I have multiple spare filters in our Phaeton.

 

[desertdeals69]

On my way to Gillette I bought a little over 100 gal of diesel for $2.999 at Costco.  About 30-50 cents/gal cheaper than others.

[five]

We just got back from a 3,500 mile 13 state trip out west.  The most expensive fuel was $3.70 in SLC...the price was a slow build heading west.  That $3.70 was a dollar more than in the middle of the country.  But....we did get our $.08 cents off a gallon with the Pilot/Flying J card, what a deal.😝