? about fueling up

Help this diesel rookie out, I have a question about truck stops. Do the diesel pumps the truckers use have card readers for credit and debit cards? Also, I know not to dawdle at these pumps so is there anything else I should know about these pumps? Any tips or other information about the truck stops is appreciated.

I always try to use the Flying J truck stops because they have RV island to purchase fuel. They have card readers and you can get a Flying J discount card and save a penny on each gallon.

I have a flying J 5 miles away from home and the trucker side does have card readers. 1 time the diesel pumps were closed and the RV section was busy, so I thought I would be smart and go to the trucker side. Well, much to my surprise, if you use a charge card at the trucker's side, they charge you .05 cents per gallon more.

Moral of my story, go to the car section, or at least the RV section.

Also, be careful, first time I stopped at the trucker's pumps somewhere on I90 out Midwest somewhere, senior moment, I pull up to the pumps and the reader is on the right but my tank is on the left. Well, its a trucker's pump, so pumps on both side. I run my card on the right, go around the truck and pick up the nozzle on the left and no fuel. Tried again, still no fuel. Called the office and they said credit card went thru, try again. Same thing.

The trucker next to me was watching and laughing, finally he comes over and says the controls are on the right, you have to pull the nozzle out and lay it on the ground, then go to the left and pump.

Now how stupid is that?

Also, if you are fueling at a trucker island, the nozzle is a larger diameter than the diesel pump you'll find at the corner qwik-e-mart. But not to worry, the truck is set to use the bigger nozzle. Mine is the long bed and therefore the 38-gallon tank, so it can fill that baby in a heart beat.

Another thing to know about diesel is that it foams up pretty bad when fueling. I can slowly pump in another three gallons after the first auto-shutoff of the pump using a regular pump. I can't remember how much at a truck stop, but what I do is barely put the nozzle in the filler and watch for the foam, stop when it backs up, wait for the foam to subside and then give it another squirt. I fill until I can actually see fuel in the filler tube before I stop pumping.

That extra 3 gallons will get me another 30 miles in a pinch.

Very good point Mark. I do the same thing, up to the top.....

Why is it so foamy? I hate the foam.

The trucker next to me was watching and laughing, finally he comes over and says the controls are on the right, you have to pull the nozzle out and lay it on the ground, then go to the left and pump.

Now how stupid is that?

I've had to use those before.,,,, it depends on which island you pull into. You have to go to the island to the far left for the correct nozel to be on the driver side.
Most of them are the way that you would expect it to be.

Now figureing out what number pump your at is a whole nother story.

At most truck stops you have to go in and let them swipe your card. then go back out and pump. When you get through pumping , just pull forward so the next truck can pull in and start pumping and go back in and pay.
Don't get intimidated by the trucks and how busy it is.
They'll look out for you. And most don't bat an eye at you fueling at the big trucks pump. And yes they pump very fast so don't walk away from the hose. Keep your hand on it. and listen for it filling up the neck. ITS FAST.....
And yes if you can tote just enough cash for a few fill ups,,,,, you'll save a good bit on the cash price.
Other than that look for a walmart with gas pumps.

At some Truck stops including Flying J that have RV & Auto out front and Big rigs on the side or back. The price can be higher at the RV & Auto.

If you have to use the trucker's island at a truck stop remember to be courteous and pull forward before going to the fuel desk to pay for your load. Also, if you use the RV pumps out front and you have to pay inside, pull over to the RV parking area before going in.

I can't tell you the number of times that I've sat behind another patron at a Flying J who spent 20 minutes in the C-store before coming out to go on his merry way. And that was after he filled both 100 gallon tanks on his $300K bus conversion. I don't begrudge him the fueling time, but I'd like to have popped him one for the 20 minute wait in line while he took his sweet old time in the C-store.

Another time that this happened, I had the fuel desk page the owner (very embarassing) to come and move his rig. By the way, I'm not bashful.

Sorry for the rant, and I'm outta here

I can get almost 4 gallons after the click off.

As far as the foam is concerned, you can drop the Ford tank and cut the breather tube. It extends a few inches from the top of the tank. They call it the Harpoon Mod. I haven't done it because I haven't felt like dropping the tank in the past 10 years.

I've notice that the trucker's islands at a lot of places have a large "lip" on the end of the nozzel to enable the nozzel to "hang" onto the tank. These nozzels will not fit into my fill hose. Problem is, I never know until I pull up to the island and visually check it out.

I too always "try" to make it to the next FlyingJ.

jetskier wrote:I can get almost 4 gallons after the click off.

As far as the foam is concerned, you can drop the Ford tank and cut the breather tube. It extends a few inches from the top of the tank. They call it the Harpoon Mod. I haven't done it because I haven't felt like dropping the tank in the past 10 years.

I have seen this, but like you, I don't feel like dropping the tank either.

Thanks for all the info. I'm sure I'll still manage to make a fool of myself at a truck stop anyway. I believe it's my destiny to look like an idiot.

I know I'm too old to be dropping a tank, heck I'm not crazy about the idea of getting on the ground to check and drain the water from the chassis mounted fuel filter every month.

Since we got the auxilliary tank, we only fill up once a day - without the trailer on the back. Saves us a lot of headaches. I think the only place we fill up with the trailer is at the Shell station near the Tallahassee West (Chattahoochee) KOA. Never any traffic to contend with.

Richard Mondavi wrote:
I'm not crazy about the idea of getting on the ground to check and drain the water from the chassis mounted fuel filter every month.

You dont have to do that, I have 36K miles on my 3.5 year old truck and have never done that.

Only if the light on the dash comes on is when you have to do it.

I have 97k and I've only done it once. I think in 2002.

Oh, I take it back. In December 2006 I had to drain it because the o-rings on the drain cock leaked when the ULSD came out.

I did replace my drain plug in the HFCM(Horizontal Fuel Conditioning Module) with this

Makes it much easier to drain the HFCM when I replace the fuel filter under there.

I got mine from the local International Harvester dealer.

for that information on the Drain Plug.

jetskier wrote:I have 97k and I've only done it once. I think in 2002.

Oh, I take it back. In December 2006 I had to drain it because the o-rings on the drain cock leaked when the ULSD came out.

I'm glad my 2000 does not have a frame mounted filter or drain (actually it does now that I have installed an air dog, but that's another topic). I drain my seperator every 5k when I change the oil.

My company rig (2005 6.0) drives me crazy. Seems like the water light comes on every week; I drive into the quick lube and let them drain it. It is much simplier with the 7.3's and the drain on top.

Good, I'm glad I won't have to get under the truck once a month to drain the HFCM. I can get down on the ground OK, it's getting back up I hate. My bones sound like Rice Krispies....snap, crackle, and pop.
I really appreciate all the info you good folks have provided me, thank you all.

Mine get's drained every oil change by the shop I go to (every 5,000 miles). I've only had to drain it myself one time when I got a bad load of fuel at a truck stop in New Mexico.

scottz wrote:I'm glad my 2000 does not have a frame mounted filter or drain (actually it does now that I have installed an air dog, but that's another topic). I drain my seperator every 5k when I change the oil.

My company rig (2005 6.0) drives me crazy. Seems like the water light comes on every week; I drive into the quick lube and let them drain it. It is much simplier with the 7.3's and the drain on top.

I'm wondering if the NV humidity is the reason I don't see any water in the fuel. It's so dry here that you don't see condensation on anything.

Thanks for all the info. I'm sure I'll still manage to make a fool of
myself at a truck stop anyway. I believe it's my destiny to look like
an idiot.

That's the story of my life.

Never seen my WIF light come on either. I imagine with how dry it is out here in NM, if there was water in the fuel the air will find it and fix it quick like.

Joel

joelabq wrote:

Thanks for all the info. I'm sure I'll still manage to make a fool of
myself at a truck stop anyway. I believe it's my destiny to look like
an idiot.

That's the story of my life.

Never seen my WIF light come on either. I imagine with how dry it is out here in NM, if there was water in the fuel the air will find it and fix it quick like.

Joel

I live in NM and my 6.0 light comes on frequently, especially in the winter. My 7.3 light seldom comes on (but it has a couple of times). My 6.0 sensor may be bad. I don't think it has anything to do with atmospheric humidity; more like water getting into the storage tanks.

OK, we left home a day early and drove to the Memphis, TN area. We are staying at E Z Daze RV park just across the border in Mississippi.

The drive was 288.6 miles door to door and I was amazed at how easily the diesel pulled the Wildcat down I-55. We stopped at the Flying J in southern MO for fuel. According to the truck's computer we averaged 10.8 MPG for the trip. According to my calculations, based on actual fuel put into the tank, we averaged 10.2 MPG. Either way I'm thrilled with the new truck.

Bummer, the last two rest stops in MO on southbound I-55 are closed. Not good for an old man like me. Thank goodness for the Flying J.

We leave here Sunday morning for the long drive (long for us) to Bay St. Louis, MS. We plan to spend March at Bay Hide Away RV park so if anyone is in the area stop by and say "hi".

I have a 100gl extra fuel tank with a 12volt pump,I have to stop every so often at rest stops and I fill up then. I use a BP card and I get 5% off the price of fuel, I also have another card where I can use anywhere and still get the 5% off,lets see here in NC at 2.90 a gallon thats 14 cents off each gallon,its a pretty good deal, it sure beats a penny a gallon. If you stop at Wal-mart you can put money on a Wal-mart card and save 3 cents a gallon.

Blimey 2.90 a gallon (3.85 ltr) I would have to pay the equivalent of $6.50. Over twice the price

Sean