Diesel price versus cost, or whose $20 is that?

[pelicn]

I know of a few folks who have the fuel tax chart taped inside their logbook and do plan their fuel purchases.

Where do you find this chart? I've found lists from 2003, 2005, etc. but not recent.
How often do these rates change?
Even though we don't pay for the fuel, I'd still like to know how this is figured and how we can plan fuel purchases to be advantageous for our owner.

[Jack_Berry]

i have a page of fuel taxes on page a6 of my 07 rand mcnally truckers atlas.

[pelicn]

Well DUH!! Now I really feel like a dork...and how many times have I looked at that page? Can't see the forest for the trees?
Me an my red face are vacating the premises now

Thanks Jack

[sweetbillebob]

We are online in our truck and every run look at full prices along that run. I can often find a $0.15 within states let alone looking at state to state differences. I top off in cheap states when heading to the coasts. If I am forced to buy full on the coast I buy just enough to get back to a cheaper state. I average $0.15 less than the national average, thus saving the boss $150.00 on 10K miles. I have found that picking and choosing between states and within that state more than make up for the $60/quarter that my boss says he has to pay.

[LDB]

Here's another example, current as of today, 3/5/09. Using the significant discount available through my carrier I can buy fuel in Troy, IL. for $1.845 or in Foristell, MO for $1.704 per gallon. Well duh, there's a no brainer. Buy it in MO. right? No, not right at all. Buying in MO. gets you 17.0 cents fuel tax credit while IL. gets you .367 fuel tax credit. That means the fuel costs you $1.534 in MO. but only $1.478 in IL. That's $8.40 more in your pocket right off the bat on 150 gallons by buying the higher price fuel. That's because you only pay for the fuel. The fuel tax money is just on hold to be used as you burn the fuel.

Now let's burn that fuel by running from St. Louis to Chicago to Detroit and back for 1125 miles and we'll say we got 9mpg. That's going to burn 125 gallons. We bought 150 gallons so we have plenty of fuel. If we bought in MO. we got 150*.17 = $25.50 in fuel tax credit. If we bought in IL. we got 150*.367 = $55.05 in credit. To make the math a little easier we're going to say we drove 600 miles in IL, 75 in IN, and 450 in MI. We owe fuel tax to those states on fuel burned at the rates of IL - .367, IN - .27 and MI - .303. At 9mpg we used approximately 67 gallons in IL, 8.5 in IN and 50 in MI so we owe IL $24.59, IN $2.30 and MI $15.15 for a total of $42.04 in taxes due.

Well now, there's a fine kettle of fish if we bought in MO and only got $25.50 total credit. We're short of the amount needed by $16.54 so that has to come out of our pocket. We've also got 25 gallons of that fuel left that will be burned somewhere and we'll owe the taxes on that, also out of our pocket. If we'd bought that fuel in IL. they wouldn't be reaching into our pocket to collect fuel taxes. They'd take $42.04 out of our fuel tax "piggy bank" where we deposited it when we bought the fuel. They'd be paid up and happy and we'd still have $13.01 left in the pig from that purchase. The worst case scenario is we'll get dispatched out toward Chicago again and burn that fuel in IL and owe the tax at their rate. That would be 25*.367 = $9.18 so we'd still have $3.83 left in our IFTA piggy bank from that purchase, provided we bought the higher price fuel in IL. It's higher priced but has the lowest cost. If we bought based only on price then our pockets are a lot emptier because the cost is higher.

[asjssl]

Again I'm assured of my decision to stay driving my CV

[purgoose10]

I agree with the CV. After 40 years in a big truck it just isn't worth the hassle anymore.
This is a good topic though and yes it is confusing to people new in the game, but believe me this is a very important thing to learn if your really wanting to succeed as an owner operator.
But to my fellow CV operators, I'm not trying to stir things up but if we keep spreading around how wonderful no logging, no CDL, No Physicals, no this no that, everybody will want a CV. Then the market is flooded with CV's. Just thought I would throw that in.
Have a great day.

[Dakota]

I drive a under CDL straight truck and have no logging, no fuel tax, no physical, no hassle and I am home every night

[transporter]

dakota you dont log or need a physical. what are you driving now?

[Dakota]

dakota you dont log or need a physical. what are you driving now?

24 foot International under 26K with air brakes/air ride
I do a pre-trip, but since I stay within 100 air miles of Fort Wayne, I don't need to log. The 14 hour rule still applies though, but after 14 hours I wouldn't want to be in the truck anyways

None of the local drivers at Towne Air have to log even the tractor trailers

[bluejaybee]

I drive a under CDL straight truck and have no logging, no fuel tax, no physical, no hassle and I am home every night

I believe you are supposed to have a physical.

[greg334]

Then the market is flooded with CV's.

It already has been flooded and that is the problem.

[Dakota]

Diesel is $3.25 to $3.45 here