Tsd diesel and gas discount

[Danfreda1]

Just read my email that the tsd will have discount on gasoline in early 2022. Good for some people but smart car only holds about 9 gallons if that sometimes. 

[palmeris]

Tsd app is now called open roads

[GlennWest]

3 hours ago, Danfreda1 said:

Just read my email that the tsd will have discount on gasoline in early 2022. Good for some people but smart car only holds about 9 gallons if that sometimes. 

I have put 11 gallons in mine. Need a pump that capable of low flow

[Danfreda1]

We have had the tsd app then it changed to open roads last year. Don’t know if the app changed haven’t looked. 

[franco-bolli]

After much reading of posts here on RV Network and on other RV sites, I chose to apply for the TSD / Open Roads card. 
Being concerned about the access to funds in my regular banking accounts, I created a new checking account that has no cost to me through my credit union(First Tech Credit Union). The account is set up with no overdraft protections, so it's up to me to keep track of the balances, just like any other checking account. No Overdraft so that if someone, somehow gets into it, they can only have what is remaining in the account and I can dispute the usage.

I deposited an intial amount into the account and then applied for the TSD / Open Roads card. 

Theoretically, with the other voice identification, pin number and secret questions I have set up with my credit union, that it should be a lot more difficult to access any other of my credit union funds if the TSD / Open Roads card website or database is hacked.

At least that's the plan...  I'll need to transfer more into the account as it gets used, which is not an issue with the credit unions online or phone access.

As purely a personal choice, I will be avoiding Flying J, Pilot and Love's based on what I've read about the experiences of drivers on Turbodieselregister.com.  Yes, I realize that many of the discounted fueling stations available to the EFS- TSD card are those stations..

Thanks for the contributions to this thread, it really helped.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Flying J and Pilot are not on the TSD program. We also setup a new account just for this card and haven't had a problem at all in over a year of usage.

Edited January 20, 2022 by GeorgiaHybrid

[Blues]

23 hours ago, franco-bolli said:

As purely a personal choice, I will be avoiding Flying J, Pilot and Love's based on what I've read about the experiences of drivers on Turbodieselregister.com. 

Can you summarize the (presumably bad) experiences?  Contaminated fuel?  Rude employees?  Dirty parking lots?  Trouble with using fleet cards?

[franco-bolli]

In My area, where route 84 passes through, the Flying J / Pilot pumps are .30 to .40 more than others in the area. Maybe they are just taking advantage of divers the "absolutely need fuel" and will pay anything rather than use Gas Buddy to find something cheaper.

OK, Here is a  post that reports an issue.  I see that if you search for trouble spots, you will find supporting information, somewhere... I recall reading about the issues, but don't have them at my fingertips.
 Granted this post is from a long time ago and life/fuel supplies have changed and improved.
https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/fuel-contamination.161395/#post-1535501

 

Other sources:
https://www.thetruckersreport.com/bad-fuel-from-pilot-flying-j-reportedly-disables-trucks/

I may need to reconsider my stance about the Flying J / LOVES / Pilot self subscribed boycott aside from the fact that they are typically more expensive than others around them, even with a discount of .15 to .18 per gallon.  Perhaps my opinion is based on OLD information and is no longer valid.  There is no way they could stay in buisness if the fuel was truely poor quality, the big rigs would stay away in droves. There are as many or more posts touting a good experience or at least no engine issues at those stations.

The more I learn, I realise there is more to learn.

FB

[Kirk W]

11 hours ago, franco-bolli said:

In My area, where route 84 passes through, the Flying J / Pilot pumps are .30 to .40 more than others in the area.

The nearest truck stops to me at present are on I30 in Rockwall, TX and current prices reported by GasBuddy there are,

        Love's ~ gas $3.039    diesel $3.639

       Murphy ~ gas $3.099   diesel $3.269

      Shell   ~    gas $2.949    diesel $3.299

      RaceTrac~ gas $2.939    diesel  $3.399

      TA            ~ gas $2.939   diesel $3.599

I have found this to be a pretty common price comparison all around TX lately with gasoline prices at truck stops fairly competitive with those of local stations but diesel significantly higher. I have come to suspect that it is to offset the common use of fuel discount cards at the truck stops?

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by Kirk W
repair a typo

[palmeris]

Tsd discount for diesel as of today for those participating stations in Rockwall 

TA 3.33

LOVES 3.32

Sunmart in Royce city 3.02 which looks like it's 9 miles from Rockwall looks the best for that general area.

 

[Twotoes]

I have used the TSD card for over a year and have never had any problems with my bank account. At first Loves was the best discount. Now it appears that TA is best. Flying J does not offer a TSD discount due to its affiliation with Good Sam. Before I had the TSD card I did use the Good Sam discount but it was only about .06 cents. TSD averages about .25 to .50 cents a gal of diesel. 

[Kirk W]

20 hours ago, palmeris said:

Tsd discount for diesel as of today for those participating stations in Rockwall 

TA 3.33

LOVES 3.32

Sunmart in Royce city 3.02 which looks like it's 9 miles from Rockwall looks the best for that general area.

 

And also in Rockwall without any discount cards diesel fuel......

7-Elleven    $3.39

Murphy       $3.36        1 exit west of Loves

Exon           $3.39

Exon           $3.29           (Farther from the interstate)

Shell            $3.25

Love's        $3.63     

TA              $3.55

And if you travel west toward Dallas to Mesquite...

Murphy @ I30 and Beltline      $3.37

Valero @ I30 & Northwest Highway      $2.94

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Kirk W

[franco-bolli]

RV Trip wizard  and Gas Bubbdy show the LOVES in Ontario, Oregon at $4.20 and the flying J/Pilot at $4.25 ( Gas buddy doesn't have any information for the flying J closest to me)

The TA just down the road still in Oregon is $4.15

 I think the prices reported in Gas buddy and RV Trip WIzard are the consumer price. The sign out in front the station facing traffic (HUGE you can't miss it) will flash the P.U.C. (public utilities commission) price for a lot less, usually .15 to .20  and then the Credit price probably what shows in Gas Buddy, for a lot more than the PUC, then the CASH price somewhere inbetween the Credit and PUC price sometimes.

Other stations, less than 5 miles away and easy access from route I-84, usually less than a mile from the exit, like Chevron, Sinclair and Jacksons fuels (local provider high volume) are between $3.61 and $3.89 with Chevron on the high end.

So if the discount is .16 / gallon at LOVES, then the price I would pay is $4.04 / gallon.
Which is still roughly .40 more than other stations near by.

Common sense and some quick math may save more than the discount card in this case.

If the discount with the TA is ~.35 then the price is $3.80 / gallon which is OK  but still on the high side and may be worth the stop considering the access and convenience of easy off, easy on.
 

If you're not familiar with the Oregon PUC:
On-road diesel (P.U.C. diesel). If your vehicle is above 26,000 gross vehicle weight in Oregon, you pay a weight mile for your vehicle's state diesel tax. This cost per mile depends on your registered vehicle weight with Oregon.   https://www.andersonyamada.com/news/transportation/how-oregon-calculates-p-u-c-diesel-taxes/

 

[Blues]

27 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

And also in Rockwall without any discount cards......

7-Elleven    $3.39

I think that for meaningful comparisons when pricing diesel, the station should have a dedicated truck island, or at least be somewhat easily accessible by a diesel motorhome with a toad.  That 7-Eleven is the sort of place I might try if it was the middle of the night and I thought there wouldn't be anybody else there.

This is what makes Gas Buddy challenging for diesel--you can't do a satellite view on their map, so you have to have another satellite map open to look at each station you're considering.  People always say, "If the fuel tanker trucks can navigate it, why can't you?"  They don't realize the fuel tankers don't have to navigate up next to a pump sticking 5 feet out of the ground, avoiding other pumps that are sticking five feet out of the ground. 

That's why I'm glad I don't have a big gas motorhome--I can't imagine being limited to "regular" gas pumps every time I need fuel. 

[Star Dreamer]

1 hour ago, franco-bolli said:

RV Trip wizard  and Gas Bubbdy show the LOVES in Ontario, Oregon at $4.20 and the flying J/Pilot at $4.25 ( Gas buddy doesn't have any information for the flying J closest to me)

The TA just down the road still in Oregon is $4.15

 I think the prices reported in Gas buddy and RV Trip WIzard are the consumer price. The sign out in front the station facing traffic (HUGE you can't miss it) will flash the P.U.C. (public utilities commission) price for a lot less, usually .15 to .20  and then the Credit price probably what shows in Gas Buddy, for a lot more than the PUC, then the CASH price somewhere inbetween the Credit and PUC price sometimes.

Other stations, less than 5 miles away and easy access from route I-84, usually less than a mile from the exit, like Chevron, Sinclair and Jacksons fuels (local provider high volume) are between $3.61 and $3.89 with Chevron on the high end.

So if the discount is .16 / gallon at LOVES, then the price I would pay is $4.04 / gallon.
Which is still roughly .40 more than other stations near by.

Common sense and some quick math may save more than the discount card in this case.

If the discount with the TA is ~.35 then the price is $3.80 / gallon which is OK  but still on the high side and may be worth the stop considering the access and convenience of easy off, easy on.
 

If you're not familiar with the Oregon PUC:
On-road diesel (P.U.C. diesel). If your vehicle is above 26,000 gross vehicle weight in Oregon, you pay a weight mile for your vehicle's state diesel tax. This cost per mile depends on your registered vehicle weight with Oregon.   https://www.andersonyamada.com/news/transportation/how-oregon-calculates-p-u-c-diesel-taxes/

 

With the Open Roads TSD discount, Loves is currently at $.28 per gallon. We got a $.47 discount at a TA near Tampa FL yesterday. I have seen them as much as $.60 per gallon. 

A couple of advantages with using the TSD discount is

1) you are not limited to $75 like when using a credit card. The limit is 400 gallons in one day. 

2) the stations typically all have dual high speed nozzles as you have to use the truck pumps to fill. 

3) since it is a truck fuel station, usually it is easier to manuever a larger set up (class A pulling a trailer or toad or a truck and 5th wheel or long bumper pull). Vs taking a chance and getting to a station via gas buddy and finding out you can't fit. If I have to drive more than a few miles out of my way to get cheaper fuel, I will use up more fuel than what I saved.

4) TSD on the app, does let you know that you will pay an additional amount for the taxes in Oregon.

[palmeris]

You can also get a 200.00 dollar cash advance daily with no transaction fees. 

The trucks stops usually have a convenience store , showers, lounge, game rooms, laundry rooms and usually some restaurant chain to get hot prepare food. 

Easy on / off and big rig friendly are the norm. 

Choices that make travel days a bit less stressful...up to you if that has value based on pump prices 

 

[franco-bolli]

Star Dreamer mentions : "With the Open Roads TSD discount, Loves is currently at $.28 per gallon. "

My Mistake, I read in one of the blogs that LOVES was fixed at .16 / gallon discount.

All of the points made about high volume nozzles, space to manuver are valid one's for the rig you're driving. I'm still in a pick-up with a travel trailer, so manuevering is an issue, but not on the scale you deal with.

I'm really glad to see the comments in this forum, as I'm learning more about the considerations for fueling up during longer distance driving. My trips are mostly from SW Idaho to the Oregon and Washington coasts, not as much variety as most of the contributors to this forum see.

Once upon a time, I created an excel sheet that took into account the various factors that add up to the expense of driving down the road per mile. I did this specifically to find out how far from the main road does it makes cents( pun intended) to go to save a few cents on fuel.   It turns out that the sweet spot for the truck I had at that time was 5 miles to save .10 per gallon. Note: I was definite newby and not wiley  to the discount cards at that time.

Based on the comments in this forum from the more experienced folks, I applied for the Open Roads fuel card a couple days ago in anticipation of the summer trip from SW Idaho to the Florida Keys, and back (I hope).

My comments were meant to point out that the discount card isn't the end all to saveing a few bucks when refuling.
I'm all about saving a few bucks on fuel that I can use to get a couple of cool one's when I stop for the night.

I think I mentioned somewhere, that the more I learn, I realize there is more to learn.

Cheers

FB

[rickeieio]

Nearest truck stop which would give a TSD discount to where I live is currently $3.79.  Just a couple miles closer is a Costco at $3.12.  With about a 2,000 mile range, I think I'll use a combination of Gasbuddy and Costco.

Can I get in/out of Costco hitched up?  Of course not.  But we do unhook occasionally.

[Danfreda1]

We paid 3.11 with a regular price of 4.02 at a T/A between Tucson and phoenix about 3 weeks ago. We probably put at least 250 gallons in. Good enough savings for me. 

[Kirk W]

6 hours ago, Danfreda1 said:

We paid 3.11 with a regular price of 4.02 at a T/A between Tucson and phoenix about 3 weeks ago.

Just wondering, is the $3.11 what you paid at the pump with a discount card? If with a card, did that reflect the amount before or after the part taken by TSD?

[Danfreda1]

That was our discount price per gallon before the fees. We have an hdt with 43 ft fifth wheel and only fill at truck stops so we can fill both tanks. Have tried it at regular gas stations where it was a few cents cheaper and it was not worth it. 

[hatrack]

On 1/23/2022 at 8:18 AM, Kirk W said:

Just wondering, is the $3.11 what you paid at the pump with a discount card? If with a card, did that reflect the amount before or after the part taken by TSD?

Kirk,

The pump will show the price at the 4.05 price, that will be billed to TSD and they will place their price and add the fee and take from you account. If you would like to see the number, I can post a pdf to show how they do it.

 

Ken....

[franco-bolli]

Today, the TSD/ open Roads card arrived and I activated it.  I downloaded their phone ap and it shows prices of the fueling stations within the radius I chose (125 miles).  All the stations that show up are available for use with the card as fas as I can tell.

Does anyone know if the price that shows up in the Open Roads ap, is the same as what is charged when using the card? 

How often are the pump prices updated in the open road ap?

I ask, because when I looked at Gas Buddy for the same station and it was .20 more in Gas Buddy than the Open Road ap. The Gas Buddy report was supposedly 3 hours old.

 

[jblo]

I used to use GasBuddy without fail, but after getting fooled seriously (some posted prices for diesel were at stations that did not sell diesel--some were at mom/pop stations with no hope a getting a 55' setup in) I changed to using GasGuru.  Not as many bad leads with that one.

I also have the OpenRoads card and it works just fine at most truck stops--my basic problem with truck stops is lack of cleanliness on the drives and the usual stack of semis moving about. Whenever I travel in TX, I now try to hit the Buc-ees stations--lots of room, plenty of pumps, clean drives, no semis. 'Course half the traveling world also likes them.

[Kirk W]

57 minutes ago, jblo said:

I used to use GasBuddy without fail, but after getting fooled seriously (some posted prices for diesel were at stations that did not sell diesel--some were at mom/pop stations with no hope a getting a 55' setup in)

I have never had the no diesel problem as long as I asked Gas Buddy to find diesel. If you check for gasoline then not all stations listed will have diesel. Small stations do come up if they sell the fuel that you have selected. I have never used Gas Guru.