Talked With a Gasoline Trucker

[sign216]

I talked with a tanker truck driver, delivering fuel to a Shell station. 
His tanker truck had a changeable placard, so he could change the truck's sign to show which brand of gasoline he was delivering.
He said all the stations hire trucking services to deliver their fuel now.  Sunoco is the only brand that still has their own delivery trucks, servicing their own stations (at least in New England). 

The gasoline is bought as a generic product, but gets a different additive package at the wholesaler depending on which station he's going to.  I.e. if that day he's making Shell deliveries, the gasoline gets the Shell additive pack, he changes his truck's placard to "Shell," and off he goes delivering to Shell stations.  If that day he's delivering to "no name" stations, then the fuel gets the generic govt additive pack, and he delivers that.

[Huzo]

Damn that's interesting Sign, did he indicate how much the additive differs from brand to brand ?

[papa]

Additives can vary from region to region, state to state and seasons of the year.

Thus differences in prices......along with other things like holiday  weekends.

[sign216]

Damn that's interesting Sign, did he indicate how much the additive differs from brand to brand ?

He didn't say if there's much difference between brand additive packs.  He's just the driver, I imagine the engineer or worker at the wholesaler would know. 

Note there's Top Tier,  a collection of gasoline brands who all pledge to use a heightened level of additives.  Reportedly the govt a few yrs ago lowered the required level of "cleaners" in fuel, and Top Tier was formed.  It's a group of brands promising to stick to the old higher level of additives.

[slowmover]

I know Chicago has a "summer blend" whatever that is.Probably to make the air cleaner for Ohio when the wind blows it that way.

[Perazzimx14]

I believe the proper CB term is "tanker yanker"

[Triple Jim]

One difference between summer blends and winter blends is vapor pressure, or the tendency to evaporate.  In the winter, you need a volatile fuel so it will not condense on the surfaces of the intake manifold and ports, but stay mixed with air and get where it needs to be.  In the summer, the warm air makes that part easy, but you need a lower vapor pressure to avoid vapor lock in the fuel system, which happens when the gasoline turns to vapor in places like the fuel pump, which needs liquid fuel to do its job.

I once drove a motor home to Florida from NC for a business trip around April.  I filled up the tanks soon after I started the trip, and as I went south and got into summer like temperatures, it didn't take long before the engine quit.  When I realized I had filled up with winter blend gasoline and was driving in summer temperatures, I switched to the rear tank, which was farther from engine heat, and managed to get where I was going.  Eventually I transferred the rest of the fuel in the front tank to the rear one and was able to use it up.

[sign216]

I believe the proper CB term is "tanker yanker"

Sounds like a woman of ill repute.

Just sayin."

[Arizona Wayne]

One difference between summer blends and winter blends is vapor pressure, or the tendency to evaporate.  In the winter, you need a volatile fuel so it will not condense on the surfaces of the intake manifold and ports, but stay mixed with air and get where it needs to be.  In the summer, the warm air makes that part easy, but you need a lower vapor pressure to avoid vapor lock in the fuel system, which happens when the gasoline turns to vapor in places like the fuel pump, which needs liquid fuel to do its job.

I once drove a motor home to Florida from NC for a business trip around April.  I filled up the tanks soon after I started the trip, and as I went south and got into summer like temperatures, it didn't take long before the engine quit.  When I realized I had filled up with winter blend gasoline and was driving in summer temperatures, I switched to the rear tank, which was farther from engine heat, and managed to get where I was going.  Eventually I transferred the rest of the fuel in the front tank to the rear one and was able to use it up.

These blends are all dictated by the EPA.

[rodekyll]

Yup, in the face of all the science saying summer and winter formulae are needed, it took rules to achieve what simple, common sense should have been sufficient to dictate.  It's a good thing the EPA is on the job!   

[jdgretz]

Yup, in the face of all the science saying summer and winter formulae are needed, it took rules to achieve what simple, common sense should have been sufficient to dictate.  It's a good thing the EPA is on the job!   

And here in Cali, you get to add the California Air Resources Board into that mix to ensure we get really crappy gas.

jdg

[Two Checks]

There is a terminal just a couple miles from my house and all brands of trucks file into the gates.

[Orange Guzzi]

The fuel suppliers unload fuel here in Southern Indiana and pump it north to a fuel terminal.  They pump various types of fuel thru the same line.  The blend zone is redirected to precipitate the mixtures into usable fuel.     

[krglorioso]

My cars and bikes live on Chevron and have for years due to their additives, including Techron.  When we had a Mercedes car, the service manager at a dealership advised use of Chevron and nothing else.  I expect that all "top tier" gasolines now are pretty equal, but I doggedly stick with Chevron. 

I think I just started a gas thread...Better quit while I'm ahead..

Ralph

[Triple Jim]

My cars and bikes live on Chevron and have for years due to their additives, including Techron.  When we had a Mercedes car, the service manager at a dealership advised use of Chevron and nothing else.  I expect that all "top tier" gasolines now are pretty equal, but I doggedly stick with Chevron. 

It looks like you don't have to limit yourself to Chevron any more.  From Wikipedia:

"Techron is available at Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex stations in all three grades of gasoline.[4] Techron is also available as a packaged concentrate, for use with gasoline that does not include Techron."

[oldbike54]

 I usually buy gasoline at the store where the cutest or friendliest girls work  Seriously , what tires do you guys prefer to run while pumping gasoline ? For real this time , just pick a store that sell lots of gasoline , well , or has the cute girls working 

 Dusty

[normzone]

Chevron runs better than it's brethren currently, although that top place has changed over the years. I can remember in the eighties when Union 76 had the best premium.

I prefer to run the tires that are on the bike. It's just like that old saw " which gun is best for a given occasion ? " The one you have with you, of course.

[Triple Jim]

Seriously, what tires do you guys prefer to run while pumping gasoline?

You just made me flash back to 1979 when I filled the tank of my H2 at the Homoco station on route 1 in College Park, MD.  As I gently pulled away from the pump, it became obvious that a tanker had spilled enough gasoline to coat the whole station driveway between me and Route 1.  I did a slow motion drift all the way out.  It was very much like wet ice.

[charlie b]

It looks like you don't have to limit yourself to Chevron any more.  From Wikipedia:

"Techron is available at Chevron, Texaco, and Caltex stations in all three grades of gasoline.[4] Techron is also available as a packaged concentrate, for use with gasoline that does not include Techron."

Probably cause Chevron and Texaco are the same company now.  ;)

[Fuzzy]

There is a terminal just a couple miles from my house and all brands of trucks file into the gates.

Many of the terminals are owned and operated by companies that don't sell retail. The gas sold is the same to any marque that picks up there, but there are different additives according to branding specifications.

Also, at least in my state, all the transporting is done by third party trucking companies who contract to all brands of retailers.

In addition, the pipeline running under where you are standing right now is probably owned by a company that simply has the pipeline, whose name remains in the background.

It is a giant spider web, but is very tightly monitored for purposes of excise tax.

In general, I think Dusty has it right. The cutest girls or the coldest soda

[twhitaker]

Had a friend who said he worked at a filling station in the 70s. They had a drum of the additive and did the mixing after the tanker left.

[rocker59]

I usually buy gasoline at the store where the cutest or friendliest girls work  Seriously , what tires do you guys prefer to run while pumping gasoline ? For real this time , just pick a store that sell lots of gasoline , well , or has the cute girls working 

 Dusty

Yeah.  It's not like gasoline in the fuel tank is going to be there very long!

If I see a name-brand store when I need fuel, I'll use 'em.  If not, I just pick what's convenient.

When travelling, the popular name-brands change with geography. 

Here, I'll pick Shell or Phillips 66 when handy, but riding West across Oklahoma and into Colorado/New Mexico, Conoco is the biggie.

I rarely see Chevron, Exxon, Mobil and some of the other biggies here in my part of the country.

For the Suburban, I pick the cheapest.  That's usually  Murphy at a Wal-Mart.  Currently $1.98 here.

Out where we do most of our motorcycling around here, though, beggars can't be choosers and whatever is available goes in the tank. 

[Penderic]

Before self serve "service" the cute girls got the attention.




Nowadays you tend to go with the penny pinchers .....

[grinmaul]

I am sure it never happens anymore:) but when i was pumping gas as a teen in the 80's, the owner had a hose hooked up to the regular pump sending it to the super tank, he would do this about once a week.

was a sunoco if i remember correctly.

i am sure it doesn't happen anymore with everything electronically counted.

[Triple Jim]

I am sure it never happens anymore:) but when i was pumping gas as a teen in the 80's, the owner had a hose hooked up to the regular pump sending it to the super tank, he would do this about once a week.

Sounds like when my father saw a deli owner come out of the back with a big pan of ground beef, and then put about 1/2 of it in the "regular ground beef" tray at the deli counter, and the rest in the "extra lean ground beef" tray.

[PJPR01]

I believe the proper CB term is "tanker yanker"

Just your regular "rolling refinery" there good buddy! 10-4!