Finding diesel stations off the interstate

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George Hawkins

George Hawkins

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Posts
62
Location
Central Florida (East)
Hey, all:

I think I have read all the "diesel" postings there are and have not found an answer to my question but If I am touching on a topic that has already been beaten to death please forgive me. I am about to depart to a destination off the beaten "Interstate path" and I'm concerned with the availability of Diesel Stations off the interstate (I have always traveled interstate highways). I have my copy of The Next Exit and it's FANTASTIC but it only covers intersate exits. I'm planning on going to Branson, Mo (just for the heck of it) but clearly I have to travel OFF the interstate to get there. I will be coming UP from I-10 (Panama City, Fl area) and the route takes me up a SR 231 and then over to a SR 78, then to SR 65, etc., etc. How do I determine if there are Diesel Stations along these various State Roads or do I fill up at the exit where I leave the Interstate and hope and pray I reach another Interstate Exit before I run dry (sarcasm). Trucker travel all over the country without STAYING on Interstates. THEY find stations off the beaten path (don't they?)
 
If you have a smart phone, or Ipad, or even an air card for internet, there is a really good app called "Gas Buddy" that will show you gas and diesel prices in any zip code you punch in. It includes in-town and off interstate highway sites, and it shows the address for each station, which your GPS can direct you to.
 
Thank you, I Googled GasBuddy and it looks like a promising site. I will explore it further. I see you tow a 2006 Honda CR-V. I tow a 2007 version (the "new" body). I love it. My owners manual describes what fuse (7.5amp) to pull when I tow it. Not being a contortionist I bought a commercial wairing harness that plugs into the fuse location and runs to a switch on the dash. Very handy. However, I was till struggling with a drained battery that I put down as the "Brake Buddy" braking system I was using (sits in front of the drivers seat). I think the compressor in the Brake Buddy was eating the toad battery. I've since gone to the Air Force One braking system. Can't wait to see how my battery holds up now.

What braking system to do use in your 2006? Do you pull a fuse? Any battery problems?
 
We use a Brake Buddy, and I've never pulled the fuse. The manual for the Honda says not to tow it for more than 8 hours straight. After 8 hours we stop and start the car and go through all of the set up as if we were just starting out.  We've never had the battery drain while on a trip.
 
There are a lot of diesel stations away from the interstates, and the prices are almost always lower as well.  When you see a station advertising diesel and it's easy to get in and out, fill up.  If you're concerned about prices, use Gas Buddy as mentioned (we do) to find the lowest price in the area.  We've never had a problem finding fuel.  If you want to be conservative, drive on the top half of the tank.
 
We use the National Truck Stop Directory:  The Trucker's Friend which covers both U.S.and Canadian diesel locations regardless of proximity to interstates.  There's a sister publication The RVer's Friend:  North American Diesel/Parking Directory but we tend to use the one for Truckers first.  The link to purchase them is www.truckstops.com.  I like the printed versions because I can scan up and down the page.  Like the large campground directories, each state has a map that shows by black or gray circles whether it is a major or minor truck stop.  The major truck stops, such as Flying J/Pilot and T/A are indicated in each listing.  The RVer's Friend includes rest areas with dumps, dump sites, and those with overnight parking.

ArdraF
 
George32955 said:
. I've since gone to the Air Force One braking system. Can't wait to see how my battery holds up now.
Click to expand...

We have always used the Air Force One system and never pulled a fuse (steering wheel in unlocked position, all accessories off). We never had a battery run down. We do, however, have a 6 speed manual transmission, and we have towed almost 10,000 miles without incident. Can't say enough good things for both the AF One or the Honda.
 
I vote for the Rv'ers Friend. The basic difference between the two books, is the rver's friends, states if the truck stop is rv friendly, has propane, and if there is a dump station. Available online, or at most truck stops.

I use gasbuddy, and http://www.truckstopinfoplus.com/ when researching on the pc.

And the AllStays app. You can search for things your looking for. Like just rest areas, cabela's or fuel stops near your location.

The next exit is a great book, but like you said, it's for interstates only. Safe Travels

 
When we went to Branson in March, 2012 I filled up at a small truck stop in Harrison Arkansas, about 50 miles south of Branson.  Diesel was cheaper there than I saw it at any of the stations on the interstate highways on the way up.  I don't think you will have any trouble finding diesel on the backroads.  There are so many diesel pickup trucks on the road now that a lot of stations sell diesel even in out of the way places.
 
BruceinFL sums it up for all "Diesel is everywhere and usually less expensive away from the interstates." Thanks everyone for giving me some piece of mind and "getting me off the Interstate". I knew in my heart that Diesel HAD to be available most anywhere. But I never really LOOKED for it while driving my car and I just wasn't sure. I'm convinced by all your good comments that I won't have a problem finding it. And thanks for all the good links.
 
used gas buddy today. I could have paid 4.17 at the nearest safeway, but I had an errand to run. Cheapest diesel for 40 miles was maybe 2 miles out of my way, and 3.71!
 
I use coPilot Live on my iPhone as my GPS system. For an extra 7$ per year, it has a feature like GasBuddy. However, in addition to finding fuel prices in any particular area, it will also show prices and locations along your planned route.

Joel
 
It's important for RVers to distinguish between availability of diesel (everywhere!) and the size of the station.  You often can get diesel, but the reason we like the Trucker's Friend and like publications is because we know the stations listed can handle a large RV.  We know we can find diesel in a lot of places, but that doesn't mean we can fit into their location.  If a truck can fit then we know we can fit too.  A secondary issue is that truck stops tend to have "fresher" diesel, whereas a regular gas station might have a diesel tank that doesn't get emptied very often.

ArdraF
 
We look for stations that have the diesel pumps separate from the gas pumps.  This tells us that local trucks buy their fuel there, the fuel should be fresher, and we will have easy access.  These are not truck stops but regular gas stations that cater to the locals.  And the prices tend to be significantly lower than the major truck stops.
 
We fueled at a Speedway in IN yesterday for .30 less than nearby truck stops.
 
Ned has made some excellent points.  Access is key and having diesel pumps separated from gas pumps is a good indicator.

ArdraF
 
Also many of the newer Valero and Speedway stations have good access to the end islands where the diesel pumps are located.
 
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