Diesel Fuel availability

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Wi1dBi11

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Question for only those that have been traveling recently..PLEASE!
I recently had a friend traveling through New Mexico and had stop for diesel in Deming. NM. The station was out of diesel, however a truck load arrived after about a 15- 20 minute wait at the pump. He was concerned about the stirring up of any sediments in the tank. He was told that the fuel was filtered several times and through a water seperator. He filled up and had no problems.
Has anyone else encountered this situation? Also, is there an app that show availability and price?


WI1DBI11
 
I don't know about availability but had buddy is useful for price. It's not always accurate as it relies on honest reports from the public, but it's the best I've found. The other option is the TSD fuel card, it deals with mainly truck stops which I would guess have a vested interest in maintaining stock. The fuel card app will show what is available in your location.
 
I also use TSD now and their Open Roads app is good for locating diesel on the road.

It is true about fuel deliveries. The fuel is filtered though. A high volume station like a truck stop may receive more than one or two fuel deliveries per day. A constant supply of fresh fuel and modern holding tanks, plus filtering before the pump, plus your vehicle’s filter and water separator… Personally, I don’t worry about it.

Edit: Just drove the RV from Seattle to Palm Springs and didn’t have any availability concerns for diesel and we filled in WA, OR, and CA.

I’ve also put 1,000 miles on our car this last week and the 4 times I’ve filled up all in different spots at regular retail gas stations (not truck stops) appeared to have diesel.

If you’re not worried about a specific brand for receiving a discount, Google or Apple Maps can search fuel stations for you.
 
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GasBuddy is an app for your phone and you can also use the website on your laptop or non-cellphone internet use.


At a guess, I would say someone didn't order their fuel in a timely manner.

I live in Eastern Central NM. There seems to be no problem with the fuel deliveries. When the pandemic first started and everyone was hoarding everything, there were some delivery problems. But that doesn't apply now.
 
There was supposed to be an apocalyptic DEF shortage for diesel vehicles as well that people were freaking about earlier this year.

Doesn’t look like that happened, either. I was able to buy DEF everywhere that sold diesel on my trip last week and all the other trips I’ve taken this year.
 
GasBuddy is an app for your phone and you can also use the website on your laptop or non-cellphone internet use.


At a guess, I would say someone didn't order their fuel in a timely manner.

I live in Eastern Central NM. There seems to be no problem with the fuel deliveries. When the pandemic first started and everyone was hoarding everything, there were some delivery problems. But that doesn't apply now.
This happens a lot at small, mom and pop type stores. Their customer traffic is low and working capital to manage cash flow is not great. To keep from buying a full tank of fuel at what may be a high price, and then have to try to sell it when the big boys are selling for much lower in price (due to turning over their inventory faster), they buy smaller amounts.

They often order on an average amount sold, which leaves them short sometimes. I try to buy from them as often as I think I can afford to, just to help keep them in business. It's not easy competing against Fortune 500 companies.
 
The few days before Thanksgiving one of our local stations ran out of diesel, and they only had gasoline at half the pumps. They do it regularly though. I think their system is like what Octodad noted without any plans for increased demand for holidays.
 
I have not heard any riffs of diesel shortage, and I actually follow some crazy truckers on a facebook page, they'd be complaining rest assured. I'm sure it was a fluke or simply an occurrence. Ya, I prefer not to get gas right after or during a refilling operation. I'm not worried about the gas coming in, more the condition of the tanks underground. Lots of sloppy things happen and settle in those tanks.
 
Diesel shortages were real, plenty of news about that in major media. Just google diesel shortage and there are many articles. The worst time was in October and November but now days the supply is better. Just today the LA times had an article about gasoline prices coming down because refineries are running at capacity making diesel. I didn't know why making diesel ends up making more gasoline but that the gist of the article.
 
Thanks for the input. We'll be heading through Texas, New Mexico into Arizona shortly. We use TSD for fuel at the truck stops mainly for the ease of pulling up to the pump. Especially with COVID last year we fuel up, park and use our own facilities. Snacks, drinks bathroom breaks so much easier than going inside.

WI1DBI11
 
Since the pump price of both gasoline and diesel fuel is still declining; I'm pretty sure that means there is no shortage or delays in delivery.
Last summer the local Murphy's fuel station ran out of gasoline and had all the gas pumps taped-off, but they still had diesel fuel and those pumps were open.
As to the tanker dumping fuel and stirring up water/sediment, I've never read or heard of that happening in this century.
I've bought diesel fuel at PFJ, and other trucks stops many times while a tanker was dumping/unloading fuel, along with many truckers. I suspect if that practice was a problem, the trucking industry would be howling about any negative results.
 
Even though you're not headed this route I just towed a 25 foot travel trailer this week from near Lynchburg, VA to near Grand Junction, CO via I-81, 77, 64, 70, 74, 80, and back down to 70. Although I filled up with gasoline, there was no diesel shortage.

Throughout Virginia we towed a 33 foot toy hauler with a Cummins in October and November. There was no diesel shortage, but the media kept up the hype. We avoid the truck stops for the diesel due to the much higher fuel prices without the commercial fleet discount, whereas, we use the truck stops for the lower price gasoline purchases. Pilot Flying J's usually have the easier pull through RV pumps that sell both diesel and gasoline.
 
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I didn't know why making diesel ends up making more gasoline but that the gist of the article.
Briefly, gasoline and diesel are different fractions of the crude, which they call fractional distillation. Gasoline is one of the lighter fractions, while kerosene and diesel are heavier fractions, and lubricating oils are heavier yet.
 
“Low seasonal inventory” does not constitute a “shortage” if diesel can still be purchased everywhere it is already sold. But that doesn’t twist knickers like making people imagine there won’t be diesel to fill their pickup or RV. These are two very different problems both of which are solved by refining more. But why do that when you can hold the price arbitrarily high and still meet demand?
 
Briefly, gasoline and diesel are different fractions of the crude, which they call fractional distillation. Gasoline is one of the lighter fractions, while kerosene and diesel are heavier fractions, and lubricating oils are heavier yet.
In other words, you can't distill crude oil into just one product (like diesel). When you distill crude you get a range of products with roughly a fixed proportion of each. Diesel and home heating oil are essentially the same, so a cold winter increasing demand for home heating oil means there's less diesel to go around. Couple this with light demand for gasoline and there's currently a surplus of gasoline being produced along with the needed diesel. Surplus production of a product translates into lower prices for it.
 
We'll be heading through Texas, New Mexico into Arizona shortly.
You won't have any problems finding fuel. Currently in our area of the Dallas/Ft Worth complex diesel prices range from $3.72 to $4.36/gallon.
When you distill crude you get a range of products with roughly a fixed proportion of each.
What they get from a barrel of crude also depends on what type of crude oil. What is called light, sweet crude is most profitable as it supplies the most products like gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, heating oil and such.
 

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