Rookie diesel pusher fueling question

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oldryder

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 8, 2017
Posts
538
Location
Avon MN
Got the TSD logistics fuel discount card as recommended on this forum. Saved us about $125 on 2500 mile FL to MN trip. Wish there were more participating stations.

Question: when logging in with TSD at the big truck pumps it asks if vehicle is "tractor" or "reefer".

why is that important?

thx to anyone taking the time to explain.
 
I don't know but maybe a Reefer truck gets a different discount than a regular tractor. I was told to always choose "Tractor" when fueling my pickup truck that I use for my RV.
 
The tractor or reefer (refrigerated trailer) question is related to road use taxes. Reefer fuel is "off road" use and usually taxed at a different rate.
You should use tractor.

Kevin
 
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The “Reefer” choice is for a refrigerated trailer. In the trucking business, fuel for the tractor and fuel for the trailer may be paid by two different companies. Therefore, separate receipts are required.

It has nothing to do with taxes.
 
"has been or known anyone who was stopped and fuel tank tested" never an RV that I know of but the tax man has shown up at big farm auctions here in MN and looked for dyed diesel fuel in the farmer diesel trucks.
 
I repeat...this has nothing to do with taxes!
Two swings, two misses.

A reefer, as you know, is the diesel-powered refrigeration unit mounted on the front of the trailer. If you do pull a reefer trailer, make sure you always pump this fuel on a separate fuel receipt. You are entitled to a federal tax paid refund on each gallon of reefer fuel. Make sure you or your accountant files IRS Form 4136. You will need the total number of gallons of reefer fuel purchased during the tax year to complete the refund form.
 
The "Refer" fuel also has a red dye in it ,,, don't get caught with it in your tank.>>>Dan
Wrong off road fuel is died red used in farm equipment. Tractor & reefer fuel are exactly the same, same pump & all. As stated above reefer fuel is taxed different, no road tax. I use the reefer all the time even though there is no differance in this state. I'll see how that works when I get to OR that does have the different tax.
 
Except that, farmers, at least in my area, do not get dyed fuel any longer. They have to maintain records of off-road use and file for the tax refund. The only red dyed fuel I've seen in recent years is home heating fuel. Dyed red for the purposes stated above.
 
I've seen one credible report of a state tax inspector checking an RV in the owners driveway - the tax people had received a tip/complaint and were following up. They didn't find anything. State laws vary on fuel taxes and how/when a tax agent can inspect, so impossible to generalize about that. However, I think we can safely say it is rare indeed.

A neighbor of mine used to winter in Mexico with his F350 & 5W. He says he was stopped for a fuel inspection a couple times after crossing the border. I think that had something to do with the amount of fuel he had onboard (he had an auxiliary tank). My understanding is that fuel bought in Mexico for use in your personal vehicle is not taxed when you come back to the US, but you can't bring in unlimited extra fuel (like a tank truck). His 40 gallon aux tank, plumbed to the truck fuel system, qualified it as personal use fuel.
 
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Our Fuel we use in construction equipment is Red.
I will have to ask my nephew if his farm fuel is Red still. He just put in a 50,000 gal fuel order so probably knows.
 
Two swings, two misses.
Yeah...sort of.

My experience with this comes via a dear friend who is an over-the-road trucker and also an owner-operator. He owns his tractor, but he doesn't own the trailers he pulls.

About 70% of his work is hauling reefers and the remaining work is dry van haulage. When he is hauling a reefer and fuels up, he is responsible for the fuel going into his tractor, but someone else pays for the fuel that goes in the reefer. In our talks about this, he never mentioned anything about the taxes involved, only that he needs separate receipts so he can be reimbursed for the fuel he puts in the reefer. From his point of view (and mine, until now) all that was involved was the cost of fuel. None of the tax implications applied to him.

Now I understand that there is a different tax level for the reefer fuel. Learn something new every day...
 
Who has been or known anyone who was stopped and fuel tank tested??
Me, although it was in Canada, not the U.S. I was going to a balloon festival in Gatineau, Quebec (outside Ottawa), only because it was the only place I could get a campsite that weekend. Right before the entry, I was stopped by two men who were set up there. They spoke French and barely any English, and I speak no French at all. They held me there for a long time, and I eventually figured out they were trying to test my diesel, but their equipment didn't work on my RV, and they finally let me go.
 
Tractor pays road tax
reefer (Trailer mounted generator or fuel powered refrigeration unit) does not
nor does a farm tractor or other "off road" use equipment


There is a type of "Tax Stamp" for Road fuel (it is a different color)
Get caught with the wrong color in your tank and the Tax man decides how much you owe and they are very very very "Liberal" with their estimate of your liability. It's up to you to prove that you did not drive that many miles without paying the tax.
 
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