I prefer the truck lanes due to the increased flow rate of the pumps. Especially when I am filling the auxiliary tank as well.

It really is easy once you go through a couple. Just don't block the lanes is the only thing that will get you in trouble.

 

Agreed.
Parks right in front of the dump station on top of the landing strip size NO PARKING in "red" no less.

 

Our fuel stops are quick and I never unhitch just to fuel.up - always use the truck lanes. The only time I use an RV lane (when it's available) is in the few states where there is an additional commercial fuel tax on diesel sold in the truck lanes. We have Good Sam Pilot/Flying J cards and use them whenever we use PFJ travel centers/truck stops. Our 2012 F350 accommodates the large nozzles just fine. When we're someplace long enough to unhitch from the truck, I'll take the truck to a non-truck stop station with the best diesel prices to fill it up. I NEVER buy diesel at a backwoods, low-volume station... too much risk of getting water or other contamination in the fuel.

Rob

 

 

I've been using the truck stops. Love's, Pilot, Flying J. I find it a pain to send the wife in to pre pay. I'd love to get a card for them but unfortunately I don't think its possible being from Canada. I hate trying to maneuver through the regular pumps and not all the big stops have RV lanes. I've never had a problem using the truck lanes and I think some of the transports like pulling in behind me cause they know I'm only gonna be a few minutes.

 

I'm from Canada too. I was able to get a Flying J RV card. Gives you a little discount on fuel. No problems getting it either. It's just a loyalty card. Not a credit card.

When using your Canadian credit card at a US pump; If prompted for your ZIP code, just enter the three digits of your postal code plus two zeros. So for example, if your postal code is A2B 3C4, the 5 digit number you should enter is 23400.

Works everywhere I've tried it. No more going inside to prepay.

Cheers!
Rod.

 

Did you apply online? I tried last year to get a Love's but it was pretty much fleet or had to have a US address.

Edit: I found the application for Pilot/Flying J. With this card, will it let you fill up in the truck lanes?

 

I'm not sure about the truck lanes. I don't see why not. I have been fortunate in my experience with the RV station.

I did apply online. I've had the card for years prior to the merge of Pilot & FJ.

Happy Trails!
Rod.

 

It should allow you to activate at the pump with the loyalty card.

Check into the good sams advantage card with them.
https://www.rvpluscard.com/

This one is tied to your bank account or what ever credit card you would use. Pay at the end of the month in full.

 

Loves does not have a customer loyalty card, only fleet and business cards. At least that is how it was a few years ago.

The Pilot/Flying J card I have is a credit card, but either that or the loyalty card will in fact activate the pump in the truck lanes.

Makes fuel stops very easy because those stations are everywhere.

 

As a commercial truck driver I say you did pretty good on this. Yep I'm one of those guys tooling around in a Pete with a 53 foot box on my back side.....

Some things to look for/be aware of:

Be assertive. Pick a lane and pull in. If you hang in the drive area waiting for a lane to open up you will annoy some body that is pulling in for Bio break followed by fuel. That driver may have been holding his morning coffee for a couple of hours because of a lack of adequate facilities along the road..... Most do not have commodes in the sleeper.

Many times in front of the pumps is a painted line. Nose up to it when you pull forward. This should give good room for folks to pull in and fuel while you do a quick bio run and finish of the paperwork.

When you pull forward keep in mind the truck may have filler necks behind the sleeper. Also standard refrigerated trailers have a tank behind the landing gear. Trucks fill the main tanks then pull forward for the refer...

Please don't go for an extended shopping trip inside. Most of us have a computer controlled and cell/satellite linked nanny in the truck enforcing federal laws for drive times and such. If an r.v.(or inconsiderate truck) is parked in the way they may keep us from reaching our customer on time or getting to our planned stop for a required break before the computer puts us in violation. Yep if folks are not careful they interfere with our abilities to earn a check, may contribute to getting us a ticket (or fired). Basically the truck fuel lines are a business area not a vacation zone.

Safe travels.

 

Thanks again everyone. We just got home. Just to follow up, we stopped at a Flying-J and at a Love's. I used the truck lanes and the experience was very pleasant at both stops. I sent my wife & kids in to authorize the pump and then do their thing. That worked really well. After filling, I pulled forward immediately to that yellow line to make room for the next guy. Closing out the purchase and quickly using the restroom took me just a couple of minutes. Not all the pumps were in use, so I actually didn't get anybody behind me at either stop. I even got a chance to hit the scales at the Flying-J after fueling, which was great because I finally had the whole family inside the pickup along with our fully loaded fifth-wheel.

I did take special note of what Blu Ogre mentions in his suggestions above, which is that the refrigerated trucks do need to pull forward past the pumps to get to the trailer's tanks... so go ahead and roll up to that yellow line even if you think you don't need to.

 

If you have enough slack capacity between the loaded pin weight and your payload... get an aux tank. It's a no-brainer, there's nothing that says you can't still fill up when you want, but it stretches the amount of time before you HAVE to fill up; can cut your fuel stops by half or more depending on what tank you get. My parents used my little 45gal aux gravity tank for the first time on their last RV trip, made a big difference for them having more than double the amount of fuel - he never had to fill up once with his trailer attached, was able to do it while driving around at their destinations. I have an 85gal tank for my truck that includes a water seperator/pump/secondary filter after a bad experience in Illinois with watery biodiesel last winter. I use CAT high-efficiency filters that are better than the ones that came with the truck, and it leaves the stock fuel system entirely in place. Depending on what you want, you have a wide range of water-separation options that will help out the stock setup on your 6.7.

 

Just finished a 4478 mile Road trip. Crew cab with 9'4" bed and 37' fifth wheel. I used the outside auto pumps that had diesel when I could. My main tank is slow to fill and doesn't like the big nozzles. Some of the truck lanes have a smaller nozzles on the outside pump.

No problem getting into get fuel when I needed. The auxiliary tank did help almost doubling my range if needed. I even filled up downtown west Yellowstone (poor planning just got lucky)

3 times I did sit at the pump for quite awhile. One regular pumps. Gas station very not busy. Let the one and two year old boys run around the store with the wife while I got stuff for sandwiches and drinks out of the camper. Hot and sunny with no shade but the canopy at the pumps. The 7 and 9 year old boys were sleeping in the truck with the dog. I asked the cashier if it was OK if we sat in the shade at the pump for a bit as long as they didn't get busy. She said no problem and thanks for asking.

Other times were truck pumps. Once only one other truck pulled up. Otherwise a few but only 2 at a time. Both stations had room for 8 or more semi's but only 3 were used at most at one time. I was with the truck checking stuff over ready to move if it was half full. I was on the pump for about 20 minutes. I may have been a jerk but I hope not since more than half the spots were available ?