The last time i expedited i had to have everything set up for gasoline and im starting again this week in a diesel. Just wondering what is my best option for getting shower credits and other rewards for deisel, being that its a van and not a semi filling 100 gallons or more at a time?
Best truck stop shower rewards for a deisel sprinter?
- Thread starter dc843
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PilotFlyingJ, hands down. Every 14 gallon purchase gets you a half show credit. Shower credits are good for 10 days.
Pilot/j hands down. Mainly shower credits and points for fuel. They are the only ones with any real van program. Petro might claim too but it's laughable.
Or you can buy fuel on your own, get better mileage, cheaper prices and avoid bio fuel crap. You can save enough to basically pay for a shower.
Or you can buy fuel on your own, get better mileage, cheaper prices and avoid bio fuel crap. You can save enough to basically pay for a shower.
Yeah, a Speedy Rewards card from Speedway is something you should probably have.
Get both the Speedway and PFJ apps for your phone.
Essentially...the shower credit is about 43 cents per gallon of the cost of the fuel at PFJ...so..to save enough to pay for a shower out of pocket...your non PFJ fuel has to be 43 cents a gallon cheaper than the PFJ price you would pay.
Is that possible? Yes....especially if you are paying with a credit card and have no fleet discounts and such....but...it doesn't happen too often. I detest Pilot/J fuel, only buy it if I need a shower..and use Gas Buddy to save for everything else....but if you need a shower...and do the math....PFJ is usually the cheapest option.
But you need to look each time. For example if you were near Beaverdam/Lima OH right now....and needed a shower...and at least 28 gals of fuel...Pilot/J diesel is at 2.699 cash price...Walmart is at 2.239...46 cents cheaper per gal. The fuel cost savings would pay for your shower in cash. Now..is it worth going out of route to get the fuel...well that's up to you to also figure out.
Is that possible? Yes....especially if you are paying with a credit card and have no fleet discounts and such....but...it doesn't happen too often. I detest Pilot/J fuel, only buy it if I need a shower..and use Gas Buddy to save for everything else....but if you need a shower...and do the math....PFJ is usually the cheapest option.
But you need to look each time. For example if you were near Beaverdam/Lima OH right now....and needed a shower...and at least 28 gals of fuel...Pilot/J diesel is at 2.699 cash price...Walmart is at 2.239...46 cents cheaper per gal. The fuel cost savings would pay for your shower in cash. Now..is it worth going out of route to get the fuel...well that's up to you to also figure out.
People need to also keep in mind the quality of fuel they are getting at other places. I routinely get better mileage when buying at , walmart, Speedway or Kroger than at pfj. Also keep in mind on a sprinter you want to avoid bio diesel as much as possible which tends to be common at pfj.
Of course, at Load One, a 15 gallon purchase gets you a full shower credit, and along with the 6 cent per gallon discount, makes going even a mile or two out of your way for 20 , 30 or even 50 cents uneconomical (if all you want to do is put in 15 gallons to get the shower credit).
Yeah, generally speaking, people with TDI vehicles, Sprinters especially, should be using as close to 50 cetane fuel as possible. If you can't find it (or are unsure), then using a cetane improver (Power Service, Standyne) is wise.
Fuels with lower cetane number have longer ignition delays, providing more time for the fuel combustion process to be completed. Thus, higher speed diesel engines (that's us) operate more effectively with higher cetane number fuels.
Sprinter engines will run on 40 or higher cetane (generally, 40-42 is the minimum range we find out there), but they are designed specifically for Eurodiesel, which is (now) minimum 51 cetane. I have been told that the Ford Transit and RAM Promaster engines are also designed for 51 cetane, but I have not been able to confirm that from any kind of official source, other than the the laws in most of Europe state that engines must be designed for the EN 590 fuel specs, which is 51 cetane. So, maybe. The overwhelming majority of Canadian diesel is 50 cetane minimum, as is California's CARB diesel (now 53). A few states have started mandating 48 and up cetane, like Texas with their 110 county (PDF map) TxLED program. It's basically the eastern third of the state, east of I-35.
Most diesel at the pumps come from the same rack from the refinery or distributor, regardless of the brand. A few branded fuels, either because they have their own refineries or because they add a cetane improver (usually pure 2-ethylhexyl nitrate or di-tert-butyl peroxide) at the piped source or in the tank of the delivery truck will guarantee their diesel fuels.
This list is from the TDI Forums, where they keep track of it and update it as necessary. They are really anal about it, in part because a fe Volkswagen engines require a minimum of 50 cetane to prevent voiding the warranty. Also, the lubricity of diesel sold in the US is below that of Volkswagen's requirements.
Propel HPR, 75
Syndiesel, 60
BP (Amoco branded), 51;
Countrymark fuels Diesel-R, 50
Chevron, 49; or 51 with Techron D labels in select markets
ConocoPhillips through the 76 stations (California) 47-53
PetroCanada, 47-51
BP (Powerblend 47, otherwise 40-42)
Shell, 46;
Sinclair, 46;
Sunoco Gold, 45 (often +1-5) Sunoco regular is usually 40.
Exxon/Mobile, 43-46
Holiday Stations, 40-43
HESS, 40-42, can be up to 45.
Husky, 40 + diesel Max additives raise another 1-3 from there (41-45 max)
QuikTrip, 40 + lubricity additive
Pilot/Love's/Flying J/Valero/Sheetz/Walmart/Wawa: 40
B100 is 55 cetane, and B20 is 50 cetane, but will clog the injectors, fuel lines, and break down the seals in most Mercedes engines, so if you're using B20 or higher, you need to use a good dose of Howes Meaner Cleaner along with it.
Diesel that is marked "Premium" at the pump is usually 50 or higher cetane, often between 55-60. "Premium" means additives have been used to improve flow, detergents to clean the injectors, and water dispersants (basically, like adding Power Service or something), and almost always usually comes a cetane booster.
There are some QuikTrips in Missouri and Oklahoma (especially around KC) where they have truck diesel islands, and most of those are 48-52 cetane.
I stick to the BP Amoco and Powerblend, Chevron, ConocoPhilips (which is some Flying J's), and Shell when I can. Otherwise I get what I can and use Power Service (white bottle in winter, gray in summer). Most TA's use BP branded fuel.
Of course, there are some people (even those with Sprinters) who have never used a diesel fuel additive and have gone hundreds of thousands of miles without problems. YMMV.
Adding to this I'd keep a UltraOne Expediter in your wallet as well... 
UltraONE Expediter | Become A Member | UltraONE Rewards Card for TravelCenters of America and Petro Truck Stops
UltraONE Expediter | Become A Member | UltraONE Rewards Card for TravelCenters of America and Petro Truck Stops
If you're with Landstar and driving a van .25 cent discount using comcard 10 points per gallon on top of that ljkeborhers have said 14 gallons 1/2 a shower. Makes this in most cases the best for us. That is unless what happened a coupkebof years ago we were getting a buck a gallon discount at TA/Petro.
TA/Petro 50 gallons during the week for a shower 1 point per gallon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using EO Forums mobile app
TA/Petro 50 gallons during the week for a shower 1 point per gallon.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using EO Forums mobile app
I forgot that's diesel not gas for the points and discount I believe at Landstar
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using EO Forums mobile app
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using EO Forums mobile app
Listen to Xiggi! He's spot on and if you've been researching you will find/see what I've been saying about diesel fuel. There are some PFJ with pure diesel but there hard to get to and I pretty much don't trust them.
Go to the local gas stations that sell diesel! There pure diesel and a lot cheaper. I go to the Shells, BP, Exxon's, Speedways, Wal-Mart ect. If your in IL find a Casey's General Store. Most all of them are pure diesel!
Most people have DEF problems around 80K to 150K. No idling, pure diesel and run Peak DEF fluid and you should be fine. I ran my Sprinter and got up to 250K before DEF problems started.
TA/Petro really doesn't have a shower program for van expeditors. I do enjoy staying at there facilities though. I mainly stay at PFJ. Hope this helps!
It just kinda occurred to me that this time I'm making it a point to hit the planet fitness' and get in good shape. So, I think as far as showers go I'm only going to use the gym, unless in a real pickle in which case ill just pay for it.
Acutally, i went to pay for a shower at a pilot the other day, looking really rough, told the lady I didn't have any shower credits yet so ill just pay for it....she felt bad for me and I got a free shower anyway! hooray for seeming homeless! Just find the sweet old ladies and give them the puppy dog eyes and they can override it I guess
I do appreciate all the info on the different diesel qualitys per station chain, I'll try to stay with the recommended stations hopefully that can get me some better mileage as well as be better on the engine. Going to try to transition over to OO soon anyway and definitely getting a gas model.
Acutally, i went to pay for a shower at a pilot the other day, looking really rough, told the lady I didn't have any shower credits yet so ill just pay for it....she felt bad for me and I got a free shower anyway! hooray for seeming homeless! Just find the sweet old ladies and give them the puppy dog eyes and they can override it I guess
I do appreciate all the info on the different diesel qualitys per station chain, I'll try to stay with the recommended stations hopefully that can get me some better mileage as well as be better on the engine. Going to try to transition over to OO soon anyway and definitely getting a gas model.
I ask drivers for showers most of the time. They always have plenty of showers on there card and they will give you one. Just don't ask them for money and you'll be fine! LOL. Plant Fitness is a GREAT idea as well. It's been mentioned several times about showers on here.
Thanks Turtle, I have found that in my area (Memphis) most fuel is cheap price but not very good. The chevron fuel seemed to be the best. When I travel to virginia my van seems to like that fuel the best and ohio too. i have used an additive since my van was new, usually howes or motorkote. After seeing the reviews, i purchased some opti-lube products. I bought the summer formula, the cetane boost and the lubricity improver. I also bought a measure cup with a lid so i put in much closer to exact amount, this stuff is expensive and over dose is a waste.