Kerosene in the tractor

[Farmwithjunk]

However the information they are passing on may or may not be correct and or it may or may not contain all the details.

Once more, exactly the same thought, just most likley pertaining to a different post than you were

 

[MikePA]

1*Did it ever occur to you that some may have been misinformed or misunderstood what they were told?

No, it didn't. I assumed most people can understand simple declarative sentences, e.g., "We do not deliver less than xxx gallons."

Did it ever occur to you that your experience may not be common across the country? No, if someone has a different experience, they must be misinformed or misunderstood what they were told.

Over and out.

 

[SkyPup]

1*Did it ever occur to you that some may have been misinformed or misunderstood what they were told?

Yes.


With the large number of illegal immigrants (tens of millions) and the number of times I hear "Please Press 1 for Engilish", it is quite possible that they do not speak, read, or think in the same languages, therefore leading to the massive misinformation and misunderstanding which you speak of......

 

[MikePA]

...it is quite possible that they do not speak, read, or think in the same languages, therefore leading to the massive misinformation and misunderstanding which you speak of......

By jove, I think you've got it!

It's very easy to confuse 'trienta galon' with 'tres ciento galon' particularly over the phone with a bad connection.

 

[cast_and_blast]

Typically, fuel delivery trucks have to meet all state and DOT regs, which means being a fairly modern truck. They don't run on air. It'll need the usual maintenance and upkeep on a truck of that size. (Tires, oil and filters, brakes, ect) Insurance on a vehicle involved in transporting a hazardous material isn't free either. The cost per mile on that sort of truck ISN'T the same as the family pick-em-up. Fuel delivered to your doorstep most likely will cost the seller as much (or more) to get it there as fuel delivered (then sold) at the local gas station.

Big oil companies are reporting record profits. Local vendors aren't. In many cases, local retailers and wholesale distributors are barely making a few cents per gallon. But let's say for the sake of arguement they can make a buck a gallon. (Which the don't come close to) Let's figure the truck takes one hour from leaving it's last stop 'till it's on the way to the next stop when it drops that 30 gallon delivery. And let's imagine they can hire a hazmat CDL licensed driver for $10 an hour. His insurance and employers portion of taxes just ate up half of what the "profit" was on the fuel. (based on that imaginary buck a gallon profit) $15 an hour to cover the owning and operating cost on a LEGAL fuel delivery truck? PLEASE.....?!?!?!

Unless the fuel supplier is just across the street, the wholesaler just GAVE you 30 gallons of fuel and he probably lost a few bucks over the long haul.

Figure this with REALISTIC profit per gallon and he just went broke over a 30 gallon sale.

I seriously doubt ANY fuel distributor can sell 30 gallons, deliver it to your address, and sell it at anything like "pump price". I was born at night, but it wasn't LAST NIGHT. Not happenin'.

Being right on the fringes of a major metro area, I have several wholesalers who deliver to larger customers like truck lines, construction companies, utility companies, ect. at my beck and call. They deal in large volume where they can operate on a close margin (per gallon). We also have 3 differet county Ag co-ops that deliver to farmers in varying quantities. NOT THE FIRST ONE will deliver LESS than 250 gallons for a penny less than a minimum that is based on 250 gallon. You can get 30 gallons delivered, but you'll PAY for 250.

The mowing business I own bought just a shade over 7800 gallons of #2 diesel over a 7 month time period. I don't have the sort of leverage it would take to get 30 gallons delivered at the same rate as 250, so why would someone who buys 30 or 40 gallons a YEAR expect anyone to believe any SANE fuel distributor would do that?

No one with so much as a lick of business sense needs customers so bad that they'll deliberately give away their product and deliver it at a loss. I ain't buyin' the idea of 30 gallon home delivery at the same price per gallon as higher volume bulk delivery. This isn't 1950.

This is spot-on correct. Simple economics.

On our farm we had two 500 gallon diesel tanks and one 250 gallon gasoline tank. We had a large heating oil tank in the basement too - not sure how many gallons that was. I know that the oil distributor in our area of MN (Niebur Oil - Paul Niebur) would hit several of the neighbors tanks as well as our when he would be called to deliver.

You'd think with all the tractors and pickups that LBrown has that he'd be able to load the small tank (diesel weighs just over 7 US pounds per gallon) in the back of one of the pickups, drive to get it filled and then unload it.

Good luck!

Scott

 

[SkyPup]

Even worse than the lack of language skills are the unfamiliar units of measurement.

Not many illegal immigrants are used to gallons, quarts, pounds, and ounces. Instead the understand only liters, milliliters, kilograms, and grams.

I bet all this Diesel Fuel MisUnderstanding and MisInformation is due simply to all these diesel fuel delivery telephone persons inability to speak English, write English, understand English, or English units of measurements.....

 

[SkyPup]

Remember, if you have to dial a 1-888 0r 1-800 telephone number to order a red dye off road diesel fuel delivery to your place of residence, you just may be dealing with someone in New Calodonia or New Dehli........

 

[Diamondpilot]

I should make one thing clear. I am on a fuel delivery route. What I mean by this is that I live in a rural area and if they are near they give me a call or just stop by to see if I want topped off. I called today and asked what the minimum was and they told me 100 gallons for a call out but no minimum if they are just down the road. She said they deliver to about 50 places in a 3 mile area around my home. Like I said I have had 30 gallons delivered and I guess it was when he was in the area and just stopped by to see if I needed any fuel. When I call them to bring me fuel I need it so my 300 gallon tank is usually down to 50 gallons remaining or so.

Like others stated before I had the 300 gallon tank in my pole barn I had a portable 50 gallon tank with a hand pump. My local Marathon station has a off road pump so I would simply put it in my truck and go fill it up. When I got home I simply pushed it into the bucket of my FEL to place it on the floor of my pole barn. Its easy to push if the truck has a drop in plastic bed liner. Worked great but I like letting gravity do its thing better and having more fuel on hand with the 300 gallon tank on a stand. I now keep gas in that 50 gallon tank for my mower and stand by generator. I learned the hard way to keep gas on hand. We had a ice storm that lasted 8 days and no where in 50 miles had electricity so no pumps at the local gas stations which means a lot of driving to get fuel.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

I should make one thing clear. I am on a fuel delivery route. What I mean by this is that I live in a rural area and if they are near they give me a call or just stop by to see if I want topped off.
1* I called today and asked what the minimum was and they told me 100 gallons for a call out but no minimum if they are just down the road

2*She said they deliver to about 50 places in a 3 mile area around my home.
Chris

1*I hope you don't get lambasted like I did by those who don't comprehend the difference between a minimum and topping off.
2*A strictly enforced across the board minimum delivery won't work and is not practical for either the supplier or the consumer.
You said she says there are 50 customers on your route.
Assuming they have 200 gallon tanks and there is a 200 gallon minimum the first question is how do you get all 50 of those people to run out at the same time so you can service them all in one trip to the area.
Another problem is if you deliver 400 gallon to two of those customers and skip the other 48 because they were under the 200 min, how many gallons of sales did you loose in making the trip to the area?
__________________

 

[LBrown59]

You'd think with all the tractors and pickups that LBrown has that he'd be able to load the small tank (diesel weighs just over 7 US pounds per gallon) in the back of one of the pickups, drive to get it filled and then unload it.
Scott

Catch is it's a 50 mile round trip.