Really, really dumb question about difference between off road and on road diesel fuel.

[ning]

https://www.costco.com/gasoline-diesel.html

Around here taxed diesel costs about $5.15-5.19 everywhere today (source: gasbuddy).

Mini mart nearby (9 miles away) also sells dyed diesel $0.50 less (I guess they pocket the $0.10 difference in the tax for the bother), so that's $4.69.

Closest Costco sells diesel $4.87.

I have five 5-gallon cans that I fill with dyed diesel occasionally; my truck fill up is typically about 30 gallons. Considering it costs me about $25 in diesel to round-trip to the Costco, it's not worth it to go there to fill the truck (it's also a 45 minute drive). I could send my wife off to work with my tractor cans as she fills up with Gas weekly there, but the last thing she needs to be doing is slinging 50-pound cans of fuel into her car (they seal pretty well so they pretty much don't smell, but that's another matter).

I have a spreadsheet that I can find the break-even point for "is it worth going to Costco" (to fill the truck and cans together vs just the truck at costco and the cans at the mini mart vs fill everything at the mini mart) and only when the Costco first opened and the fuel prices were about a dollar cheaper was it actually a win to go there; the only time I'll buy diesel there is if I happen to drive my truck down there for another reason (like, Home Depot).

 

[LouNY]

Isn't that the truth. Up here in the great state of Montana, when I city cop or state trooper pulls you over for speeding and you tell them that you have a revolver on your hip, a machine gun and shotgun behind the seat, and thousand of rounds of ammo on board they pet your dog, ask you what you do for living, tell you that they also have a Ruger or whatever, as well as an AR15, then tell you to slow down a bit and have a great day.

I've pulled trailers all over Montana and Wyoming, many thousands of miles, and have never been stopped, never been told to get on a scale, never had a load inspected, and never had my fuel checked. Heck, I drove this M1078 back from Seattle with no plates, no registration, no insurance, and red diesel in the 60 gallon tank all while pulling my Jeep behind on a custom tow bar. I passed many cops and was passed by many cops and none of them had the slightest bit of interest in me.

All of this fear-mongering is laughable.

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Try that in my area you'll have so many tickets and fines it would make hiring a low boy to haul it look cheap.

 

[DarkBlack]

Just an FYI: off road diesel , and ( home heating oil) are not federally taxed (IRS).
On road clear has federal taxes added in and are in the jurisdiction of the IRS.

Individual states may or may not, piggyback on their own additional taxes on clear diesel

 

[Torvy]

Reimbursement would be easier for me. 100% of our diesel use is off-road farm use. That paperwork would be easier than the pre-qualification I have to do to buy off-road around here.

As for stops, different states have different rules and apply them to different offenses. For example, some states you can get pulled over if the cop doesn't see your seat belt. Other states, you can only get ticketed if you get pulled over for something else. It is usually written into the legislation. Primary vs secondary enforcement. The excuse for otherwise violations of the Constitution boils down to driving on roads being a privilege, not a right.

Dipping tanks still seems like a violation. They cannot search your car on the same road without probable cause. Most likely the searches are illegal, but the only ones who fight them are likely guilty. Judges don't like to let someone off who was clearly violating the law. Appeals are expensive. The only way to stop the random tank dipping in the US is for someone with the time and money, who gets illegally searched and has no violation, to sue for 4th Amendment violation.

 

[mcmxi]

Try that in my area you'll have so many tickets and fines it would make hiring a low boy to haul it look cheap.

I drove all the way across WA state and then Idaho without any issues, other than clogged fuel filters which resulted in 20mph top speed on big hills on I90. Still not interesting enough for any cop to pull me over.

 

[bdhsfz6]

I drove all the way across WA state and then Idaho without any issues, other than clogged fuel filters which resulted in 20mph top speed on big hills on I90. Still not interesting enough for any cop to pull me over.

I envy you. I wish it were the same way where I live. Around here, I can't tow my 10K dump trailer anywhere without getting pulled over for a "D.O.T." check.

I'm sure the degree of enforcement varies by location. There is a trash transfer station on the main highway near me which generates a lot of truck & trailer traffic. That's the reason for the high level of enforcement in my area.

 

[DarkBlack]

I can't tow my 10K dump trailer anywhere without getting pulled over for a "D.O.T." check.

.

Surely you’re exaggerating?
If not… you plan every trailer trip to include time being pulled over by DOT?

 

[Sprinkler Fitter]

https://www.costco.com/gasoline-diesel.html

Not worth driving a hour for diesel.

I use the mudflap app on diesel anyways so I do save money on it.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Surely you’re exaggerating?
If not… you plan every trailer trip to include time being pulled over by DOT?

Only slightly.

From my upper field, I can see the place on the highway where the State Police and DOT pull vehicles over. It is active at odd hours and on odd days but I learned the hard way to look first before heading out with the trailer.

 

[Alan W.]

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