IFTA and Profit Based Fueling Practices

[Tazz]

They hire $60,000+ salary employees just to look for those pennies.

I know me and other engineers I worked with even calculated the cost of towels and other items down to a box and how long many chemical bath changes you'd get out of said box.

All to cut costs.

People notice.

One of the biggest I worked for prior to here (HUB) when I asked about fuel and where they would prefer etc I was told "We have found chasing pennies wastes dollars" they had their own pumps down 78 right before Mississippi. If you were picking up @BN yard they would tell you to just grab fuel where ever. That was two miles from their cheaper pumps.

I think a lot of people spend ti.e looking for pennies. Hell Barr-Nunn would send me 75 miles out of route to save .04 a gallon. Never mind the $30 in fuel I burned to go get it.

 

[Blood]

I think a lot of people spend ti.e looking for pennies. Hell Barr-Nunn would send me 75 miles out of route to save .04 a gallon. Never mind the $30 in fuel I burned to go get it.

Remember Driving Ziggy?
He once splashed in a few gallons before bedding down because the stop across town was a cent cheaper.
ONE. CENT.

His plan was to fuel for a cent cheaper the next morning...
except fuel went up a nickel overnight.


I told him that he spent $2 just getting off the freeway trying to save $1.50.


I took to calling him Penny for a while but he didn't like it much.

I don't recall whether that was BT or AT (before Tazz or after Tazz).

 

[ironpony]

"We have found chasing pennies wastes dollars"

Depends on how they go about it... using a computer to crunch the data isn't expensive. Tasking a person to do it with a calculator is.

Barr-Nunn would send me 75 miles out of route to save .04 a gallon. Never mind the $30 in fuel I burned to go get it.

Going more than a few miles out of route always kills any savings you might realize.

 

[mndriver]

One of the biggest I worked for prior to here (HUB) when I asked about fuel and where they would prefer etc I was told "We have found chasing pennies wastes dollars" they had their own pumps down 78 right before Mississippi. If you were picking up @BN yard they would tell you to just grab fuel where ever. That was two miles from their cheaper pumps.

I think a lot of people spend ti.e looking for pennies. Hell Barr-Nunn would send me 75 miles out of route to save .04 a gallon. Never mind the $30 in fuel I burned to go get it.

Not going to deny, some things never made sense like driving 75 miles out of route to save $20.

My 4200 mile trip is an example. I used a route planner on internet truckstop to create a list of fuel stops with mileages.

It allows me to see my stops and plan them as well as best places to get fuel. Or just enough fuel to get back to low prices again.

Eastern Wyoming is better to get fuel than western. Tremonton UT is a good catch-up to get you back to cheap fuel in Oregon. And then you are screwed on prices running west again until you get back to Billings.

But I'm not running 10 miles of route to do it either.

 

[Electric Chicken]

Local doesn't work the same as long haul. If we can scale, fuel, & break efficiently and it allows us to knock out more loads, it more than makes up for the price difference.

 

[mndriver]

Local doesn't work the same as long haul. If we can scale, fuel, & break efficiently and it allows us to knock out more loads, it more than makes up for the price difference.

Even after you've been shown it's cheaper to find in greencastle over Hagerstown.

And you've stated you don't because of rewards points.


I've stopped at both locations too. Neither one are truck unfriendly


Just more " no direct benefit to me so screw the company"

 

[Electric Chicken]

Oh, just get off it already.


If they really cared that much they'd plan us like they do the OTR guys. But when I asked where to fuel they said anywhere you want.

You may not be able to comprehend that this company makes money hand over fist on the rail and the more loads we can do IN ONE DAY, the more money everyone makes...and it's orders of magnitude more than a few dollars for fuel.

They just brought in a bunch of new chassis a few weeks ago, and they had already purchased new chassis over the past year. They aren't going broke over our fuel choices.

 

[GAnthony]

Not going to deny, some things never made sense like driving 75 miles out of route to save $20.
But I'm not running 10 miles of route to do it either.

5 years ago when i started this job, the company told us guys to fill up on Rte 1 in the Foxboro, MA area. i think that places is named "Mikes"...park there, and your tires, or batteries or chrome, gets stolen.

at one time, you had to park in the lot across the street, and cross over the road to the diner.....(i frankly ain't even driven by there in over 20 years)

well anyways' on my first day, i refused to go there. that lame excuse for a truck stop is PAST my exit for I-95. i'd have t go about 10 miles out of route to get there, and about 10 miles back to get onto I-95.

company owner was shall i say.. "had a spastic colon" over my refusal.

trying to get into the joint, waiting times, then doing my route, and NEVER getting back to the d/c center by the 4:30 AM deadline, was NOT going to work for me. as then he'd "hear about it", from the customer.

so i found 3 stops to get fuel ON MY route, low prices, quick in and out.

never heard a peep outta "Mr. Spastic Colon"

in fact, there is only 3 of us drivers, at that account, occasionally in very busy spring/summer time, we will have 4...or 5...

none of us have to go to that Rte 1 truck stop

 

[Electric Chicken]

US Xpress didn't give a damn where we fueled either, and that was also local, dedicated to P&G. They did plan their OTR guys though.

 

[mndriver]

Oh, just get off it already.


If they really cared that much they'd plan us like they do the OTR guys. But when I asked where to fuel they said anywhere you want.

You may not be able to comprehend that this company makes money hand over fist on the rail and the more loads we can do IN ONE DAY, the more money everyone makes...and it's orders of magnitude more than a few dollars for fuel.

They just brought in a bunch of new chassis a few weeks ago, and they had already purchased new chassis over the past year. They aren't going broke over our fuel choices.

And that's the difference between @Hammer166 description of "old school" vs "SWH".

Doing it because you know it is the right thing to do vs DILLIGAF.

 

[GAnthony]

Oh, just get off it already.


If they really cared that much they'd plan us like they do the OTR guys. But when I asked where to fuel they said anywhere you want.

You may not be able to comprehend that this company makes money hand over fist on the rail and the more loads we can do IN ONE DAY, the more money everyone makes...and it's orders of magnitude more than a few dollars for fuel.

They just brought in a bunch of new chassis a few weeks ago, and they had already purchased new chassis over the past year. They aren't going broke over our fuel choices.

the thing is Don, there are companies that go ballistic if a driver buys fuel that is 1 penny higher.

when i used to run the I-95 corridor, i could fuel up at my MA terminal, or the VA terminal. BUT, if my terminal was out of fuel, i'd have to shop for cheaper fuel. somewhere's on I-95, i think past Fredricksburg, there is an exit that has 4 truck stops..?? (would that be Port Royal...??)

i liked the Petro, but i had to stop at "Mr. Fuel..???? across the street.

other companies i worked for, could give 2 sheets about where i fueled up. these were also the companies that NEVER sent a tire repair truck, but a NEW TIRE replacement truck..FOR EVEN THE TRAILERS.....!!

 

[mndriver]

I started in 1990. I drove for old timers at that time. One started when he was 16. He was 73 when I worked for him.

He'd hand you an envelope with forty crisp $100 bills.

He always had you home just before the money ran out.

It paid every thing while you were gone.

Your bank and receipts had better total $4000 when you turned your envelope in.

Less you spent on everything, longer you could stay out.

Wonder how many new drivers could do that today?

 

[Electric Chicken]

the thing is Don, there are companies that go ballistic if a driver buys fuel that is 1 penny higher.

when i used to run the I-95 corridor, i could fuel up at my MA terminal, or the VA terminal. BUT, if my terminal was out of fuel, i'd have to shop for cheaper fuel. somewhere's on I-95, i think past Fredricksburg, there is an exit that has 4 truck stops..?? (would that be Port Royal...??)

i liked the Petro, but i had to stop at "Mr. Fuel..???? across the street.

other companies i worked for, could give 2 sheets about where i fueled up. these were also the companies that NEVER sent a tire repair truck, but a NEW TIRE replacement truck..FOR EVEN THE TRAILERS.....!!

Oh I know it exists. But mndriver doesn't seem to realize not all companies (or departments within) are squeezed so tight.

 

[mndriver]

Just putting these in one place....

Dude, seriously? Saving your boss money when you can is never a bad idea. The whole "**** it! I'll fuel where I want!" mentality was one of the first symptoms of the rise of the SWH class of driver. It and the rampant out of route miles is what initially drove the Nanny State mentality of so many carriers.

I realize I'm very old school, and this sentiment isn't common anymore, but your boss pays you to do the very best you can, and to protect his investment to the best of your ability. That includes not incurring unnecessary costs. Because you can believe all you want that it doesn't matter, but I'll promise you, no good manager is handing out raises in a division with rising controllable costs.

And that's the difference between @Hammer166 description of "old school" vs "SWH".

Doing it because you know it is the right thing to do vs DILLIGAF.

Oh I know it exists. But mndriver doesn't seem to realize not all companies (or departments within) are squeezed so tight.

 

[Electric Chicken]

I started in 1990. I drove for old timers at that time. One started when he was 16. He was 73 when I worked for him.

He'd hand you an envelope with forty crisp $100 bills.

He always had you home just before the money ran out.

It paid every thing while you were gone.

Your bank and receipts had better total $4000 when you turned your envelope in.

Less you spent on everything, longer you could stay out.

Wonder how many new drivers could do that today?

I cost the company a helluva lot less than you cost yourself.

 

[Hammer166]

Oh I know it exists. But mndriver doesn't seem to realize not all companies (or departments within) are squeezed so tight.

You comprehend that there are two types of costs, fixed and variable ( on a per mile basis) ? And the variable costs aren't the big ones? Sure, running more loads will lower the $/mi of your insurance and lease payment, but both of those pale in comparison to your fuel/tire/maintenance costs, which are more or less constant no matter how many miles you run. The single easiest way to increase profitability in a truck is to lower the fuel cost, and to continue to argue otherwise is to demonstrate a lack of understanding of how business works.

Edit: "aren't" in plane of a"are"

 

[Electric Chicken]

You comprehend that there are two types of costs, fixed and variable ( on a per mile basis) ? And the variable costs are the big ones? Sure, running more loads will lower the $/mi of your insurance and lease payment, but both of those pale in comparison to your fuel/tire/maintenance costs, which are more or less constant no matter how many miles you run. The single easiest way to increase profitability in a truck is to lower the fuel cost, and to continue to argue otherwise is to demonstrate a lack of understanding of how business works.

Schneider has this fuel thing figured out. That's partly why they're so huge. They'll pester me if I'm costing too much.

 

[Electric Chicken]

You comprehend that there are two types of costs, fixed and variable ( on a per mile basis) ? And the variable costs are the big ones? Sure, running more loads will lower the $/mi of your insurance and lease payment, but both of those pale in comparison to your fuel/tire/maintenance costs, which are more or less constant no matter how many miles you run. The single easiest way to increase profitability in a truck is to lower the fuel cost, and to continue to argue otherwise is to demonstrate a lack of understanding of how business works.

A load pays exponentially more than the fuel it costs to run it. If it's linear to you, you're doing it wrong.

Every load I run is profit for both Schneider and myself. The more loads I can run, the more money I put in Schneider's pocket as well as my own.

Let me put it another way.

When I signed on to this job I was informed that I'd run 10-15 loads a week and between 1,000 and 1,500 miles.

I'm doing my "process" and can typically run 20-25 loads a week and 1800-2200 miles when we have the work available.

If you think the company isn't happy with me, you'd be mistaken. I'm pretty sure they don't mind a little "overpriced" fuel every now and then.

I've made it a point to ask how I'm doing and they've time and again said they couldn't ask anything more from me. If they had a problem with my fuel stops, they'd have said so.

We're all making money and we're all happy.

 

[mndriver]

 

[Electric Chicken]

No I get your point. It simply isn't applicable or important here.

Efficiency is key doing this particular job. Little things add up. Fueling at certain points of my shift to avoid lines, using a truck stop to the right side of the highway for easy on/off due to red lights, avoiding the ones far away from the bathrooms because the walk adds time, etc.

It all adds up and prevents a driver from making more loads and more money for everyone. Nobody cares about another $20 in fuel when it can earn a hundred more. Or when it lets me get my ass home under my 14 so they don't have to send another truck and two drivers to come get me and mine. That's even MORE fuel and others' time wasted.