Beware of ethanol in Loves Truck Stop gas!

[peatmoss]

So the ethanol thing is pretty common. I have a good friend that hauls fuel for a living. They all get the gas from the same pipeline at the same place. Then pull around to the ethanol rack and top off with ethanol. They’ve been doing it for years according to him. I will say I was mind blown when he took me with on one trip and I saw the different gas station trucks all lined up getting it from the same pipe. It was pretty interesting. He also told me some places the gas is all premium. He made it a point to tell me that he doesn’t have “chambers” in his truck for different grades of fuels. Idk

 

[EdMat]

So the ethanol thing is pretty common. I have a good friend that hauls fuel for a living. They all get the gas from the same pipeline at the same place. Then pull around to the ethanol rack and top off with ethanol. They’ve been doing it for years according to him. I will say I was mind blown when he took me with on one trip and I saw the different gas station trucks all lined up getting it from the same pipe. It was pretty interesting. He also told me some places the gas is all premium. He made it a point to tell me that he doesn’t have “chambers” in his truck for different grades of fuels. Idk

It would be interesting to know what bulk plant this was. At some locations you will find multiple large tanks for the various companies they serve. At some locations the bulk gas may be shared but then the additive package changes as its loaded. It's rare, but depending on availability you might accidently get premium when you purchase a lower grade. That's legal. But what will get you thrown in jail or a fine, depending on state, is to sell regular as premium. Most of the MC-306/406 trailers on the road have 3 to 5 compartments to accommodate the various grades of gas and or diesel that might make up a delivery.

 

[cravenfun]

I saw a post on BITOG that Sheetz is selling 88 octane which is E15 in PA .
Only way I would use E15 is in a flex fuel vehicle, not in anything else and if it meant walking only enough to get to the next station. My boat has a nice large sticker on it that says no E15, it's not there for decoration.
2x on additives going in at the rack. Not only ethanol but the ''detergents'' of the different brands. Been like that for years even before ethanol. That's why no name gas is cheaper, no additive packs just basic rack fuel.

 

[milryder]

You get carded for Stabil but fentanyl comes across unrestricted. Go figure. Crazy.

 

[sledge]

So the ethanol thing is pretty common. I have a good friend that hauls fuel for a living. They all get the gas from the same pipeline at the same place. Then pull around to the ethanol rack and top off with ethanol. They’ve been doing it for years according to him. I will say I was mind blown when he took me with on one trip and I saw the different gas station trucks all lined up getting it from the same pipe. It was pretty interesting. He also told me some places the gas is all premium. He made it a point to tell me that he doesn’t have “chambers” in his truck for different grades of fuels. Idk

yessssss, I was a Mechanic at a truck stop Garage for many years, and where they got all their Fuel was same as you said....... every company truck from hundreds of miles all got their fuel from the same place, and same kind of fuel. But some put additives in the fuel as it goes in the ground into the fuel tanks at the truck stop.

 

[RideOn]

Love's buys their fuel from the nearest source, they do not have their own refineries, so I suspect there would be variations from one area to the next.

But I agree it pays to read the labels, otherwise you just don't know.

 

[RideOn]

So the ethanol thing is pretty common. I have a good friend that hauls fuel for a living. [...] It was pretty interesting. He also told me some places the gas is all premium. He made it a point to tell me that he doesn’t have “chambers” in his truck for different grades of fuels. Idk

I had a job driving a tanker for a couple of years, but all I hauled was Jet-A, so there is no need to divide the tank into compartments. A compartment is used to separate different fuels - regular from premium, gas from diesel. These tankers are typically used for delivery to the retail operation, like Love's.

You can see how many compartments a tanker has by counting the number of hook-up points (liquid valves) it has underneath. In my case, there was only one hook-up because it drained the entire tank. Compartmented tankers can have 3 or 4. Without compartments, tank trailers normally will have baffles built in to limit the amount and speed of liquid flow within the tank. These are big sheets of welded-in aluminum or stainless with holes cut in them.

The situation also depends on the refinery. Some have separate loading facilities for regular vs premium vs diesel vs aviation gas vs jet. (BTW, avgas runs about 120 to 140 octane.) Some don't output so many different products. It depends on what markets they target.

For food grade products, for example milk, the tank has no dividers or baffles. With a load of whole milk, a baffled tanker would make it into butter during the trip. pps: Food grade tanks often have a glass lining to make it easier to wash them out for the next load.

So it might look simple but as usual there's a little more to it.

 

[Valkrocket]

I found it interesting that the two members who saw the E15 were in Nebraska and Iowa.......right in the heart of "corn country." I'll be checking the Loves in my area to see if it has made it this far east. :dontknow: