Fuel tankers supplying same fuel to tall stations.

[racin4ds]

Hi guys, sorry if this has been asked but I recently witnessed the same tanker (Holtzman oil corp) going from the local Shell (where I purchase the supposed V power Nitro for mine and my sons modified dirt bikes) to the mom and pop gas station about 5 miles up the road.

Are they all using the same fuel? I kinda figured shell was "top tier" stuff and the Nitro was proprietary to SOPUS stations but I guess that isn't the case?

It goes along with a friend of mine who drives a fuel tanker locally (in the panhandle of WV) and he has told me that He fuels the sunoco stations, and many other local stations branded and not branded. So what gives??? Are we really buying all the same fuel??

 

[demarpaint]

Old news here, which is why I have a hard time wrapping my head around "top tier fuel". I see trucks with no names on the side dump fuel at a no name station, drive a few miles and drop fuel at Shell, or vice versa. It happens all the time.

 

[Kira]

People have said on this board that the ad packs in fuel can be added at the station without a lot of ceremony.

Others have reminded posters like you that fuel tankers are sectioned and therefore can carry different blends.

I don't know.

After reading the above reply I'm reminded to ask, Why don't stations ever display a TOP TIER SOLD HERE sign?

 

[racin4ds]

Hmmm I'd really like to know some facts/truths about this! I can't imagine the stations adding their own ad packs, almost certain that ain't happening!

Anyone on here in the know? any tanker drivers? fuel blenders?

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Hmmm I'd really like to know some facts/truths about this! I can't imagine the stations adding their own ad packs, almost certain that ain't happening!

Anyone on here in the know? any tanker drivers? fuel blenders?


I had a good HS friend who owned a Mobil station and he said it was all the same [censored]. I don't think he was lying to me, maybe its a regional thing.

 

[mrsilv04]

All of the gas in this region comes from a single tank farm, owned by Marathon.

It is all the same gas, unless something is added to it.

 

[kschachn]

You know this has been discussed ad nauseum here on BITOG. The conclusion was that additives for specific brands were generally added at the terminal, and that independent trucking firms can take any gasoline to any station.

If you're really wanting to confirm that then why not visit a local terminal yourself and report back here? Or even just call and find out? Better than endlessly posting the same question for the 548,222th time.

 

[robertcope]

Originally Posted By: Kira

After reading the above reply I'm reminded to ask, Why don't stations ever display a TOP TIER SOLD HERE sign?


You've clearly not been to stations around here, which do have "Top Tier" logos.

This question is asked nearly daily now. My take is that you have to have some basic trust in your service station owner and "the system". I don't think Shell would spend all the money on R&D and advertising that they have to push out this V-Power+ fuel and not actually make sure it gets to their stations.

robert

 

[Andrew1972]

Yep!

In college I had a short stint at fuel chain that basically bought the ends of fuel trucks. There are branded trucks but they are not interested in returning partially full to fuel depot so they sell remainder to the non-branded stations.

Many times we got premium fuel blended into our regular tank as these ends were sold at cut rate.

 

[KD0AXS]

Tankers are separated into sections, so one large tanker is actually several smaller tanks. One tanker can haul several different blends or even gasoline and diesel on the same truck.

 

[racin4ds]

Originally Posted By: kschachn
You know this has been discussed ad nauseum here on BITOG. The conclusion was that additives for specific brands were generally added at the terminal, and that independent trucking firms can take any gasoline to any station.

If you're really wanting to confirm that then why not visit a local terminal yourself and report back here? Or even just call and find out? Better than endlessly posting the same question for the 548,222th time.


Excuse me for asking. I frequent the oil forums and not this one much so I didn't see any of the 548,222 other posts on it, and funny if its that popular it didn't come up in my search...

 

[philipp10]

oh my....the humanity....

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Originally Posted By: kschachn
You know this has been discussed ad nauseum here on BITOG. The conclusion was that additives for specific brands were generally added at the terminal, and that independent trucking firms can take any gasoline to any station.

If you're really wanting to confirm that then why not visit a local terminal yourself and report back here? Or even just call and find out? Better than endlessly posting the same question for the 548,222th time.


Excuse me for asking. I frequent the oil forums and not this one much so I didn't see any of the 548,222 other posts on it, and funny if its that popular it didn't come up in my search...
Good one!

 

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Hi guys, sorry if this has been asked but I recently witnessed the same tanker (Holtzman oil corp) going from the local Shell (where I purchase the supposed V power Nitro for mine and my sons modified dirt bikes) to the mom and pop gas station about 5 miles up the road.

Are they all using the same fuel? I kinda figured shell was "top tier" stuff and the Nitro was proprietary to SOPUS stations but I guess that isn't the case?

It goes along with a friend of mine who drives a fuel tanker locally (in the panhandle of WV) and he has told me that He fuels the sunoco stations, and many other local stations branded and not branded. So what gives??? Are we really buying all the same fuel??


Call them and ask. Holtzman is a good, honest company (I buy propane from them for my home furnace).

They also operate a bunch of their own gas stations in the area. Their website says they supply Liberty, ExxonMobil, Shell, & Pure stations.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I have NO FAITH in supposed "TOP TIER" gas staions IN MY TOWN. Got junk from those and got good running fuel from Irving. I blame the E10.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Franchise might not follow franchise rules until caught.

Mom/pop store doesn't automatically mean bad gas.

Additives can be added to the tank at the station, or to the truck at the tank farm.

My favorite fleet issue... leaded AV-GAS tanker breaks down, and unleaded tanker filled with AVGAS makes the airport run. And you wonder why you get sudden lead in UOAs?

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

Gasoline comes through a pipeline in most areas and into tanks at the tank farm. When the gasoline is loaded into the tanker the different additive packages for the different brands are also loaded. The exception to this is apparently Costco who buys commodity gasoline and mixes in their own additive package on site.

 

[Chris142]

Only 2 suppliers here. Shell and Chevron. When you buy gas it comes from one of them.

 

[racin4ds]

Originally Posted By: cpayne5
Originally Posted By: racin4ds
Hi guys, sorry if this has been asked but I recently witnessed the same tanker (Holtzman oil corp) going from the local Shell (where I purchase the supposed V power Nitro for mine and my sons modified dirt bikes) to the mom and pop gas station about 5 miles up the road.

Are they all using the same fuel? I kinda figured shell was "top tier" stuff and the Nitro was proprietary to SOPUS stations but I guess that isn't the case?

It goes along with a friend of mine who drives a fuel tanker locally (in the panhandle of WV) and he has told me that He fuels the sunoco stations, and many other local stations branded and not branded. So what gives??? Are we really buying all the same fuel??


Call them and ask. Holtzman is a good, honest company (I buy propane from them for my home furnace).

They also operate a bunch of their own gas stations in the area. Their website says they supply Liberty, ExxonMobil, Shell, & Pure stations.


Good idea Cpayne5! I might just do that, see what they say. I know the Liberty Gas runs just as good in our vehicles as the shell supposed 'top tier" does

 

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Yep!

In college I had a short stint at fuel chain that basically bought the ends of fuel trucks. There are branded trucks but they are not interested in returning partially full to fuel depot so they sell remainder to the non-branded stations.

Many times we got premium fuel blended into our regular tank as these ends were sold at cut rate.



Good, that answers a question that I asked in another thread yesterday.
I had always heard this was a practice.