It all depends where "here" is.
"There" in CA its $10.
"Here" in TX I just gassed up at $3.29.
LOL
"There" in CA its $10.
"Here" in TX I just gassed up at $3.29.
LOL
$10 a gallon gas is here.
- Thread starter Chris142
- Start date
JHZR2
Staff member
Those things existed years ago when truck stops were the most cost effective and best place for me to fill up.
JHZR2
Staff member
Commodity prices rise everywhere. Not sure chest thumping about >$3 gas is prudent.
He’s in relatively remote desert where prices are always high, beyond the ca markups.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
The price of gas went up 50% here since someone pulled the trigger on 2/28/26. From $2.95 to $4.55/gal 87. Not political, fact.
If you are far enough off the beaten path prices can get crazy.
Last eve, talking to my buddy in Sonora California, he griped about $7.50 for diesel.
Last week in Hayward California, Costco, 87 octane, $5.40
1) We also have weather in central Texas... and good air conditioning.
2) Remind me again, the cost of "living" in California? When everyone was fleeing there at the start of Covid, those moving into my neighborhood were giddy at paying only $750k for twice the house at half the cost from where they were living (driving up home prices here).
3) Got me on this one.
But then there are the property taxes in Texas. Plus reassessments.
Even though premium is almost $5 here, I've been taking the Subie more to work. 30+mpg vs 20 in the truck I'm still money ahead 
Yes because barges of gasoline dock on Long Island to be distributed throughout Long Island and up north. So as you truck the gas farther away from the gas terminal the price rises because of transportation costs. During COVID when economy shut down I would take my boat out and look at the tons of barges loaded with gas just floating around there was zero demand for gasoline in NYC and surrounding areas
Virtually all commercial vehicles that fuel with diesel have discount cards. Some discount the fuel up to $1/gallon depending on wholesale prices vs. local markup. I think the truck stops figure they will make better margin on the fuel they sell in the retail pumps to make up for the lower margins in the commercial lanes.
I'm sure he was exaggerating for effect. It just struck me as inconceivable, almost 50 years ago, that gasoline would ever hit $10/gallon.
I agree - gasoline is, by far, my major cost of running a vehicle. Here are my estimates of what I spent (in C$) on running our van (2007 Dodge Grand Caravan) in 2025:
Mechanical Repairs:
$300 (water pump, serpentine belt, tensioner, EGR valve, bulbs for dash illumination - all labour provided by me)
Maintenance:
$200 (oil changes, brake fluid, ATF spill-and-fill, front wipers - all labour provided by me)
Windshield Deductible:
$300
Tires:
$500 (two new Nokian winter tires)
Insurance:
$800
Gasoline:
$3600
I figure depreciation is $0 at this point.
Once again, the established and familiar business model may have been changed without consulting you (us).
Truck stops can be "serious" but gas stations must be "pretty" and sell a variety of unhealthy food and stuffed toys.
I took the old BMW out for a spin. Gas was down $.05 at the closest gas station today. So $1.85 per gallon less than it was at it's all-time high in the summer of 2022...
Can vouch for this. Many tiny places existed only because a railroad built a station there to accompany the ability to replenish steam locomotives. The railroads gave the location the name. Out my way in rural areas some of those places have nothing left because the tracks are long gone and the few buildings were torn down, so the names exist today only on maps.
If you want an interesting exercise, try to find Mason, Virginia. It had been on a long narrow-gauge spur of the old Atlantic & Danville Railroad. I can tell you that the few nearby houses were built long after the tracks were removed about 90 years ago, and they use a post office in another location for their addresses, not Mason.
QB for the Lions
The outrageous prices people are posting from middle-of-nowhere stations isn’t common. Particularly when thise stations are are in CA, which already has the highest prices in the US.
In Texas I pay 1/3 the price OP posted…$3.33 per gallon va $10
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
I stop at a truck stop often just bcs they are about halfway on a normal run. The Drivers come inside and leave with arms full of overpriced stuff … There’s real profit in that …
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
Yep, but it’s obligatory that you eat ramen noodles until graduation day !!!
That’s where they are likely making most of their profit. Not that they aren’t making money on fuel, but the profit margins on the convenience items inside the store are huge, and they know that truck drivers will still buy them even if they are marked up.
I was an OTR truck driver, and when you are living out of a truck for weeks at a time, it’s not like you can just pull into a grocery store or a Target or Walmart and go buy what you need. For one, there’s usually nowhere to park, oftentimes the roads leading in and out aren’t truck friendly and when you are in an unfamiliar area, you don’t want to chance it and risk getting yourself stuck somewhere, and more than that, you just don’t have the time to go out of your way for a supplies stop. So you overpay because you know you can get in and out of the place easily, have a place to park, top off your fuel and check your tires while you are there, and it’s right along the highway. If you’re smart and plan and pack well, you can avoid spending half of your paycheck at the Flying J, but inevitably you’re gonna need it at some point.
There’s lots of reasons to dislike truck stops besides the prices, but most of them have to do with other truck drivers.
Anyways, just my .02.
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