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What is Heating Oil? 1024 512 Star Oilco

What is Heating Oil?

In the Pacific Northwest heating oil is diesel.

Star Po;cp Crest

New heating oil customers often ask us, “What is heating oil?” Heating oil is diesel fuel and there are several grades and types. For Star Oilco our standard heating oil product is a ultra low sulfur diesel with a 5% biodiesel blend in order to meet Oregon mandates for off-road diesel fuel. That way our heating oil trucks can also serve construction fueling, emergency back up generators, and other common off-road diesel uses.

Star Oilco has a simple Heating Oil FAQ available.

For full on fuel nerds though, check out this more in depth deeper technical dive below.  If we leave anything out please don’t hesitate to ask for those seeking a nerd-level understanding of heating oil, kerosene and bioheat.

There are three typically grades of heating oil you can order.

Number 1 Diesel

Number 1 diesel is also called Kerosene or Stove Oil. This fuel has a lighter specification than typical heating oil which enables it to burn better in a “pot burner” or wick heater. Kerosene has its own specification as the fuel used by wick heaters. Kerosene is typically Number 1 diesel but not all Number 1 diesel’s are kerosene due to the need to be taken up by a wick heater. Any biodiesel content in a kerosene product WILL NOT work in a wick kerosene heater. So be very aware of confirming that your kerosene has never come into any contact with a biodiesel blend of fuel.

Red Number 2 Diesel

Red dyed diesel also called Heating Oil, Dyed Diesel, Off-Road Diesel is the default heating oil fuel. The fuel is dyed red to denote no on-road fuel taxes are attached to it. When you call and ask for heating oil, this is the fuel you are requesting. Clear or Green Number 2 Diesel is the fuel sold at retail gas stations and truck stops. That fuel will also work in your furnace, you just are paying for on-road taxes attached to that fuel.

Bioheat or Biodiesel Heating Oil

“Bioheat” is a blend of biodiesel and petroleum diesel to make a lower emission and lower CO2 heating fuel.  Typically Bioheat is Number 2 Heating Oil with a 20% blend of biodiesel or higher in it. It is a drop-in fuel for your heating oil furnace. There is no change other than routine maintenance is required. It is a cleaner burning fuel with a significant drop in CO2 emissions associated with your heating oil fuel consumption.  If you would like more information on biodiesel as a heating oil you can follow this link.

B20 Biodiesel Heating oil provider

Where do heating oil companies get their fuel?

In the Portland, Oregon market, diesel is fungible. Everyone buys or is expected to mix their fuel from each other in some way. Primarily this is due to the Portland/Vancouver market receiving most of its fuel down the Kinder Morgan-operated Olympic Pipeline. Which means all the refiners transporting fuel are mixing their product in transit. Additionally, there are shared terminal locations, which also have co-mingled owned diesel products.

Every refiner is typically expecting to mix their diesel and gasoline products. The difference is in the care a vendor takes to filter the fuel, using additives and continuously check their fuel quality. If you are buying at the absolute lowest price possible, know that there is an incentive to skip any added value of quality assurance.

Star Oilco buys our diesel products from a variety of vendors. The source refiner typically being either BP, Shell, Marathon(formerly Tesoro), Phillip 66, or a number of other refiners.

Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington are not unique in in having fungible diesel and heating oil fuel specifications. Through its Pacific Operations unit, Kinder Morgan operates approximately 3,000 miles of refined products pipeline that serves Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington and Texas. With roots dating back to 1956, it is the largest products pipeline in the Western U.S., transporting more than one million barrels per day of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel to our customers. The company-owned terminals also provide additional services, such as liquid petroleum product storage and loading facilities for delivery trucks.

The heating oil and biofuel blends Star Oilco sells its customers

Heating oil is essentially off-road diesel. You can legally use a higher sulfur content for boilers and heating systems than you can off-road equipment and back-up generators. Regardless, we sell the lowest sulfur fuel available and optimize our fuel to be as versatile to our customers as possible. Construction equipment, back up generators and a host of others systems use off-road diesel, as do heating oil systems. Star Oilco sells the same diesel fuel specification for all of our off-road uses.

We also blend this fuel with biodiesel for our customers that want higher blends of low CO2 biodiesel fuels and heating oil. Star Oilco carries nothing but ultra low sulfur diesel fuels. In fact, our minimum blend of biodiesel is a B5 biodiesel blend (5% biodiesel and 95% petroleum diesel) and we also offer B20 (20% biodiesel blend) and B99 (99% pure biodiesel) for our customers.

About Diesel Fuels Specifications 

In the United States, diesel fuel is controlled according the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard D975-97. This standard describes a limited number of properties that diesel fuels must meet. It should be noted that the requirements are all performance-based, meaning they do not mandate the composition of the fuel, only the specific performance related requirements demanded of a fuel for a diesel engine. The requirements of D975 are described below.

ASTM Specifications for Diesel Fuel Oils (D975)*

*More info on ASTM specifications

Diesel fuel is characterized in the United States by the ASTM standard D975, which identifies five grades of diesel fuel. We are only going to talk about the two most popular commercially diesel fuel used — No 1 and No. 2 diesel. The ASTM D975 standard is made up of a series of different tests that check the characteristic ranges of a fuel to confirm it is adequate to operate in your equipment.

In simple terms, they are checking for specific gravity, the vapor point (when it turns into a gas), the flash point (when it catches fire), the dirt content, water content (how much microscopic entrained water) and a host of other requirements diesel must meet in order to be legal to be sold for use in your engine.

Grade No. 1-D and Ultra-Low Sulfur 1-D:

This is a light distillate fuel for applications requiring a higher volatility fuel to accommodate rapidly fluctuating loads and speeds, as in light trucks and buses. The specification for this grade of diesel fuel overlaps with kerosene and jet fuel, and all three are commonly produced from the same base stock. One major use for No. 1-D diesel fuel is to blend with No. 2-D during winter to provide improved cold flow properties. Ultra-low sulfur fuel is required for on-highway use with sulfur level < 0.05%. 

Grade No. 2-D and Ultra-Low Sulfur 2-D:

This is a middle- or mid-grade distillate fuel for applications that do not require a high volatility fuel. Typical applications include high-speed engines that operate for sustained periods at high load. Ultra-low sulfur fuel is required for on-highway use with sulfur level < 0.05%.

Biodiesel Fuels for Heating Oil

Biodiesel is a renewable fuel produced from oil seed crops, used cooking oil, and/or animal fat waste. It is chemically similar to petroleum diesel, and is produced by combining the oil stock with catalysts and then heating it. Biodiesel is not the same as vegetable oil or SVO (straight vegetable oil) and can be used in any diesel engine.

Biodiesel and biodiesel blends significantly reduce tailpipe emissions, especially carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and particulates (black smoke). ASTM D975 standard, as of 2008, allowed up to 5 percent biodiesel to be blended into the fuel. This is the called B5 — the ‘B’ stands for biodiesel and 5 stands for up to 5 percent biodiesel.

B6 to B20 – ASTM D7467-17:

Diesel blends up to 20% and more than 6% are referred to as B20. Biodiesel is a cleaner burning fuel than petroleum diesel. Using biodiesel can help reduce the amount of harmful emissions released into the air. Emissions such as sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other compounds found in diesel exhaust. Read the ASTM D7467-17 standards.

B99 & B100 –  ASTM D6751-15ce1:

These are fuels made of up to 100% biodiesel. Due to environmental regulations, most retailers will carry a maximum of B99. The standards for B99 and B100 are identical. Unlike gasoline, biodiesel can gel at cold temperatures. This can cause stress on fuel pumps and fuel injection systems, or can clog filters or even become too thick to pump to the engine. B99 has a higher temperature gel rate – meaning that it begins to cloud and thicken at higher temperatures – than conventional diesel.

“The cloud point of soybean biodiesel is about 34°F (1°C), whereas the cloud point for No. 1 diesel is about – 40°F (-40°C) and for No. 2 diesel between -18°F (-28°C) and +20°F (-7°C).” (Biodiesel Cloud Point and Cold Weather Issues) The solutions for cold weather involve additives and lower blends to ensure continuous operations. Read the ASTM D6751-15ce1 standards.

FURTHER READING ON DIESEL FUEL:

For a question and answer format about heating oil please see: Every question Star Oilco has been asked about Heating Oil

Here is an article about: an In-depth look at Biodiesel as a heating fuel 

Read about Star Oilco’s approach to Fuel Quality Assurance: Star Oilco – Precision Fuel Management

Read about dealing with biological growth in your diesel tank: Bioguard Plus 6 biocide treatment for diesel

Get Chevron’s Technical Manual to Diesel Fuel (essentially an easy to read text book on diesel): Chevron’s Fuel Technical Review

Get a white paper from Donaldson Filtration on tier 4 engines and fuel cleanliness: Donaldson on Tier 4 Engine Fuel Contamination

Read more about Donaldson Desiccant Breathers for bulk diesel tanks: Why use a Donaldson Desiccant Breather for a bulk diesel storage tank.

what-do-I-need-to-know-about-long-term-diesel-storage
What Do I Need to Know About Long Term Diesel Storage? 1024 768 Star Oilco

What Do I Need to Know About Long Term Diesel Storage?

Here’s good advice if you are relying on diesel as a back up fuel in the Pacific NW.

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Now is the time to refill and treat your back up fuel tanks.

Diesel as a back up fuel

Quite a bit of our business at Star Oilco is fueling back-up generators, emergency water pumps, refrigerated trailers and other long term off-road diesel storage requirements. In the Pacific Northwest, biodiesel blending is required by state laws and you need to take an extra duty of care when storing diesel as a back-up fuel.

This means that most off-road diesels and heating oils are ultra low sulfur diesel containing a small quantity of biodiesel.  That means long term storage requires a proactive approach.  You can’t just hope and wait to see what the fuel begins to look after years of storage.

Technical advice from Government Fleet Magazine to help you with storing diesel fuel.

Here is an article from Government Fleet Magazine on the subject which runs through the specifics of long term storage and what causes fuel to degrade when stored.  Government Fleet Magazine – How to Maintain Stored Diesel Fuel.

Star Oilco has also worked up a PDF check list on how to verify if your fuel is in need of freshening or is still in emergency ready shape.  If you are a customer of ours, we will deliver a laminated card version to keep next to your back up generator. If you are not a customer (or outside of our service area) drop us a message below and we will gladly email you the PDF.

For our customers, we recommend that you check the tank bottom fuel quality on an annual basis to make sure the product looks good. If the tank has sat for years and is dark in color (good diesel is bright and transparent – you will notice if it is in bad shape), we recommend pumping the tank out at least partially and replacing with fresh fuel. Often you can also hugely improve the quality of the fuel by polishing the fuel. Polishing is when you circulate fuel from the bottom of the tank through a pump, filter repeatedly in order to remove any sediment or growth from the fuel, and then place this fuel back in the same tank.

Look at your fuel for a bright and clear color.

For stored fuel, you also want to make sure it is stabilized and contains a biocide. Stabilizers prevent the oxidation of the fuel and prevent the effect of metals like lead, copper and zinc, which can react and degrade fuel. For heating oil systems with a return line, for instance, the fuel is flowing through a copper line to the furnace and then back to the tank in a return line.

Use additives designed to prolong the life of your emergency diesel fuel.

Biocides prevent the growth of biological activity in the tank. In scenarios whcontaminated_dieselere micro-organisms like algae, bacteria, yeasts, and other bugs are growing in your fuel, biocides can kill this growth. It is still important to remove the residual grit and other contaminants that are the hallmark of bugs growing in your tank. Usually you remove them by filtration or total turn over of the fuel. If your tank absolutely has to be clean, you can contract a tank professional to enter the tank and physically clean the tank bottom or reline the tank with either fiberglass or an epoxy resin.

Water in diesel destroys fuel quality rapidly. Check your tank for water every fall and spring.

In events where water finds its way into your storage tank, that can also be corrected by pumping the tank bottom. Additionally, you want to put in an absorbent material designed to absorb water and not fuel. If your long term storage tank has water and you are not planning to burn 100% of the fuel in the near future, DO NOT add anything that removes water by distributing into the fuel. Adding a “fuel drier” that actually pushes the water into solution with the diesel will worsen the long term quality of your fuel, not improve it. That water is where bugs find their home to grow in fuel.

Star Oilco will test your fuel at no charge if you have an open account.

Feel free to call us with any questions you may have about long term storage of diesel. Star Oil can also deliver treated diesel ready for long term storage complete with Hydrotex PowerKleen Premium Diesel additive to improve the long term storage quality of your fuel. For biocide, we use Valvtect BioGuard fuel microbiocide to kill any possible biological activity and prevent any chance of it starting.

Diesel Testing and Storage in Portland

If you have a long term diesel storage tank and you are in the Portland, Oregon area, we are here to test your fuel.  Make sure your diesel is there for you when disaster strikes.

Tank Testing Form

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For more reading on diesel fuel quality assurance:

Fight Humbug in your Diesel Tank (using Valvtect Bioguard Plus 6 to stabalize your stored diesel)

Diesel Fuel Technical Review (an easy to read and free text book on diesel fuel)

Emergency Back Up Generator Fuel Quality (designed to provide a checklist to help Facility Managers keep those back up generators ready for emergency action)

Using Desicant Breathers to keep diesel fuel dry and clean (an introductory primer on desicant breathers and how they can be used to keep long term diesel storage drier and cleaner)

Using Diesel Filters to clean up your diesel fuel quality (an introductory primer on using aggressive filtration in line with diesel fuel dispensing for fuel quality assurance)

emergency-back-up-generator-fuel-portland-oregon
Emergency Back-Up Generator Fuel Quality Assurance 1024 683 Star Oilco

Emergency Back-Up Generator Fuel Quality Assurance

Emergency Back Up Generator Diesel Fuel Quality

The fuel in your generator is the single most overlooked item in maintaining a back up generator.  Be prepared and know your back up generator diesel fuel quality is ready with these best practices.

When the power goes out, don’t let a decade old tank of diesel be your weak link.

 

Diesel Generator Fueling Service

As a provider of back up generator fueling services we know how critical fuel is in an emergency.

Back up generators are everywhere when you start looking for them.  Rarely needed but when a storm or disaster strikes their failure to fire will be extremely conspicuous. In the Pacific Northwest where resilience planning around a major subduction zone earthquake is a monthly subject of talk.  Back up diesel will be the only immediately power source after a quake.  Diesel generators are taking center stage for emergency preparedness, placing those who maintain them in some high level policy discussions.

Avoid a double emergency when the back up power isn’t there for your need by focusing on the diesel fuel quality.

The worst case scenario for fuel quality is water getting into your diesel fuel reservoir as well as biological growth occurring in that water logged diesel. If water is present in diesel, and that diesel is in a warm dark place, bacteria will start growing in your tank. So first preventive step is watch for water.  The most likely problem with fuel you will see is the fuel aging and degrading in place over years of not being used.  That can be addressed with your routine maintenance on the tank.

CIM-TEK water absorber

NOTE: To get a small amount of water or to ensure a dryer tank of fuel, CIM TEK makes a Tank Dryer which absorbs a small amount of water in a tank. Handy similar to adding a desiccant into a closet with a slight condensation issue. 

Back up power generator diesel fuel quality.

The big rule for storing back up generator fuel is to make sure the diesel you use is clean and dry.

First ensure you are testing the generator by running it once a month.  Move fuel through the system and ensure the generator is starting right up. Run the generator for a while to use up fuel and be prepared to order a regular top off when you get below 3/4th of a tank. When checking the fluids on the generator prior to start up see if the fuel filter has a visual transparent bottom where you can see what the fuel looks like there. If it looks like dirty fuel or there is evidence of water take notice.  After cycling the generator take a peek and make sure the fuel it’s pulling into the generator is bright (not dark and degraded).  If you are seeing any water (even a small drop) that is an indication of real concerns.

If you are using up half a tank a year and adding to it, the fuel quality will usually stay within specification.  If you have worries the easiest way is to just start over. With older generators sometimes it’s a good idea to just evacuate the tank (empty all the older diesel fuel) and replace it with fresh diesel treated and stabilized for long term storage.

Most back up generators are seeing routine annual maintenance where the mechanical needs of the equipment are walked through. If this is occurring ask for a bottom sample from the back up generators fuel tank. Also ask to see what the fuel in the bottom of the fuel filter (assuming they are changing that) would give an indication if problems might exist deep in the fuel tank.

Back Up Diesel Generator Fuel Service

Sampling and Onsite Testing of Fuel from Generator Diesel Tank:

  1. Pull sample from tank bottom
    1. Use a professional “Bacon-Bomb Sampler” (google it to see one) or a small fuel transfer pump available at any auto parts store.
  2. Visually inspect it by swirling it in a beaker or mason jar.
    • Look for water and dirt fall out as you swirl.  If you see a few drops of water form you’ve got a water problem. If you are seeing coffee ground type material in the fuel, that’s biological growth. If an algal or gunk type slime appears, that’s also biological growth.
    • If clear like cranberry juice and bright – your fuel is in good shape.  If a darker cherry color yet still clear, your fuel is aging and you should consider swapping or burning fuel off in the next year.
  3. If fuel is dark in color (showing that it is aging in the tank) you can send that sample to a lab to test it. You want to ensure you are confirming the following:
    • Oxidation Stability (or Accelerated Stability)
    • Water Content in PPM (under 50 PPM is what you want, under 100 PPM is not uncommon, and over 100 PPM there is probably water in the fuel and you want to pursue remedial action.)
    • Make sure the fuel testing lab you are using (your current fuel vendor should have a recommendation or do it for free for you) is checking for:
      • oxidative stability (if it’s aging out of specification),
      • biological growth (if bugs are growing in it),
      • water content (indicating a puddle someplace in the tank causing higher water content in the fuel) and,
      • dirt content of the fuel (if there is dirt, there is probably biological growth or some other problem).
  4. Set aside sample in a warm dark place for a month and check it for biological growth occurring which will confirm if you have fuel growing inside the tank.
    • How to test diesel for biological growth In-House:
      • Take your sample that appears to be in great condition and set it aside in a warm dark place for a month (day light kills most biological growth in fuel, though day light ages your diesel in other ways).
      • When you come back to look at the sample, if a film or layer of darker color is appearing in the fuel, this is biological growth occurring.
      • If you see nothing and want to experiment further, add a slight amount of water to this sample, shake it up, and put it back in a warm dark place.
      • When you check back if there is a a new layer of darker color on the surface of where the water contacts the fuel, that’s what grows in your tank.
      • If nothing grows, your fuel is safely stabilized for storage this year. Even if water is finding its way into your fuel tank, the fuel is safe and will be ready to start.
        • NOTE: Do not leave water in your tank, even if the fuel looks good. Eventually it will be a major problem and something will grow. If you are putting biocide in your tank regularly and their is an environment for growth, something resistant to that biocide will take root and you WILL NOT be able to get it out of the tank without serious effort.

NOTE: If you are curious to see a fuel lab analysis of the diesel this is an example.  This is a lab analysis from Hydrotex, Star Oilco’s premium diesel additive provider.  They are very supportive in testing everything we send them for quality assurance. 

 

Do you have questions about generator diesel fuel storage?

If you have questions about fuel storage, Star Oilco has answers.  Star Oilco does not do tank cleaning, we still will help you figure out what you need to do in order to have the result you need.

Contact Form

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For more on Diesel Fuel Quality Assurance please see these other Star Oilco articles:

Desiccant breathers, dry diesel, and keeping your diesel fuel clean.

Every question Star Oilco has been asked about dyed diesel.

Keep and make your diesel fuel cleaner. 

Bioguard Plus 6, Kill and prevent biological growth in your diesel fuel storage tank.

 

wet-hose-fueling-service-portland-oregon
On Site Refueling in Oregon 1024 664 Star Oilco

On Site Refueling in Oregon

6 reasons to use Wet-Hose diesel and gasoline fleet fueling in Portland, Oregon.

The best strategic decision to reduce needless driver hours and keep your fleet on the route without excuses.

Mobile Onsite Fleet Fueling Service for diesel and gasoline available in Oregon and Washington.

If some days you have more work than drivers…  Wet Hose Fleet Fueling is your solution!

 

There is a reason that fueling on-site and after hours is the preferred fueling method of growing fleets in the Pacific Northwest.  The fleet refueling solution that solves the complex problem of dispatching in a world short of drivers and facing unpredictable traffic. Mobile Onsite refueling or “Wet Hose” fueling is a solution that will push more money to your bottom line and reduce stress on your drivers.  Star Oilco can also merge our mobile onsite refueling service with our national Fleet Card system to give you one bill and easy reports for your fuel tax reporting by license plate and equipment number.

 One bill for On Site Fueling and Fleet Cards, labor saving in town and low prices over the road. 

Make your IFTA and PUC’s fuel reporting simple.

Secured fleet fueling while over the road.  Simple labor saving fueling in your yard.  Track equipment by license plate and equipment number on one invoice.

Reefer trailer fuel service

  6 Reasons to Use Wet Hose or Mobile Onsite Refueling

On Site refueling or “Wet Hosing” is a preferred method for fueling these days. Fleets of all sizes prefer getting their fleet fueling delivered after hours in their yard. The reasons are numerous but at the top of the list, labor is the driving force behind it.

Shaving off even fifteen minutes of labor–which is one of the two highest costs for most fleets, right after diesel–can have a huge payback to the bottom line.

If your fleet is consistently on overtime or short that one extra hour of legal driver time, picking up fifteen to thirty minutes per truck a few times a month can be a huge opportunity. If your drivers always seem to be bleeding into overtime or missed stops, you want on-site fueling.

Streamlining their route without a consideration for fuel will pay back rapidly. With a simple change in what a driver has to consider at the start and finish of their day, efficiencies are immediately seen with wet hose fueling. Most of all, this is seen if you are pulling your drivers out of the productivity killing vortex that is truckstops. Truckstops may show a good diesel price but they are making it up when your drivers wait in line inside the store while on the clock.

Call Star Oilco if you have questions and want to examine the payback value of Wet Hose Refueling compared against your current vendor for diesel. You might be surprised how much it will save you in time, money and management effort.

Six reasons why you should consider wet-hose diesel fueling:

  1. Driver Time – The most valuable resource your fleet owns.

    • Truck drivers are a limited resource and they cost more than you can usually measure in money alone. Without calculating the lost productivity of your truck, you are paying over $10 each time your drivers stop for fuel. The out of route stopping, refueling, and getting back on the road time could be half hour of lost time. As the average fill up we see is under 50 gallons, fueling your own trucks will cost you $.20 to $.50 a gallon in labor costs alone.

  2. One More Stop – Picking up productivity in your fleet.

    • Getting drivers on the road and without a reason to be out of route pays back dividends. If you pay productivity bonuses, your most productive drivers will thank you as well. Even in fleets where pay is by stop, not based on hourly wages, the ability those few times a year when drivers are so busy they are bumping up against DOT work rules, they will thank you for the convenience of being ready to go the start of each shift and not having to worry about that one more stop on the way back to base. A few extra stops a year is often worth thousands of dollars to your bottom line–more than a cost of a tank of diesel.

  3. Control Fuel Taxes – Track your taxes without chasing paper receipts.

    • Pay the right taxes. We have audited and seen where mobile on-site refueling pays back thousands of dollars in savings. Typically from just this often unnoticed needless expense alone. In Oregon many small towns have add-on taxes of their own that hide out in your fuel bill. Portland, Oregon’s diesel tax is a $.10 a gallon (or more for weight mile). Regardless, you can avoid these taxes and nail down a totally known cost of fuel.

  4. Control Your Type of Fuel – Ensure you are getting Premium Diesel, Dyed Diesel, or B20 Biodiesel.

    • If you are trying to guarantee the highest performance in your fleet the quality of your diesel matters. To guarantee you receive Premium Diesel, ensure one point of responsibility for the diesel fueling of your equipment.
    • Easily track what fuel went where for tax purposes. Wethose fueling provides the gallons moved by piece of equipment, license plate, and even VIN if that’s what you want it tracked by. Make fuel tax reporting easy and consolidated.
    • If you are working to guarantee a low CO2 footprint for sustainability reasons. Wethose fueling services are a great way to simplify that effort. Commercial prices for B20 Biodiesel are often more competitive than retailers selling the fuel as premium product as well. Additionally, with a single fuel vendor you can track back the source of the fuel for CO2 or other footprint analysis. Know what your impacts are.

  5. Easily integrates with cardlock and other fleet cards onto one bill.

    • If you have a major hub with a critical mass of trucks in town, wet-hosing yPride Advantage Sample Cardour fleet can pay back rapidly. Even if the majority of your fleet is over the road and out of town, on-site refueling can be a money saving proposition. You can also integrate it seamlessly with a Pacific Pride, CFN, Fuelman, Voyager or other fleet card program as well. Star Oil can provide a Pacific Pride or Fuelman card that will work over the road consolidating all your fuel into one bill. Star can also accept Fuelman, Comdata, WEX or Voyager and bill those fleet cards directly with onsite refueling. If your fleet uses one of these national fleet cards, call us to move to wet hosing. We bill directly to the card and license plate of each one of your trucks. (For further reading on corporate fleet card security features please read our article on Upgrade your Fleet Card’s Security Features.)

  6. Cost Plus Diesel – Budget to know every day you are getting a good wholesale rate for your fleet.

    • Star Oilco can connect your fleet to an agreed and easily verifiable cost plus supply agreements. Be it OPIS Average or Low Rack Plus agreements, we can guarantee you have a good wholesale price of fuel.  You can also use B20 Biodiesel or Renewable Diesel fuels at a discount price to reduce your fleet’s emissions if that is a priority for you.  Onsite refueling will provide a simplified fleet management experience for both your drivers and your Accounts Payable department. Call us if you want to talk about what this can do for your business. ( For further reading on the benefits of premium diesel and a wholesale partner for diesel, read our article on What is the benefit of Premium Diesel versus untreated diesel?)

Contact Star Oilco with any questions you may have about Wet Hose Fueling your fleet.  

We are here to serve you and make Mobile Onsite Fueling simple.

Contact Form

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For more on Fleet Fueling Best Practices read these other Star Oilco articles:

Upgrade your Fleet Card’s Security Features

The difference between Portland, Oregon Diesel and the rest of Oregon.

Seven ways to stop fuel theft before it happens.

Eliminate Fuel Theft and Save Money

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BioGuard Plus 6 Stabilize Your Diesel Tank 1024 683 Star Oilco

BioGuard Plus 6 Stabilize Your Diesel Tank

Fight Humbug in your Diesel Tank!

Fall weather is around the corner and moisture is depositing in your diesel tank.

 

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Treat your diesel; keep things from growing in your diesel.

Prepare your diesel fuel, heating oil, kerosene, or boiler fuel for storage.

Make sure your fuel works when you need it. If you have a bulk diesel tank, stop stuff from growing in your diesel before it starts.

Star Oilco provides complementary diesel fuel quality testing for tanks in our service area.

Valvtect BioGuard Plus 6

Valvtect Plus 6 – Stabilizer and Biocide

Use every spring and winter to guarantee your tank is not providing a habitat to fuel system spoiling microbes.

Water in diesel is a fact of life these days. Biological growth spoiling your fuel quality does not have to be. Ultralow sulfur diesel and biodiesel have water in them. Over time, water entrained in your diesel fuel can fall out of solution. Add to that they condensation that will natural develop in your fuel tank and you have an environment for hum-bug to grow in your heating oil, diesel, or boiler fuel storage tank.

 

If you are storing diesel for longer than six months you want to stabilize that fuel.

In the summer when temperatures swing at night, your tank is breathing air in and out.  If it is raining, your tank is likely also breathing in the water. With the rainy season and long after it passes, be aware that water is everywhere unless you work to seal it out of your fuel storage system.  You can use a desiccant breather as a way to filter moisture from the atmosphere from getting into our tank.

If your tank does not have a desiccant breather on it, your fuel tank can collect condensation. As air moves in and out of the tank with temperature changes, moisture will collect on the wall of the tank. Yeasts, bacteria, fungi, and algae can grow in that water which collects on the bottom of the tank. Make sure your tank is not a habitat for growing bugs every spring and winter.

Microbiological growth in diesel fuel, also known as “humbug” in fuel, can start growing and if unchecked, will wreak havoc with your fleet. Once it starts in your fuel tank it will spread throughout your fleet. If you see a random need to spin filters between services or odd fuel-related maintenance issues, you likely have bugs growing in your fuel tanks.

Star Oilco recommends BioGuard Plus 6 as a regular biocide for routine maintenance.  

BioGuard Plus 6 is the only EPA certified biocide product that has both a biocide as well as a fuel stabilizer with detergent in one product. This detergent stabilizer acts as an aggressive tank cleaner (NOTE: BioGuard available without Plus 6).

When using Valvtect BioGuard, treat first with a kill, done in your bulk diesel storage. That will spread and kill the growing bugs in your fleet. Maintenance will clean up any remaining bacteria. If you do not have a known or seen problem, a kill twice a year is a great way to guarantee it does not appear and treat the individual tanks of your fleet.

ValvTect BioGuard™ PLUS 6Valvtect BioGuard Plus 6

BioGuard® Plus 6™ is the ONLY EPA registered diesel additive that combines a biocide with a multi-functional diesel additive to prevent bacteria, algae and all other major diesel related problems.

BioGuard Plus 6 is the perfect solution for ultra low sulfur diesel and biodiesel problems; such as bacteria, algae, excess water, sludge, filter plugging, injector wear & deposits, poor fuel economy and unstable fuel.

Only BioGuard Plus 6 prevents bacteria and algae growth, plus:

  • Stabilizes fuel for up to 2 years
  • Prevents rust and corrosion
  • Lubricates pumps and injectors
  • Cleans-up injector deposits
  • Disperses moisture
  • Increases cetane

ValvTect BioGuard Plus 6
“It’s ALL Your Diesel Fuel Needs!”

32 oz Bottle treats 375 Gallons
1 Gallon Bottle treats 1500 Gallons
Also available in 2.5 Gallon Plastic Bottles, 55 Gallon Drums and 300 Gallon Totes

BioGuard ULS Fuel Microbiocide

BioGuard is an EPA registered dual soluble (fuel & water) microbiocide that effectively kills bacteria and fungi that grow in diesel fuel, heating oil and gasoline. It prevents bacteria caused filter plugging and bacteria caused corrosion of the fuel system.

BioGuard typically works in 2-3 hours versus 24-36 hours needed by other biocide products. BioGuard has also been found to be up to twice as effective as other biocides.

This additive can be used in all diesel and gasoline bulk tanks and vehicle tanks, including marine, farm, truck fleet, home heat, generators, and railroad storage tanks.

  • Kills bacteria and other biocontamination quickly
  • Twice as effective as other biocides
  • Breaks up sludge and slime
  • Prevents bacteria plugged filters
  • Prevents bacteria caused corrosion
  • Bottle contains easy measuring spout

16 oz. container treats 460 gallons of diesel fuel at the initial kill treat rate.
16 oz. container treats 920 gallons of diesel fuel at the maintenance treat rate.

 

For a more in depth description of Valvtect BioGuard Plus 6 please click here.

If you have any questions about routine tank maintenance or to order Valvtect BioGuard products, please don’t hesitate to contact Star Oilco directly by email, message, or phone.

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For more information on storing diesel fuel please see the following articles from Star Oilco:

If you are interested in getting a Diesel Storage tank Star Oilco can help.

For a great document on everything diesel we recommend this Diesel Technical Review.

For best practices on storing generator fuel we recommend reading this Emergency Back Up Generator Fuel Storage.

If you are trying to keep your stored diesel dry here is an article we wrote on Desiccant Breathers for your fuel tanks.

If you are looking at getting serious about Diesel Fuel Quality Assurance here is an article we wrote about keeping your diesel cleaner and drier.

pacific-pride-fuel-cards-as-a-management-tool
Use Pacific Pride Fuel Cards as a Management Tool 1024 428 Star Oilco

Use Pacific Pride Fuel Cards as a Management Tool

 

Pacific Pride fuel cards. Stop employee fuel theft by using the Star Oilco Fuel Card solution.

Star Oilco Pacific Pride Pride Advantage Card

The turn-key fuel card solution for small business seeking to stop employee fuel theft.

Star Oilco’s Pacific Pride card can give you control over when and where fuel is purchased.

Use Pacific Pride fuel cards as a management tool for your business.  With rising gas prices and a shortage of drivers being  a problem, secure your fleet cards to keep honest people honest.  Remove the temptation and save money in your small business.

 

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Make managing drivers buying fuel a simple system that let your dispatch know in real time as fuel is purchased.

We promise the highest level of control for your small business.  Star Oilco offers human support designed to make it easy for a small business. Our moto is to Keep it Simple. We help you deploy and manage your secure fleet card program in your business.  You have enough to manage and don’t need another website to log into. We make it easy for you to know who bought what, when, and where — in real time — to better manage the buying decisions by your drivers.  We will make sure you are successful.

Star Oilco Crest

You can use Star Oilco’s Pacific Pride card to:

  • Know who – the name of the driver purchasing and the vehicle they have
  • What fuels – control the products available to avoid costly premium gas purchases
  • Control gallons – the total gallons that can be bought at one time
  • Limit transactions – control the number of transactions a fuel card can have in one day
  • Time – predetermine the time of day that a fuel card can be used
  • Where – zip codes or states that a fuel card can be used in

The Star Oilco secure Pacific Pride card- The best option to knock out fuel theft.

Pacific Pride, CFN, WEX, Voyager and other fleet cards all have similar tools. We find that small businesses need one extra tool: a human being on the other side.  Star Oilco helps make sure the total program is working. We assist in your team grabbing control of every drop, every dollar and every driver.

We are your partner in Fleet Card and Cardlock Card success.

Star Oilco makes sure you are successful in fielding a secure fuel card.  We keep things simple and we make it easy for you. This is done with the obvious human element and best practices to complete the full value that a secured fuel card offers.

Call us and get to know what makes us different!

You tell us what you need and we’ll consult with you to get a working card program.

How Star Oilco secures your business from fuel thieves.

This is what we recommend for your non-management cards:

  1. Secure your fleet card to a vehicle (attached to the license plate on the bill or place the fleet card on the key ring of the vehicle).
  2. Designate your vehicle cards to only work in the state’s zip codes that you service during the times of day you operate as a business.
  3. Give each driver a unique and secret PIN attached to their name (so when they use a card, their name appears on the bill next to the transaction).
  4. Implement a “No Tolerance Fuel Theft Policy” with your Human Resource policy. Have every employee sign a contract with your business that they own their personal secret PIN and it is only for them to use. Star Oilco can provide a recommended policy for you to use. Then, if they share their PIN with someone else, they will be responsible for anything that happens. If theft is happening, it is a “No Tolerance” dismissal offense on the first occurrence.
  5. Use the e-receipts to see in real-time fuel purchases. An electronic receipt is emailed to your Controller or Dispatcher to watch for off-policy fuel usage in real time, which allows your Dispatch or Management to respond the same day to questionable decisions around fuel cards.

Now, imagine how this works for your business in practice.

You can set up restrictions by days of the week, hours of the day or even by zip codes. If your business does not operate on weekends, turn off the fuel cards during the times you do not operate. If your fleet is never on the road before 7am and is back at home by 7pm every night, set up those time restrictions to make it that much harder for fuel theft to occur.  If you need to update this, change something, order cards, etc., just call our office and we take care of that update for you.

With our e-receipts, your Dispatch will get an email every time fuel is purchased. You will see where, what, when and with whom this occurs. You can reinforce your company fuel policies at the local level the same day — No more waiting for the bill to see if a driver did something that cost you money. By seizing control of your fuel, your drivers will also respond to your new level of control as well. By having control and transparency of what your drivers do, they will require less management as they know you are watching.

Often the most controllable expense related with fuel is the fuel that might slip through a business due to unethical employees or outside theft. Fuel slippage is the industry term for unauthorized fuel taking. With Pacific Pride cardlock fuel, you can take control over fuel purchases and avoid the loss up front with card controls. Contact Star Oilco for a total fuel security solution for your business.

 

Seize control with Star Oilco’s corporate fleet card solutions.

Star Oilco will assign you a Card Administrator to help you be successful with this.  Where other programs promise tools but don’t follow up, we follow up.  We are here to make sure you are successful with our program.  Human beings answer our phones and long term employees staff your needs being met.

If you have further questions about Pacific Pride and control of your fleet fueling, call us at 503-283-1256 or contact us using the form below.

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Star Oilco has a white paper outlining how you can secure your business from internal fuel thieves. To download this guide on fleet card best practices please go to www.NoMoreFuelTheft.com or message Star Oilco for help.

Star Oilco is a proud and independent Franchisee of Pacific Pride

Pacific Pride Commercial Fuel Card

bulk-transporter-article-on-star-oilco-b99-biodiesel-use
Bulk Transporter Article on Star Oilco B99 Biodiesel use 1008 350 Star Oilco

Bulk Transporter Article on Star Oilco B99 Biodiesel use

Star Oilco graces the pages of Bulk Transporter Magazine.

Read the Bulk Transporter Magazine article about Star Oilco’s pioneering use of B99 Biodiesel in 105,500 GVW petroleum truck and trailers in the Pacific Northwest.

You can read the article by following the link below.

Star Oilco delivers sustainable fuels to Oregon in near-zero carbon trucks

 

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If you want to talk about what Star Oilco has been doing with B99 as a major transportation fuel we look forward to talking.

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B99 Biodiesel as a Heavy Duty Fuel 150 150 Star Oilco

B99 Biodiesel as a Heavy Duty Fuel

Using B99 Biodiesel in a Tier 4 Heavy Duty Diesel

B99 Biodiesel reduces CO2 footprint of a 105,500 GVW truck and trailer by more than half at a lower cost than petroleum diesel.

What is B99 Biodiesel?

B99 Biodiesel is as pure of blend of Biodiesel you can get in the United States and still participate in the incentives associated with this alternative fuel.  B99 is the product received by petroleum refiners, terminals, and truckstops to blend with petroleum diesel.  Biodiesel is a renewable, clean-burning diesel replacement.  B99 Biodiesel is a common blendstock with petroleum diesel (being 99% biodiesel).  It can be presumed that nearly every major truckstops throughout the US  is consistently using either a blend of 5%, 10% or 20% of biodiesel   The reason for this is both due to it’s price advantage against petroleum currently as well as Federal/State laws requiring it’s use.

Why Higher Blends of Biodiesel Matter?

Biodiesel is a low CO2, net energy positive fuel.  Depending on the feedstock Biodiesel is made from a CO2 reduction of 30% to 80%+ can be expected compared to petroleum diesel.  As the West Coast (Oregon, Washington and California) ramps up CO2 regulations that charge an additional cost for carbon emissions associated with petroleum diesel the financial case for Biodiesel becomes obvious.  Early adopters will see direct financial benefit.

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Star Oilco has fielded the Optimus Technologies system on our 105,500 GVW truck and trailers.  Star Oilco began with a single Freighliner truck and trailer operating a Cummins ISX as a trial.  This truck’s typical route was approximately 305 miles round trip from Portland, Oregon to Grays Harbor, Washington.  This run is from Star Oilco in Portland, Oregon to the Grays Harbor REG Biodiesel plant and back to the Portland terminals for delivery of this product.    Over the last year and a half this truck has performed amazingly well, the only maintenance concern is swapping the fuel filters more regularly with every oil change.  Mileage and power difference are negligible as noticed by drivers or our Elog system.  On a few occasions a loss of power was experienced requiring an in between service fuel filter swap.

This field trial of the Optimus Technologies system Star Oilco has regularly saved between $15 and $75 a day when running this dedicated route, depending on the cost of B99 Biodiesel versus petroleum ultra low sulfur diesel.  Consistently the price of B99 Biodiesel has been below petroleum diesel in the Portland, Oregon market. This has been due to a combination (or is effected by) RIN values, a Blender’s Tax Credit on biodiesel, and Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program which also prices the CO2 reduction value of B99 Biodiesel.   We see this trend continuing as an assumed market reality for biodiesel.

What is the business case for our deploying B99 Biodiesel Optimus Tech upfit kits?

The systems increase the intelligence of our late model trucks with their very complicated Tier 3 and Tier 4 emissions systems.   The Optimus Kit enables two saddle tanks to operate with the duty cycle of the truck. One tank (which we will be running B5 ULSD or R99 through) is dedicated to fuel the particulate trap and SCR systems.  These systems have extremely tight tolerances and tend to choke on higher blends of biodiesel.  By dedicating a tank with a smart controlling system we reduce the maintenance and concern with these after treatment systems hopefully extending the maintenance cycle on these traps by years while reducing inconvenient efficiency killing regens.

The Optimus Kit also enables a modern diesel engine to run B99 Biodiesel.  It does this by controlling the temperature of the fuel in it’s dedicated saddle tank and routing B99 to the engine when the RPMs and operating temperatures are best for this fuel. Upon start up and shut down the Optimus Technology kit will flush the engine, fuel rail, and injectors with the petroleum/R99 tank ensuring easy start up and no cold weather effects.  The B99 saddle tank is temperature controlled as well to enable performance in extreme weather.  When operating under load the Optimus Kit will move to B99 as the fuel into the engine.  As B99 Biodiesel has a substantial reduction of emissions, particulate, and other compounds when combusted; this further reduces the impact of miles on a truck to the particulate trap and it’s service needs.

Beyond this maintenance experience, the performance and function of the system has been indistinguishable to our other trucks running the same route.

Biodiesel Mandates in the Pacific Northwest

Oregon and Washington have passed legislation which puts a price on the CO2 emissions associated with petroleum diesel.   These laws mean that petroleum fuel costs more than biofuels with a low CO2 footprint.  These laws are also added on top of other mandates and incentives for biofuels.  Biodiesel blends between 5% and 20% are common on the west coast at every gas station, cardlock, and truckstop.

How Can I Utilize B99 or B100 in My Own Fleet? 

Star Oilco uses The Vector System developed by Pittsburgh-based Optimus Technologies. The Vector System is the only EPA-compliant biodiesel engine system and upgrades any medium or heavy-duty engine to operate on 100% biodiesel. It can be installed in as little as 12 hours. Learn more about The Vector System by contacting Optimus Technologies here directly or by reaching out to Star Oilco locally. 

 

 

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For more on Biodiesel, Renewable Diesel or Low CO2 fuels please see these other Star Oilco articles:

Every Question Star Oilco has been asked about Biodiesel

Every Question Star Oilco has been asked about Renewable Diesel 

Do you have questions about Renewable Diesel in Oregon 

Wet Hose Fueling Service in Portland, Oregon

About Diesel Fuel 

Biodiesel Use and Handling Guide 

benefit-of-premium-diesel-versus-normal-diesel
What is the benefit of Premium Diesel versus normal diesel? 1024 769 Star Oilco

What is the benefit of Premium Diesel versus normal diesel?

Premium Diesel delivered in Oregon and Washington with every gallon of Star Oilco diesel.

Are you clogging filters, seeing corrosion, suffering repeated DPF regens, or fighting biological growth in your tank?

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Premium Diesel with routine tank maintenance is the solution to your problem.

Premium diesel provides real benefits to the long term maintenance cost of any diesel fleet.

Hydrotex PowerKleen Premium Diesel has a higher cetane, an aggressive detergent for cleaning injectors and tanks, pushes water out of the fuel keeping it dry while traveling down your fuel rail, as well as stabilizes the fuel to ensure it does not begin to grow algae or other biological problems in your tank.

Hydrotex PowerKleen Premium Diesel has plenty of benefit for a very small additional cost.  The most profound and not highlighted is the effect on long term storage of tanks and what your bulk storage tank bottoms look like long term. Namely that the corrosion inhibitors, moisture demulsifiers and stability benefits of Premium Diesel will pay back dividends for your entire fleet.  As time passes the bottom of your tank begins to age and collect anything that might fall out of solution.  Premium diesel will significantly reduce these danger particles that can get into your fleet’s fuel system.  Premium diesel not only improves the active daily performance of your fleet, it also prevents the long term problems that build up in fuel storage.

A first hand extreme example.  Recently we have seen where a customers sprinklers put a huge quantity of water in their storage tank and the additive kept that fuel bright, clean and not growing fuel algae.  Upon sending the sample to the lab of course water content was higher than you want, but that fuel was in great shape considering this extreme failure of fuel quality assurance. Controlling and preventing for the unforeseen is worth the effort.  What might have been a disaster costing tens of thousands in down equipment was an oddity we were able to fix for them in a few hours.  All because additive fuel kept that fuel within specification even in the most extreme of scenarios.

 

To read more about Hydrotex PowerKleen Premium Diesel and more in depth research on the benefits of premium diesel:  Hydrotex PowerKleen Premium Diesel Brochure.

Backup Generator Fuel Portland

If you have a commercial fleet and want to have Star Oilco sample and test your fuel for quality assurance please do not hesitate to ask. We are here to help.

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whats-in-a-keep-it-simple-fuel-audit
What’s in a “Keep it Simple Fuel Audit” 1024 683 Star Oilco

What’s in a “Keep it Simple Fuel Audit”

How do you compare different fuel card vendors?

You audit your fuel bill.

We will help you clarify your bill by showing what you pay, what’s in that cost of fuel, and how you can save going forward. We do this by concentrating on one fact: there are only three fees in the total cost of a gallon of gas or diesel.

The three verifiable costs in a gallon of fuel are:

  1. The commodity cost of fuel (the wholesale and verifiable fuel cost itself),

  2. The fuel taxes charged by the feds, state, and local governments on top of that, and;

  3. The margin your fuel vendor puts on top of those two very transparent costs.

Fuel bill audit best practices

Tax time is a good time to revisit your policies and systems.

Let us audit your bill and catch inconsistencies and over charges.

We have a transparent way to analyze your fuel expense that breaks it down in an easily understood format. Our approach will demystify what you’re paying in fuel so you can grab control of your gasoline and diesel bills. Our mission is to ‘Keep it Simple’ and make fuel make sense. There are several types of expenses that get added to your cost of fuel.

Pacific Pride Fuel Security

At Star Oilco, we ‘Keep it Simple’ when analyzing fuel bills.

Today, two trends can be witnessed in the Pacific Northwest: fuel prices are all over the place, and wages are rising against that trend. This makes managing for a low cost of gasoline or diesel extremely hard given the labor that might be involved in chasing that price.

Add to that the fact that retail gas stations are keeping more margins than ever in retail fuel history. With minimum wages approaching $15 in parts of the Pacific NW, the cost of retail gas stations is rising faster than inflation.

Stand-alone commercial cardlock locations such as Pacific Pride and CFN help you save on your own labor, as well as avoid the higher retail cost. One additional feature is you can audit a commercial cardlock fuel seller against the commercial wholesale rack price. Retail sellers promising discounts are discounting from a posted price that is based solely on what they decide a good price can be. Today, that’s a historically high margin above wholesale cost price.

Dig into your bill for an understanding of what you are paying and what you are paying for. Let us demystify the fees, charges, and hard-to-understand line items of our competitors. It seems that many of our competitors, much like cell phone companies, want to give you a bill that is as complex as possible so it’s difficult for you to understand your cost of fuel.

We can clarify your bill by showing what you pay, what’s in that cost of fuel, and how you can save going forward. Commodity cost of the fuel, fuel taxes and the margin of the vendor make up every fuel bill.

Wholesale Fuel Cost + Taxes + Margin = Total Fuel Cost

These three costs can be audited and confirmed. When we quote a prospective customer, we take their existing fuel bill and break it down into a spreadsheet that is easy to understand thanks to these definable costs. Take your existing fuel bill. Choose a few locations that are most commonly used by your fleet. Usually just the two most-used sites are enough to gauge if savings can be gained by changing vendors. Focus on the cost there, as this simplifies your focus as a representative sample of your fuel expenses.

In a spreadsheet, make easy-to-read tabs for each fuel and location. Then gather the dates fuel was bought at each location. Place the date and the price per gallon paid in their own columns. Now you know your cost. In the next column, enter the wholesale price of fuel to compare. This is going to be pretty close to what your fuel vendor was paying for it on that day give or take a few pennies.

The commodity cost of fuel is established in the market. Though different size players have discounts, these discounts are usually pennies per gallon and aren’t substantial overall. You can request a 30 day free trial of the Oil Price Information Service or “OPIS” for your local wholesale market for fuel. Government bids often use this service as a transparent bid price for fuel. NOTE: If you are buying with a Pacific Pride or CFN fleet card that uses stand-alone 24-7 commercial cardlock sites, the price will be based on OPIS as well. If you want help with this, Star Oilco can provide you with a copy of OPIS.

After that, the next column is the fuel taxes on that fuel. In another column next to the wholesale cost of fuel, you place the local taxes associated with that fueling site. Your state will usually have a “Fuel Tax Group” or some variation of that name where the state’s website will list all state and municipal taxes.

After seeing the wholesale cost and fuel taxes charged, all that remain is the margin. Many fuel sellers will try to complicate this by passing costs through, but at the end of the day, this is still their markup regardless of what they call it. This enables you to really have a discussion on what price you are charged to use their fleet card.

Our next step is to determine the typical margin you are being charged. Take the real price you paid on a day. Your next column on the spreadsheet will be the following formula:
NOTE: Margin Charged is the result that should be in your new column.

(Cell with the ACTUAL PRICE PAID) – (Cell with the WHOLESALE COST) – (Cell with FUEL TAXES) = MARGIN CHARGED

If you line up all the days for MARGIN CHARGED and average those (select a cell at the bottom of the column and type “=AVG” and select the data in the MARGIN CHARGED column), you will find the average margin. Usually this is about the same on every one of the sheets for the type of fuel you are buying. Diesel and gasoline margins are typically different. Retail gas stations, in particular, will treat diesel like a premium product so don’t be surprised if those margins are over $.40 a gallon in some places.

If you want help with this, call us!

We will empower you with the knowledge of what your vendor is charging you and determine if it is a fair price for the service. Beyond that, there should be no other costs. If your vendor has other costs (fees, invoice charges, etc.), we’ll show you what those really cost per gallon so you understand your true cost fuel.

Star Oilco makes this clear and easy to understand. Let us know if we can help.

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Call for service.