Coach’s Corner

Since gasoline has reached a price point where it now effects our decision-making, I thought I would pass along an email that I received from a friend this morning. I don’t know and cannot vouch for how much of this is reliable information, but you never know. So, since I don’t have $$$$ to burn, I’m thinking I may be trying a few of these tips immediately.

FORWARDED EMAIL INFO FOLLOWING:

I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline…. but here in California we are also paying higher, up to $4.50 per gallon. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon.

Here at the xxxxxxxxxxx Pipeline where I work in San Jose, CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground
temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up–most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this will help you get the most value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS!

WHERE TO BUY USA GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON

(Blog Editor’s Note: For those of you who care about where the money you spend on gasoline goes, this information may be helpful in guiding your buying decisions. I cannot verify for the quantities listed here, but based on a quick review of information from the DOE, it does seem to be reliable. You can click on this link to review the same information. I do not vouch for the absolute validity since I do not interpret spread sheets all that well. End of editor’s note!)

I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell……………………… 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco……… 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil…………… 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway… 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco……………………….62,231,000 barrels

Citgo gas is from South America, from a Dictator who slams America on a regular basis. If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now over $120/barrel)

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco………………0 barrels
Conoco………………0 barrels
Sinclair……………..0 barrels
BP/Phillips…………0 barrels
Hess…………………..0 barrels
ARCO………………..0 barrels

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

END OF EMAIL

Once again, I do not assert that all of this information is accurate, but you can investigate for yourself the validity of it by doing the research. As for the tips, I think they make sense. If you know that any of the information above is in fact based in error, please notify me and I will adjust it accordingly. If you have any other fuel saving tips, add them to the comment section below.