Re: [BULK] Re: gas and fuel costs - long

From: Sonny Heath (sonny@defuniak.com)
Date: Sat Nov 19 2005 - 11:40:06 PST


Good post Dave, Thanks for the info.

Sonny

----- Original Message -----
From: "MV" <MV@dc9.tzo.com>
To: "Sonny Heath" <sonny@defuniak.com>
Cc: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 10:16 AM
Subject: [BULK] Re: [MV] gas and fuel costs - long

> Well, I'd like Joe Shannon to pipe up here and comment on my replay also -
> please do Joe.
>
> I've got one commercial truck right now (26K tags) and I'm about to bring
> a tractor online also. I've got an IFTA Account for the truck I have now
> since I have pulled a trailer with it also so that puts it into the
> combination vehicle class which requires an IFTA sticker and quarterly
> fuel tax reporting/paying.
>
> I'm a private carrier so I don't have an MC number or Authorization to be
> a common carrier. (If this is going over your head, get in line - it took
> me a while to figure this out)
>
> Some definitions might be helpful for those not stricken by US Government
> trucking regs.
>
> MC number - shown on side of the cab of commerical carriers - An
> authorization number which means you have been granted the right to be a
> common carrier.
>
> IFTA number (and corresponding cab stickers) - International Fuel Tax
> Agreement - a way to pay fuel taxes "fairly" depending on what states you
> operate in. Must file quarterly returns.
>
> IRP account - International Registration Plan - read - "International
> license plate plan" - so that each state can suck some money out of you
> for driving a big rig in their state.
>
> When you go to the truck stop as an independant trucker if you have an MC
> number they will not make you pay the sales tax on the fuel since you are
> supposed to be using your IFTA account to pay all applicable taxes. The
> taxes paid by truckers with the IFTA stickers are actaully higher than if
> you were just going to pay the regular sales tax at the pump. Although you
> might not have to pay the tax at the pump, if you are honest on your IFTA
> quarterly filings, then you pay the regular sales tax amount and then
> some. No price break or tax break for truckers. Now if you are not honest
> about your IFTA filings, well then that is a different story.
>
> As I understand it now, most trucking companies are giving truckers
> rebates or price relief of fuel costs on top of their regular pay so they
> can hopefully make some money. These rebates are being tacked onto
> shipping charges are fuel surcharges that everyone pays. There are no
> great prices breaks for truckers anywhere that I can find.
>
> I think most truckers are resigned to paying higher prices. What's the
> point of bitching about it constantly. They have no control over it
> anyway. I'm sure the big carriers are constantly trying to negotiate the
> best fuel prices - wouldn't you? As a small guy, I just pay what it takes
> to get stuff from there to here and so forth. It's just getting really
> expensive.
>
> I went to Sam's club yesterday and bought two cases of Rotella T
> $44.00/case. One case of Antifreeze - $45.00/case and a bunch of
> transmission fluid. Total bill was $187. That same stuff would have been
> close to a $100 just 12 months ago.
>
> The government says that inflation is about 2% per year or so. That's
> total BS. Does anyone know of anything that hasn't gone up substantially
> in the last year? Steel - about 100%, Gas >50%, diesel
> >75%, wood products - plywood/osb >25% Food - a lot.
>
> The economy is going into the dumper - Delphi has declared bankrupty, GM
> is not far behind. The only corporations making lots of money are
> importing oil or chinese crap, or making money by repairing people
> (healthcare).
>
> Sonny, the short story is that if you are driving a big rig and not making
> money doing so, then you are going to pay the going rate. In general I
> don't move my big trucks unless I am making money. They don't burn fuel
> when they are parked. My 5 ton M51 dump has had few miles put on it
> recently, but I will probably fire it up again to haul several loads of
> gravel this winter.
>
> Dave
>
> Sonny Heath wrote:
>> Thats the first I've seen of the post from Joe Shannon. Did he send that
>> post to our list? hmmm wonder why I missed that,
>>
>>
>> Okay Joe, tell me why you are the VERY FIRST I've heard from a trucker
>> concerning the price of fuel? When I go in to Flying J with my sixty
>> series Freightliner (my play toy) and pay a thousand dollars to fill it
>> up I hear all kinds of pick up and car owners complaining about the high
>> cost of fuel but when I sit in the drivers lounge or the restaurant I
>> hear ABSOLUTELY NOTHING from the truckers concerning the cost of fuel
>> being twice what it was a short time ago.
>>
>> I say there MUST be a subsidy somehow and they have been asked to keep it
>> quiet, nothing else makes sense to me.
>>
>> Sonny
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ryan Gill" <rmgill@mindspring.com>
>> To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
>> Sent: Saturday, November 19, 2005 7:53 AM
>> Subject: Re: [MV] gas and fuel costs
>>
>>
>> At 8:44 AM -0600 11/19/05, Joe Shannon wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>> I pay 3.19 a gallon, plus $3000 for tags, $550 to the IRS and $400 a
>>> month insurance all of this per truck. Trucks DO NOT get a discount at
>>> the pump they DO NOT get any kind of cash back. If a truck does into
>>> another state they have to pay that states fuel tax as well as there own
>>> so you can stop feeling sorry for yourself for having to buy $50 of
>>> diesel a week to play.
>>
>>
>> Joe, after looking at the stuff like IFTA, IRP
>> and the amount of paperwork, I don't know how you
>> guys do it.
>>
>>
>
>
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