Fuel Prices Where We Live

[Stratman50th]

The prices should reduce traffic. People will drive less

People will drive as much as they do now because they have to.

 

[MillauFr]

People will drive as much as they do now because they have to.

On average 70% of trips are discretionary. People don't need to drive as much as you think they do.

 

[koncra]

Here in Canada I paid $1.85 per liter today.... that's equivalent of about $7 a gallon. Not a good time to have just purchased a pickup

 

[Sjm9911]

On average 70% of trips are discretionary. People don't need to drive as much as you think they do.

My trips are discretionary, but most of my miles are my commute. So, i may take a few less trips to the supermarket/ stores that are within a mile. But my 80 mile roundtrip to work will still happen.

 

[Stratman50th]

On average 70% of trips are discretionary. People don't need to drive as much as you think they do.

Not sure where your statistics come from and more importantly, who decides what trips are discretionary to an individual. Sounds more like an opinion that paints a lot of unique individuals with the same brush. Sorry, not buying the premise.

 

[MillauFr]

Not sure where your statistics come from and more importantly, who decides what trips are discretionary to an individual. Sounds more like an opinion that paints a lot of unique individuals with the same brush. Sorry, not buying the premise.

Are you claiming that there is no elasticity for miles driven when the price of gas increases?

 

[MillauFr]

My trips are discretionary, but most of my miles are my commute. So, i may take a few less trips to the supermarket/ stores that are within a mile. But my 80 mile roundtrip to work will still happen.

But if the price of gas continues to increase you will not continue to have a 80 mile roundtrip commute.

 

[Sjm9911]

But if the price of gas continues to increase you will not continue to have a 80 mile roundtrip commute.

Um, yes I will. I dont have a choice. Lol. I have to work, and my job is kinda important.

 

[2goofycampers]

TN
gas = $3.75
diesel = $3.89

 

[jbrostek]

The reality is really that about 30% of US driving is discretionary once you leave the confines of a city with mass transit. If it were not for the shift in WFH for me I would be driving 50 miles a day and had I stayed with my Gov contracting that would have never changed because 80% of my work required a SCIF.

Prices here are jumping more than a teen at a Bieber show.....

gas 3.99
diesel 4.69

What I really wanna know is why diesel is jumping 3x gasoline prices.

 

[tiggerdad]

Algae in diesel more common in warmer climates after a few months. I only buy enough to run my tractors, I don't like to store it. I had it happen once and never again because I stopped long storing it. Full tanks of fuel won't condensate as much, I always like to keep my diesel tanks topped off in tractors and the truck for this reason.

Jim is correct, most newer things use in line water separator for what little bit gets in there.

 

[Narcoossee11]

OMG. !!!!! I live here in Orl. Gas jumped over 30 cent over night.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

I think the debate over what is 'discretionary' is interesting, in that it is such a subjective term. When I take my kids to school instead of making them ride the bus, is that discretionary? What about when my wife takes my daughter shopping for a prom dress tomorrow night? If we drive our daughter to spend some time at a friend's house, where does that fall? A lot of such things might fall under some surveyor's definition of discretionary, but they are far less discretionary than many other things in our lives.

Most people will likely try to group certain trips in the short-term (hitting multiple errands on one run, etc.), but the real impact of those changes will be minimal for most. I would suggest that long-term changes are far more likely to surround vehicle choices than driving habits. The vast majority of our driving habits are engrained in the very construct of how we have structured our lives. We may see small adjustments short-term, but I don't think most of those changes will be sustained in the long-run.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

And back to the point of the thread, we have an unusually wide range for unleaded right now. A few stations are still as low as $3.69. The highest I've seen is $3.99. I expect someone, locally, to crack the $4 mark very soon.

 

[Teamubr]

A racing friend in Texas posted this to help some understand the volatile gas prices right now. He has connections to many facets of the petroleum producing industry (and he builds some pretty sweet race cars too)

First of all, I live in Texas - the world capital for drilling, oil exploration, and refinery tech. Everything in Texas benefits when oil prices are up - all industries here are tied indirectly to oil. The actual price jumps of late are small and inconsequential to 90% of Americans, and beneficial to more people than realize it. Many of my customers are in oil field and look forward to increasing prices, as it drives up exploration / drilling / oil leases.
Oil prices are determined from a global market, with many variables, conglomerates/cabals (like OPEC), and market pressures. Politicians have little to no effect on them, or inflation, or the economy as a whole - as much as they would like to think they do.

Virtually all of Biden's "Executive actions" relating to oil are tied up in court and/or dead. The XL pipeline is another red herring that makes little to no difference in gas prices.
The global pandemic (6M+ dead) shut down driving, which reduced the need for fuel, and prices plummeted. This nearly or did kill many oil based companies around the globe. Many of my friends in the industry suffered, and it sucked. The vaccines + time made for a dramatic change in driving habits, which drove up the demand dramatically - and quickly. Shuttered plants, exploration, refineries, and other oil related operations take TIME to reopen and restart. This was a case of supply being outstripped by demand...
Then the Russian invasion of Ukraine hit as demand was ticking up, which made for a real scare that will impact the prices (speculative) in the short term, as Russia is a major exporter to Europe for oil and gas, and economic sanctions will effect this more. The USA gets ~2% of its oil from Russia, which might be halted very soon, but it would drive prices up further at the pump - which, as we have seen, is a trigger for many people in this country that do not understand anything other than hyperbolic headlines and simple black and white issues.
Overall the price for fuel in the USA is among the lowest per gallon of any Western country. Many of us choose to drive fuel inefficient cars and especially trucks because we are short sighted, or just don't get impacted by fluctuating gas prices. It does, however, effect transportation costs and speculative costs with rapid effect.

j

 

[Teamubr]

****** NEVERMIND******* I figured it out.

Has this topic disappeared from anyone else's Community Forum? I can get to it on Alerts, but it doesn't show up in the list. I'm guessing I did something to hide it, but I can't figure out how to unhide.



j

 

[FtW Mike]

I have it on my Camping Community Board. Maybe THE SHERIFF done put you in DISBOARDS JAIL for providing a well thought out, Logical, Fact Based explanation.
Of course it could just all be the work of the NSS

 

[snowmedic]

NW Vermont this morning
Reg 4.29
Diesel 4.89

 

[Teamubr]

I have it on my Camping Community Board. My THE SHERIFF done put you in DISBOARDS JAIL for providing a well thought out, Logical, Fact Based explanation.

Apparently I inadvertently put it in DIS Board jail. It's back.

j

 

[2goofycampers]

I get blamed for everything around here.

The topic is veering close to the guidelines though.