Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Going Green Made Easy
We all know that "going green" is probably for the best, but what do we do about it? We try to do our part by recycling the paper we don't need, bringing bottles back for redemption, and making sure the trash ends up in the trash can, not on the street. But what if we could do something to help the environment, without even changing the way we do business? What if we could actually save money, while saving the environment? With the 360Fuelcard, we do exactly that. When your business signs up for our card, we donate a percentage of our profits to give back to the environment through Carbonfund.org. We are glad that we can support projects like these http://www.carbonfund.org/projects and are continuously looking for ways that we can do our part to help out. As a customer of 360Fuelcard, every time you fuel a vehicle in your fleet, you are doing your part by helping these same projects. Check us out at 360fuelcard.com for more information on our products, and get your company signed up today!
Monday, November 2, 2009
When prices go up, call 360Fuelcard!
The Future of Fuel?
Giant Miscanthus, also known as elephant grass because of its 13 foot height, may be an important source of energy in the future. The dry stems, which drop their leaves in the winter make an excellent solid fuel. Their energy ratio of input to output is less than 0.2 compared to 0.8 or more for ethanol and biodiesel.
Elephant grass is an environmentally friendly fuel; any carbon dioxide it release when it burns was taken from the atmosphere as it grew, the nitrogen it draws from the soil is stored in an underground organ called a rhizome, it outgrows weeds, requires little water and minimal fertilizer and thrives in untilled fields.
Illinois researchers estimate that if 10 percent of the state's land mass were devoted to elephant grass, it could provide half of the state's electricity needs. Researchers hope to demonstrate how power plants can be modified to use Miscanthus as a fuel as some plants in Europe have already done.
Winter Diesel Fuel Tips
When fueling on the road, check the truck stop and make sure pump filters have been changed. Clue - clean filters. Look for hydrosorb filters, these will remove water from the fuel before it gets in your tanks and forms ice or gelling.
Ask the supplier if they are using a bioblended fuel and if it has been treated. Also ask if the fuel has been tested for CFPP. Bioblended fuels are harder to treat in the winter and will not perform like a straight #2. Whatever you do, do not add gasoline to diesel fuel, I have heard of truckers doing this but none seem to know the risks they are taking with their lives and the truck.
You may also want to check the filter on the pump for micron level. If the pump is a 15 micron and your fuel filter is a 2 micron; you may have some filter plugging issues down the road as the weather gets colder.
Our Fuel tips are written by Dusty Wright
When fuel prices go up, call 360Fuelcard.com
When fuel prices go up a penny or two most people don’t really notice. When the cost of fuel goes up 16 cents in a couple of weeks, people start to notice and it kicks in a memory of the summer of 2008 when prices soared to over $4.00 a gallon.
If you are in control of a whole fleet, you really start to wake up at this type of jump. The price of diesel fuel is up 20 cents a gallon over the last month. It's not like your personal vehicle where you only fill up a few times a month, your trucks are filling up non-stop, taking up to 120 gallons of diesel a day. This puts a good shock to the fuel budget! Quick math will tell you that the 20 cents per gallon extra, will add an extra $10 per 50 gallons you buy. Now you multiply that by the 50 trucks you have, and your daily cost is up $500. Weekly you're up $2,500, and well over $10,000 a month. There's a lot that you could do with that extra $10,000, other than buy fuel.
No one knows where the price will go next month. One way to save money is always going to be with 360Fuelcard.com. With this card, your fleet can save money at thousands of locations, whether you buy gasoline from regular gas stations, or you have the 50 trucks stopping at truck stops along the interstates. We are here to help you save money in these tough times, give us a call and let us show you how to be sure you are getting the best deals out there. Check us out at http://www.360fuelcard.com/
Giant Miscanthus, also known as elephant grass because of its 13 foot height, may be an important source of energy in the future. The dry stems, which drop their leaves in the winter make an excellent solid fuel. Their energy ratio of input to output is less than 0.2 compared to 0.8 or more for ethanol and biodiesel.
Elephant grass is an environmentally friendly fuel; any carbon dioxide it release when it burns was taken from the atmosphere as it grew, the nitrogen it draws from the soil is stored in an underground organ called a rhizome, it outgrows weeds, requires little water and minimal fertilizer and thrives in untilled fields.
Illinois researchers estimate that if 10 percent of the state's land mass were devoted to elephant grass, it could provide half of the state's electricity needs. Researchers hope to demonstrate how power plants can be modified to use Miscanthus as a fuel as some plants in Europe have already done.
Winter Diesel Fuel Tips
When fueling on the road, check the truck stop and make sure pump filters have been changed. Clue - clean filters. Look for hydrosorb filters, these will remove water from the fuel before it gets in your tanks and forms ice or gelling.
Ask the supplier if they are using a bioblended fuel and if it has been treated. Also ask if the fuel has been tested for CFPP. Bioblended fuels are harder to treat in the winter and will not perform like a straight #2. Whatever you do, do not add gasoline to diesel fuel, I have heard of truckers doing this but none seem to know the risks they are taking with their lives and the truck.
You may also want to check the filter on the pump for micron level. If the pump is a 15 micron and your fuel filter is a 2 micron; you may have some filter plugging issues down the road as the weather gets colder.
Our Fuel tips are written by Dusty Wright
When fuel prices go up, call 360Fuelcard.com
When fuel prices go up a penny or two most people don’t really notice. When the cost of fuel goes up 16 cents in a couple of weeks, people start to notice and it kicks in a memory of the summer of 2008 when prices soared to over $4.00 a gallon.
If you are in control of a whole fleet, you really start to wake up at this type of jump. The price of diesel fuel is up 20 cents a gallon over the last month. It's not like your personal vehicle where you only fill up a few times a month, your trucks are filling up non-stop, taking up to 120 gallons of diesel a day. This puts a good shock to the fuel budget! Quick math will tell you that the 20 cents per gallon extra, will add an extra $10 per 50 gallons you buy. Now you multiply that by the 50 trucks you have, and your daily cost is up $500. Weekly you're up $2,500, and well over $10,000 a month. There's a lot that you could do with that extra $10,000, other than buy fuel.
No one knows where the price will go next month. One way to save money is always going to be with 360Fuelcard.com. With this card, your fleet can save money at thousands of locations, whether you buy gasoline from regular gas stations, or you have the 50 trucks stopping at truck stops along the interstates. We are here to help you save money in these tough times, give us a call and let us show you how to be sure you are getting the best deals out there. Check us out at http://www.360fuelcard.com/
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