Let’s face it: If the RV life were easy, everybody would do it. Living on the open road is undeniably freeing, with nearly unlimited options for adventure. But there are a few reasons it’s not for everybody. One is that you are inevitably subject to some … uncomfortable feelings. For example, every driver has stared at a fuel gauge and wondered, When do I actually run out of fuel? The front side of the E or the backside? But in a car, any old gas station will do. In an RV, however, it’s not so simple. Because not every gas station loves an RV’s dimensions. Like most RV-specific things, there is an art to finding an RV-friendly gas station.
Without a doubt, whether you’re in the cockpit of a motorhome or towing a trailer behind your truck, fuel is a resource worth planning for. So, here are a few ways you can stay out of that panic zone and ensure your RV experience is as stress-free as possible.
Plan ahead.
Planning ahead comes naturally to anyone who’s been an RVer for more than a weekend, but for newbies driving their new dream RV, it can be surprising how quickly things can go south without the right kind of prior preparation. Planning ahead takes all kinds of forms, and one of those is sitting down with a map and making a plan. It’s not hard, but missing this step is one of the easiest ways to find yourself in that gas panic. Plan conservatively, knowing that you might need some flexibility when the gas gauge is going down. In other words, don’t plan to roll into a gas station on E.
Use one of these RV-focused mobile apps to plan out your trip.
It feels like every week a new app comes out with new RV-specific features. Some of the most popular are from RV Life, Roadtrippers, GasBuddy, and iExit. Each of these apps, and the dozens of others like them, have specific strengths or weaknesses. But each of them helps you plan out your trip, complete with RV-friendly fuel stops. Each of them will let you do pre-planning but also use your mobile device to adjust on the fly (or on the drive, as it were).
Ask the RV park when you booking your site.
The internet is a great tool for your trip planning. But so is good old-fashioned person-to-person conversation. Each RV park knows its own neighborhood better than anybody else. And direct advice from an actual person is likely to be more current than stale internet content. Unless you’re booking online, you’re going to be making a call anyway, so don’t hesitate to solicit advice about a nearby RV-friendly gas station when you do.
Go the trucker route.
One of the safest bets when picking a fuel stop is on truck stops. They’re built for big rigs, and the country’s entire logistics system relies on them facilitating truckers fueling. Unlike a smaller gas station that might overstate its RV-friendliness, you’re also guaranteed to get plenty of room to maneuver. A truck-friendly gas station is usually an RV-friendly gas station. Any truck stop is also likely to have solid amenities like fast food, a great selection of mini-market staples, and clean bathrooms. Many, like Pilot and Flying J, even have dump stations.
Try The Next Exit Book.
I remember when my father used to download paper maps of the entire route of a vacation. Believe it or not, old school books that use real life paper to produce something you can hold in your hand still exist. Here’s the sneaky benefit of The Next Exit book: It requires no cell phone signal. So whether you’re high in the mountains, deep in the jungle, or just rolling through a signal desert, The Next Exit book can give you reliable information on an RV-friendly gas station, even if it’s just one for truckers.
Get an RV-specific GPS.
Companies like Garmin have been harnessing the RV boom by producing GPS systems specific to the needs of RVers, with many including support for fuel stop picking. The systems serve as a backup to cell phones, or can be used as primary fuel planning devices too. Most don’t require cell phone signal, meaning even in those badland boonies you’ll still get reliable data on where to find an RV-friendly gas station.
Prioritize safe over sorry.
It can be tempting for some to squeeze every minute of drive time out of each trip, which can lead to some ambitious fuel planning. Just remember that with their higher gross weights, and their higher total drag via large surface areas, RVs have a much wider range of fuel efficiency than cars. The wrong headwind can affect fuel efficiency, as can an incline in altitude. And you only have to be riding that E-line once while searching for a timely fuel stop to know that it’s no fun. So, play it safe and stop before you’re sorry.
