By Russ and Tiña De Maris
We’ve received more than 200 comments from our readers regarding our stories on the huge discounts that diesel-burning RVers can get. But in case you missed them, here’s a synopsis of what’s been going down.
We initially wrote about a fuel discount program offered by a Texas trucking company called TSD Logistics. In essence, RVers can “sign up” to use a company-issued fuel card and get discounts that often meet or exceed 50 cents per gallon at in-network truck stops around the country. Go here for the full story.
Last weekend, we wrote to update that Pilot Flying J had killed off the RVers’ discount, as the big fuel company had an agreement with the Good Sam Club that discounts for fueling RVers could only be given to card-carrying Good Sam Club members. No, we didn’t make this up – the information came to us directly from TSD Logistics. Click here to see all the gory details.
The reaction from readers was swift, with a vast majority damning the Good Sam Club and suggesting everything from boycotts to letter-writing campaigns.
A few pointed the finger at us, indicating that our story had caused the problem and, hence, somehow we were responsible for the loss of discounts. Like the man says, “Don’t shoot the messenger” – we’re here to report the news. If we hadn’t published the stories, how many of you would have known that you could sign up with TSD and get discounts? And to be sure, there are plenty of other fuel stops that still give great discounts to cardholders. So please, settle on down and put your pitchforks and torches away.
To bring it all up to speed, and “nice and official-like” as Barney Fife might say, we hereby add in the comments from Pilot Flying J management, who evidently hope the masses won’t go out and crucify the Good Sam Club. We quote (in full) from an e-mail we received from Bridgit Fletcher, an “Account Supervisor, Corporate” for Zeno Group, a communications group representing Pilot Flying J:
“Pilot Flying J is no longer in business with TSD Logistics (TSD). Unfortunately, it was recently brought to our attention that TSD was reselling our fuel by offering its discounts outside of the company.
“We were unaware of this activity and did not agree to the resale of our fuel. Our contract was with TSD and its fleet of drivers only.
“We aim to provide the best experience to all of our guests, including RV and auto travelers as well as professional drivers. We continue to offer discounts and rewards to RV customers through our partnership with Good Sam. This partnership had no influence on our decision to end our business relationship with TSD.”
So, by Pilot Flying J’s reckoning, Good Sam isn’t to blame for the shutdown of discounts for diesel through TSD Logistics. Did TSD get the information wrong? Is Pilot Flying J flying cover for Good Sam? We don’t know, and probably never will.
And yes, to those who’ve wondered, the “fritters hitting the fan” fallout includes truck drivers. A quick glance at the TSD Logistics fuel discount map still shows Pilot Flying J stops, but the prices listed are what Joe Anydriver would pay. Yes, we’ve heard from several who say they’ve used their TSD card at a Pilot Flying J and it was accepted. You’re right, TSD cards continue to be accepted, but you won’t see any discount in your price.
We still highly regard (and recommend) the TSD Logistics fuel discount program and, for us, we too will wave as we shoot past Pilot. If you want to join us, go ahead and sign up for the TSD Card. Go here to find out how.
##RVT939
Flying J and Goods Sam’s are giving a 8 cent gal. discount, TSD easy giving quite a higher discount I am guessing 50 to 75 cents gal. I guess we were not sending enough inside. After hearing this, I choose not to stop there only if I running close, and I won’t fill up, just enough to find somewhere else. Flying J was and is still making money, just not enough. There just comes a point when enough is enough. Everybody has the ability to get gas wherever they choose. Me I’ve had enough.
The TSD card helps us use their service with our RV by : First, the card is used at the truck diesel pumps at Love’s, T/A etc. get us a good discount. Second, I don’t have to go into the building to give them any estimate of diesel gal. to put in to put into our tanks ( 50 gal. each side of our Super C ) or remembering what truck aisle I’m parked, or giving them our truck # (?) or Third, go back into building to get a receipt. In and out faster than a speeding bullet with out leaping tall or small buildings : O) Love it !
My question is: if there is no more Good Sams club or “Good Sam”, why did they just let us join and send us a card WTH?
I read your story on Good Sam being used at Pilot Flying J to get a discount and not allowing the TSD cared. You need to ask Good Sam why their scarfs don’t work when you try and get fuel through the truckers isle. We have tried every Pilot Flying J from NY to MS to TX and every cashier has no idea what it is. Now they may work on the gas isles, but they will not take them if your getting diesel in the Trucker isles. It’s not that they have a line of truckers, we were told by cashiers, they no nothing about the program.
I’ve had a Flying J/Pilot Good Sam discount fuel card for a number of years. However I have not used it now for about 3 years. Their price, even with the discount, is higher than what I could find else where at no discount. Disappointing.
Even the comments are confusing. What in heck does TSD have to do with Good Sam discounts? Since the TSD program has nothing to do with Good Sam’s Flying J/Pilot discounts, why are people pissed at Good Sam?
I was using the TSD Logistics card for my motorhome long before Pilot/Flying J stopped their discount. I never used the TSD card at Pilot/Flying J fuel stops because their prices were never discounted anywhere close to the discounted prices at Loves or Travel America or others. So, Pilot/Flying J stopped giving their paltry discount that was not bringing in any new business anyway. No loss.
The Good Sam discount was 5 cents per gallon and since Pilot/Flying J is usually 5 cents more than other stations, the discount just brought it back to the rest of the world prices
I am going to boycott Pilot/Flying J. In my opinion if TDS can give these substantial fuel discounts and still make a small profit for there trouble then how much of a kickback is Sams Club getting from Pilot/Flying J? I have often wondered how much these large trucking companies were paying for fuel in comparison to us RV’s. Sam’s club has done us no favors. I suspect they are getting a hefty kick back or they are bad negotiators for the RV community.
You mean “Good Sam’s Club”, right?
Good Sam not Sams Club .
I agree with the idea of driving past Pilot/Flying J but, we have a large, gas powered MH and toad. We really appreciate the RV islands at Flying J. Most other gas stations are difficult, if not impossible, to maneuver in and out of. We certainly would give our business to another company!
Thank you very much for filling in the blanks on the TSD issue! The one thing that comes screaming out is that GOOD SAM is using their muscle to control other services.
I belong to GOOD SAM, but this is not right!
Once again….THANK YOU for keeping us informed and knowledgeable of the actions and issues facing the RV’ers!
It’s every man for himself out there. I heard originally that someone at TSD dropped the ball. As with most situations it’s usually human error, nobody’s perfect. RV on Garth!!!!!
I got the TSD card after reading your story and now it’s in the worthless pile along with my Good Sam discount card. Also, I don’t know if you actually downloaded TSD’s app and tried to use it, but it’s probably the worse app I’ve ever seen. The map doesn’t work and if it shows a station you can’t select it and get any useful info.
Last year, some RV blog (might have been you) wrote about Winegard ToGo and the great data deal it had with AT&T. Shortly after that, AT&T pulled the unlimited data plan. I’m glad I procrastinated on that one.
I used to laugh at people on RV forums that scolded people for telling others bout great camping sites, Now I understand why.
We have used the TSD card since last year and it has proved to us that we can save a significant amount of money. I also use the app while we’re traveling and find that it’s one of the easiest to use. You might have tried reinstalling the app because it is as simple. I find fuel stations, get prices and can compare prices as we roll, I get immediate information on how much fuel we got and the amount we paid and the savings we received. Yours may have been user error.
Your TDS card is good but just not at Pilot/Flying J. You can use it at Loves.
You better get that TSD card out of the worthless pile because it is still good at Love stations, TA and others. It’ll save you a ton.
I remember reading a comment from TSD the Pilot Flying J discounts had just started sometime in Dec I believe so the loss of this is not a big deal. This has gotten blown out of the water and the comments directed at GS and Pilot have been harsh.
I have not used the TSD card thus far getting it the 19th of dec and at that time the FlyJ pilot discount was no all that.. only recently like in Jan to feb did it get better and now coming to a stop..
With all the other stations that we can use the TSD card, Loves TA Petro and other it still a great deal. So let do like this author is saying and put away the pitch forks etc and enjoy the great discounts and now with price at ALL time lows it a great time to be traveling..
THis CORV19 thing will be over in time for the new season of RVing.. so lets hit the trail and carry on..
Flying J is the most expensive fuel in my area. They have the only card lock fueling station in my town ,and they take advantage of people. I refuse to open a account because of this.
If what the Pilot PR person says is true (& that’s a big if) that Pilot never authorized TSD Logistics to allow rvers to be included in the discount program for truckers, & has stopped doing business with TSD period, then how long before Love’s & TA follow suit & kill the whole TSD program for rvers & truckers alike? I’ll wait till this shakes out before going thru the process of setting up an account with TSD.
Why would any retailer want to limit their sales? Good Sam obviously muscled Pilot/Flying J into dropping TSD for RVs because of their contract for RV customers. It is far more likely that Pilot/Flying J will modify or not renew their contract with Good Sam than the possibility that Loves, TA, or others will follow Pilot/Flying J into limiting sales. Volume is power in the fuel industry! Think like a capitalist! Get the TSD card and start saving money.
It’s been earlier reported that Marcus Lemonis reads the RVtravel newsletter. I suspect he read the article about the TSD fuel card here, then directed his minions to take action. PFJ was likely fine with the increase in sales. It’s all about the $$$.
I’ve never had a problem finding the best gas prices in the area, generally from the guy one block off or around the corner from where everyone else lines up in long stinking lines to save a few pennies.
I also challenge the guy stating he saved 0.56 cents per gallon of any fuel.
He wouldn’t in Canada, because the margins for a fuel retailer here are NOWHERE near the 56 cents he said he saved. They’d all be broke if they gave discounts of that magnitude, and we couldn’t buy fuel anywhere, there would be none.
Have you ever wondered why fuel retailers sell everything from ice scrapers to hot dogs and beer – answer – they’d go broke just peddling fuels.
I’m also done with bad Sam!!!👎🏻 most of the employees at our local store are not happy people, and it shows, very bad customer service ! I went into the service dept. looking for two cabinet hinges antique brass, all they had were two used chrome hinges no screws they wanted 5.00 ea. Went to Home Depot, two brand new antique brass hinges three dollars and change! What a f- ing ripoff that bad Sam is!!!
How about the big truck stop chains stop the favoritism discounts all together. Even the playing field like the mega carriers want. Giving them huge cost plus discounts while charging a small business owner operator like me full pump price, gives them a financial advantage over me. It’s just anti small business and anti American. Level the playing field right Swift, JB Hunt Werner, Schneider?
Fear not Mark S. Bond, guys like me with a long history in the automotive biz who feel your pain, as I’ve felt it, will pay a little more if need be to darken your doorway and patronize you. Keep on doing what you’re doing, smile (rare today), treat people like people not another rig in an endless line and you’ll be fine.
Some of us still search out, and cherish what the little guy does for us.
On topic, i think GasBuddy gives you 5% off at any gas station.
Off axis, the biggest gas savings I’ve seen is never fueling in MegaTax states if you can help it, and auxiliary tanks to tip the scale there… making it over a state line is often worth 50-80 cents on every gallon. At max capacity, that may save Mr. Grant or even Mr. Franklin at every larger fillup.
It probably varies by state, but most allow 1000lbs of fuel before needing placards. Here in NY i’m limited to 110 gallons per (properly installed) tank or 150 total before placards. With my truck, that’s a range of 1500mi towing or 2500mi truck only…
Portable 5gal tanks are supposedly limited to four/truck, but I’ve seen contractors with more (well secured) cans…
You have to understand that Good Sam makes a lot of money from Pilot/Flying J via the discount they offer. They give you $0.08 off a gallon all the while they are getting $0.40 cents off, Pilot/Flying J then sends Good Sam the difference $0.32 on each gallon.
I dont care what Good Sam gets,thats their business.Im just glad for the .08 cents discount.Every little bit helps.
I get a 5% (Five Percent) discount on any gas where I use my credit card at the pump! I got it like 15 years ago through my AAA roadside assistance card (wont leave home without it) its a Visa & through BOA. The deal is you get 5% off what ever the total dollar amount is, you don’t get it then but when you get your statement you’ll see the “gas rebate”. Only had an issue once while in Alaska as for some reason when I pumped my gas at the pump, it didn’t show up as “Automated Fuel Dispensers). I disputed it & they finally gave it to me. I use it every time I buy any type of gas.
Snoopy
I think Like Russ and Tiña we will be flying by Pilot and Flying J. I understand the contractual issue with TSD but I think it could have been resolved without dropping them. Seems like cutting your nose off to spite your face to me! So PFJ looses all of TSD’s business to their primary competitor. Makes sense to me!😳
It’s like Home Depot shutting off a contractor because he sold me some Home Depot 2×4’s.
I think they need some better management at PFJ. Of course I only really know what I have read here.
I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of this issue!
I visited the TSD site to look into signing on and saw something that bothers me greatly. Along with a lot of personal and RV related information, they want my full social security number. The idea of having that level of information openly on the net bothers me greatly. I don’t know TSD’s level of security, but I don’t like the idea of having all that info at risk. Even my bank doesn’t link all that info.
You are absolutely correct Tom. Along with you I think anyone so short sighted and greedy for a discount, they’d risk losing their identity to a thief that could and has many times over change their lives forever sometimes wiping them out completely – is NUTS!!!!
Dont be afraid. You dont have to fill in your SSN on the firm. They tell you to leave it blank. They call you after you submit the form and then take it over the phone. I did it. I have the TSD card. No problems. Dont worry.
To expand on Dave r comment, we too have the TSD card. We had a concern about allowing ACH access to our Savings Acct linked checking acct., so we opened a seperate checking acct just for the fuel accounts, both TSD and Gas Buddy. Now if we close the fuel cards we also just close the seperate checking acct with no ACH problems.
By the way, Gas Buddy offers Deal Savings at some stations, other than their standard discount. We just saved 16¢ per gallon on fill up yesterday. Gas Buddy does have a $70 per day / $300 per week limit.
great idea on the separate checking account. I would also do a credit freeze at all three of the credit agencies.. https://clark.com/credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/
The explanation for the SS# was that it takes 1 to 2 days after your purchase for the draft on your checking account to go through. The SS# makes it easier to find you if the money is not in the account. They also use the last 4 digits to ID you at the pump.
Please take the word of the Pilot/Flying J PR rep with a giant grain of salt. Her job is putting lipstick on a pig and it’s a hard job.
Fuel retailers cut deals with fleets and affinity groups to encourage those groups to buy their specific brand of fuel and shop in their mini-marts. And most of those affinity deals are exclusive to one retailer.
I suspect that Pilot signed an exclusive deal with Good Sam (Camping World Holdings, Inc) with the belief that Good Sam’s 2 million members were a large and loyal customer base. But little does Pilot know that the Good Sam brand has lost its luster because their new and contentious ownership consortium is working hard to squeeze whatever value is left in the Good Sam brand before tossing the bones into a ditch on the side of the interstate.
The solution is to quit your whining and take your TDS-assisted fuel business to TA and Loves! They’ll appreciate it. Meanwhile Pilot/Flying J will see their RV-related business slip away. Eventually they’ll come around and adjust their marketing strategy to attract RVers again.
Competition is good for everybody, but in order to leverage competition to your benefit, you’ll have to shop around to find the best value.
Our TDS fuel card has been a great benefit to us. I’m not at all worried about the debit based payment system, either. I set up a separate bank account just for my fuel purchases and move money from my primary account to my fuel account as necessary via my banking app. I average 60 gallons per purchase and at my last fill up I saved 56 cents a gallon. That’s $36, folks. Real money.
Truckers are not going to be happy with us RVers.
Exactly what I was thinking. They sure as heck aren’t going to have Good Sam memberships! And now they can’t use their TSD card? They’ll start going elsewhere, and I think P/FJ will have to rethink their business relationships to maximize their profit.
Most are fine with us if we don’t interfere with their job. We’ve met some great ones and some real jerks. Same as life.
I’m done with Good Sam regardless. Last straw.
When I first started RVing many years ago, I was pleased to be a member of Good Sam and especially to start using their discount at Pilot stations. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I could buy the fuel that I needed at any other station and find a better price than I could get at any of the stations supposedly offering a Good Sam discount. Since those early days, I continue to check in to see if my initial discovery still holds: it does. I see no reason at all to look for a Good Sam discount when I can locate without any trouble a better price, sometimes right next door. I have actually communicated this displeasure to Good Sam without any response or explanation from them. The truth is, the Good Sam discount amounts to a lie that benefits two large conglomerates without any discernable good for the RVer.
I too have been a lifetime member of Good Sam, although never owning a diesel I have tried the gas discount of $0.03. The first problem their pumps do not recognize the GS card so you must go inside, stand in line and give the clerk your GS membership card and your form of payment and how many gallons you’re going to buy(I don’t know of any fuel gage that accurately tells how much fuel is in the tank) then the clerk enters that into her machine, then you can go back outside a pump your fuel. If you underestimate your purchase you don’t get a full tank, if you overestimate then the clerk has to re-enter your purchase after you go back inside and stand in line (while your ATM card has been laying there in plain site) NO THANKS! MurphyUSA gives a $.05 discount on purchases made with their credit card. I now buy 99% of my gas there, I’ve only came across 1 MurphyUSA where I couldn’t get in and out with our 38’ motorhome and toad. AND THEY SELL DIESEL ALSO. Their fuel is normally the cheapest in town and they’re usually close to the interstate, after getting fuel we usually park and go in the store to stretch our legs and pick up a snack. As others have said truck stops are high priced because they’re playing to a captive audience, when you’re driving an 18 wheeler you can’t get in every where.
I have a GS card and never used it for gas discount, actually don’t use it much at all. I do have a Pilot/FJ “points” card and it also gives me a $.03 discount on gas at the pump, none of that going in and out stuff. But like Bob p, I discovered Pilot usually is the highest price out there and with the Gas Buddy app on my phone I can save much more than $.03/gal. We have a diesel truck pulling our 35′ 5th wheel so we have to look at satellite views before committing to a station, but Murphy’s or Bucees (in the south) are usually good bets. We have signed up for the TSD card, still waiting for it, but Loves seems the place to stop once we get it, and they are all over the place….sometimes next to FJ.