By Cheri Sicard
If you drive a diesel and don’t know about the Open Roads fuel discount program, the video below will tell you all about it.
Not just for truckers, the program is available to any diesel vehicle owner, as long as the vehicle can accept high-flow nozzles. While gas vehicles are not currently eligible, the company hopes to roll out a gas discount fuel program later this year.
Note that you must use the commercial truck lanes when fueling in order to get the discount. That is because you are considered part of a fleet. When using the card, fuel payments happen by bank withdrawal. While you can pay for other services such as weighing with the card, the discounts are only on fuel. There is even an upgrade option to pay for tolls on the card.
One other restriction, you cannot exceed 400 gallons of diesel in a 24-hour period. Even with a hog of a rig that shouldn’t be an issue.
Where does the Open Roads fuel discount card work?
All major truck stops accept the card but only some offer discounts. The big ones are:
- Love’s
- TA
- Metro
The discounts vary from chain to chain. As of now, Love’s is the only one with a set discount amount, but it’s a whopping 28 cents a gallon!
Unfortunately, this fuel discount program won’t save you any money in Canada.
The video below, produced by the company, will answer all questions.
Related:
- Save $20 on an FMCA membership (with Open Roads membership)
- Open Roads fuel program ditches Pilot/Flying J—but says gasoline discounts coming soon
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We have been using Open Roads for about 4 months and have saved about $200. During that time we were on the road for 2 months and traveled 6,000 miles plus normal driving around home. Most of our stops have been at Speedway truck stops. It works very well.
Interesting concept but I usually can find diesel cheaper than the .28 cent discount that Love’s offer. They seem to be one of the higher priced stations around me and when I travel.
Why we use TA & Petro. Much bigger discounts. We also found that Road Ranger gives a substantial discount as well. They have many other fuel providers.
My only concern (well, not the ONLY, but the biggest) is the part about giving access to my bank accounts for automatic payment. Others don’t seem to have a problem with this, but maybe it’s just ‘me’.
Currently local diesel price Loves $4.08
local Marathon $3.64.
additionally my Sam’s visa gives 5% back on fuel. Not giving out my bank account: priceless
I have had the card for two years.
First tip is to have a separate bank account for this activity. I (and many others) open a separate checking account and link the card to that. Keep a small balance. Fuel and transfer funds into that account as needed. This eliminates access to your main accounts.
Love’s is many times a poor example because they do tend to have high pump prices, so 28¢ off may not be a savings compared to surrounding stations. But sometimes it is. That said, many fuel stations in the program ARE locally competitive and offer discounts that make the program very worthwhile with real savings.
Two other benefits: No pump turning off at $75 so you have to start over. Easy access in/out using trucker pumps.
Thank you, Cheri! We got an Open Roads/TSD Logistics account in 2019. The savings at Loves is small (~0.10/gallon) compared to TA and Petro stations (usually far greater than $0.20/gallon). Their smart-phone application is excellent for finding stations that accept their card and for knowing what the net-price-per-gallon will be.