Gas station scouting is similar to playground scouting, with a few details changed.
We use the Open Roads and/or GasBuddy apps to check out diesel prices. Open Roads gives discounts when you are a member, though they vary in amount. GasBuddy just tells you what the prices are.
We scout out the best prices that line up with the distance we want to drive before fueling up.
We try to line up fuel stops with lunch and playgrounds, when possible.
We use google maps to see what kind of parking is available at the gas station, or nearby playground or lunch stop. We look for dedicated truck parking since our rig takes up more than 2 normal parking spots, so we can never get out of the way in a normal parking lot, unless there is parking around the edge.
If something is unexpectedly difficult to maneuver in, we try to not even pull in and go on to the next place. At times, we have had to back out of pumps after fueling up, which is fine, but requires more effort.
We keep extra diesel in dedicated cans in the truck bed in case we run into difficulty getting diesel. You never want that to run out. We used them a few times over the course of the 2024 trip, but it was never NECESSARY, even including Alaska. There was a stretch of road with no diesel near the Alaska-Canadian border since one town had no power and another station was closed down. We would have made it, but it would have been anxiety-inducing. The extra 10 gallons in the truck bed gave us ease of mind and let us not stop at EVERY gas station.
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