Negotiating an RV or trailer at a service center or gas station requires a little skill and planning. Photo courtesy of iRV2.com
The first thing new RVers realize is their RV is a little longer than the family sedan. While the family sedan is easy to fuel up at most fuel stations, negotiating a motorized RV or trailer (with a combined length up to 60 feet in length or possibly longer) requires a little skill and planning.
The skill part can be learned by hands on experience (hopefully without any seriously negative consequences), however the following information can greatly help with the planning part.
The first thing to learn is where to fill up near your home before leaving for a trip. For instance, those with trailers have it easy as they can fuel up the tow vehicle without the RV. Owners of motorhomes don’t have that luxury. As a result, they`ll need to find a station with easy access.
The trickier part is to know where to stop for fuel in an unfamiliar area. Typically, you will want to locate a “travel center” verses a mainstream gas station. Travel centers normally cater to automobiles and semi trucks. They are designed to accommodate the length and limited maneuverability of larger vehicles. Many will have designated spacious service islands for RVs with an adequate turning radius. These dedicated lanes offer gasoline, and diesel too.
Travel centers also offer other services such as dump stations, propane sales and potable water faucets. Places like Flying J and Pilot Travel Centers also allow RVers to stay the night for free. In addition, most have a convenience store, restrooms and restaurant for weary road warriors.
Those traveling toll expressways in the eastern half of the United States will find “Travel Plazas” conveniently in the median of the highway. This allows easy on/off access and many of the same services as travel centers.
Larger RVs need to find a gas station with easy access. Photo by Dave Steen iRV2.com member.
However, the words “travel center” or “travel plazas” do not guarantee 100 percent easy access and maneuverability. Here’s where a little time and planning can really help. By knowing your fuel capacity and your average miles per gallon you can determine in advance where you will need fuel.
First, determine where the travel centers/plazas are located along your route. One recommendation is Trip Wizard to find gas service centers (and RV parks). It determine what stations are in the area where you will require fuel. They will also be able to tell you the price and if diesel is available. Once you have found a travel center in the area where you will need fuel, enter the location into Google Earth. Then, zoom in and take a look via satellite at the access points. You will see how much room there is to maneuver around the fuel pumps.
Next, click on the street view setting on for a ground level view of the access from the street, noting any tall curbs or other obstructions. Now, you have all the information you need to safely stop, fuel and meet the other needs of your RV in one convenient location.
Learning the ins and outs of travel centers / plazas, just another adventure in RVing!.
Oh, and if you learned some of your maneuvering skills the hard way, please share using the comment box below, so that others might not repeat them.
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
One, rather expensive, lesson I learned the hard way is to check the station canopy height clearance.
I made the mistake of not doing that and succeeded in severally damadging both air conditioners on our four month old rig.
We have a gas class A which presents some difficult issues. We can’t use the truck lanes because nearly none have gas, only diesel. So, we do as the article suggests. We use Gas Buddy to find stations in the area we plan to pass through/visit and check them out with Google Maps for accessibility.
One other tip is to scout stations while we are parked and out and about in our toad. We often will spot a station that we can get into and gas up as we leave the area. If the station will be a little tight, we may wait to hook up until after gassing up.
Good article. I keep throwing out the idea of an app for gas powered RVers that would list good stations for our needs. Just a thought.
All good info. Definitely gas up at travel centers on the Interstate when possible. Most regular gas stations have trouble accommodating a motorhome, even if it doesn’t have a toad on the back.
My most “interesting” experience was at a gas station somewhere in rural Montana or Wyoming (probably the latter). I could fit in there OK with my toad on the back (it’s an Odyssey, and my MH is 36′ – total rig length is almost 60′), but the fuel truck showed up while I was gassing up my MH. There was no way I could have made the turn past the fuel truck without disconnecting my toad, and I didn’t want to go through that, so I just waited at the pump for 20 minutes or so while the driver filled the station’s tanks. Fortunately, this was way out in the countryside, they weren’t busy, and they had several islands, so it wasn’t a problem for me to just sit there.
One request I would like to make of motorists who are not driving RVs is, please don’t park you car at the travel center pump while you go inside, use the rest room, grab some food, etc. Travel centers have lots of islands with lots of pumps, but there are often only one or two that a large motorhome with a vehicle in tow can get into, and more importantly, get out of. If you’re parked at the only island I can access, you’re basically performing a denial of service attack on the gas pump. You don’t mean to, of course, and other cars can get to the other pumps without issue, but my motorhome and toad take up a three or four pump island completely. I can’t get in if even one car is there. Even without my toad, I take up all three pump islands and at least most four-pump islands. My fuel filler is on the back, about 3 feet from the left side, so I’m really constrained as to which islands I can use.
This happened to me three times on a recent 2.5 week road trip, in three different states. This tends to suggest it happens a lot.
You probably aren’t aware of this, but a motorhome with a towed vehicle behind it cannot back up; doing so risks bending the tow bar, and the manufacturers explicitly state to NEVER do it.. Thus, I have one more request to make of my four-wheeled neighbors: please don’t park right in front of an RV, especially one towing another vehicle. If you park in such a way that I can’t pull forward away from the gas pumps, I’m going to be stuck there until you come back and move your car, which will stop anyone from using any pump at that island.
Very well said. We experience the same problem often, people in outer gas island leaving there vehicle to shop, etc in the store after filling up with gas. I am sure most non Rivers do not know a motor home with car in tow can not back up.
JB, your comments about “denial of service attack” are spot on, but sadly the people who do this are not likely to be reading this column, which is aimed at RVers. RVers’ would not pull such a stunt. What really ticks me off is when spaces at rest stops etc which are provided for motorhomes with adequate length and turning radius etc., are instead occupied by autos. These drivers have no problem parking elsewhere, but they choose to park in the only spots in which we RVers can fit. I am particularly talking about spaces on the Florida Turnpike that are clearly marked for RV’s only, yet the little guys block them and there seems to be no police enforcement whatsoever.
Some (but not all, maybe not even most) Costcos can take motorhomes.
I’ve had mine in the one in Santee, California twice (city just east of San Diego), and it’s 36 feet long. I could probably do it even with my toad on the back, but for that, I’d definitely want to get there early in the morning when they first open, or late in the day, after the Costco store is closed.
That Costco location is pretty RV friendly. The attendants will even come up and ask which island you need to get to, and ground guide to help you get there.
Canopy clearance is nominally 13’6″, but it looked like more than that when I was at the pumps. It’s 12’4″ to the top of my air conditioners, and my eyeball says I had at least 2 feet of clearance to the canopy, maybe even 3 feet. I’m sure in some spots it must be the stated 13’6″, so if your motorhome is 13 feet tall, watch out 😉
Most fueling of RVs is done on the road later in the day and Costco does not carry diesel, making Costco a poor fueling choice. GasBuddy has a map that links to Google street view, which is very useful in judging the ease or difficulty of negotiating the pumps in an RV. What you can’t see, however, are which pumps have diesel. Once I had to drive thru the station to see where the diesel was located, then circle around and come back to the one pump I could get into. Even then I had to courteously ask the driver who beat me to the pump to move to another, which he graciously did (in these situations ASK for accommodations, don’t ORDER).
The lesson my husband learned the first trip out in our brand new trailor is to be patient and wait for the outside pump to clear rather then trying to wrap around to the interior pump and hit the side of your trailor on the cement barrier. Wide turns has a whole new meaning in our house.
Lisa.
Yes, patience is definitely a virtue when RVing!
Patience is the answer! I have pulled in to gas stations and sat waiting for a suitable spot to fill up for long enough to have a sndwich and a drink!! We have a 38.5 foot gasser with a Ranger pick-up, so take up a fair bit of room. I don’t have problems at most gas stations, but then I used to drive semi trailer rigs up to 95 feet long in and out of the work shop at work. Even had to back the 2 trailers out sometimes! Can’t understand why some drivers can’t back thier own rigs up!! But then we have some new drivers up here in Canada that should not be at the wheel. Big hills and 165,ooo pounds can be scarry.
With my 40′ diesel pusher motor home and a tow vehicle behind, I always find a Loves, Flying J, Pilot, TA, or similar and then use the truck lanes. The flow rate is a little high for the filler, so I just set it at the second tab. You can pump 75 gallons in about 3-4 minutes, not much more than filling your car.
I pulled into a Chevron Station for Diesel and made the turn to sharp and wrapped the lower storage doors around the “RED” cement post. The post did its job protecting the pumps. Of course I stopped, but it was too late. I attempted to back up and just caused more damage. Thousands of dollars later all it good. Bottom line here is be extra careful when fueling up and read the above threads again.
Just a note about Costco’s. Some of them do have diesel. We’ve used one in Bakersfield, just off the freeway several times, but I wouldn’t try it with a towed. Great prices and we can fuel from either side, which helps, but it is necessary to make a 90° turn to the left to exit. I found it easier to do on the inside of the last row, so fill on the drivers side and have more swing room for the back end. {driving 34′ class A}
DJ Edgar touched on it… I’m kind of surprised no one else here has mentioned TAIL SWING!! When you make a hard turn in your über-long motorhome, the overhanging area behind the drive wheels swings in the **opposite direction** of your turn! You make a right turn, it goes left; you make a left turn, it goes right. This is especially concerning for those of us with rear engine rigs as a stanchion could take out one’s radiator or chassis batts!
BOTTOM LINE: Your Exit Strategy MUST include a) stopping to allow three to four feet between the rig and the pump [most diesel pumps can accomodate this] and/or b) Making sure you have enough forward room to clear any obstacles before making a turn.
Yeah… MORE STUFF to remember, but you’ll thank me later!!
I’m pleased and flattered that my pics were used for this topic!
I don’t use truck stops anymore!
I recommend that everyone at least study the CDL manual and practice the air brake stuf, maneuvering and turning. I am much safer for having done that
Some will come back with “I’ve never had a problem”. If they just study the CDL manual they will say “wow, that not only makes sense but makes driving easier and safer”. They can shed the fear!
When you can confidently drive in downtown traffic and make the tight corners, or pull up to a standard fuel pump, or back into a space in one shot, etc, it feels very good.
Skill Level – We pull a 26 foot trailer behind the 36 MH. I practiced backing, turning and maneuvering so I can enter most fuel stops. If the tanker that delivers gas can get in and out – well why not me? The saving we find are easily worth looking around for less costly fuel. Mapquest is my choice as it will show me the cheapest town, address and telephone number. Easy to scroll to the next town for a look around. I have found saving of up to 40 cents per gallon over main stream truck stop prices.
I try to use truck stops exclusively and always use an app called Trucker’s Path to find them. If I am forced to use a regular service station, I do as the article recommends and try to size it up and plan my approach ahead of time by looking it up in a satellite view.
I think that often people feel rushed and misjudge corners, tail swing, etc., and the consequences are unfortunate. I am not too proud to creep along cautiously and make liberal use of a spotter whenever I am unsure of a spot. Not being able to back up with a toad certainly adds a layer of complexity as well. I’d rather have a 30′ trailer that I can back up than a 15′ jeep that I can’t!
I use the Flying J app to locate rv lanes for our 38′ gas motorhome. also use their charge card and get a discount. I have had a few close situations and had to unhook the Jeep 1 time after I pulled into the station. A very large tree branch about 10′ in the air stopped me from getting to the pumps. You could not see it until it was to late.
Great article and comments. Thanks for the suggestions. It did not take too long before I realized that the minimum bay I could use is a double pump…three is better. Of course the first fill up had me facing the Convenience store…at rather close range…because our fill is on the rear, driver side. I had to pull so far up that I was practically in the car parking spaces. Thank goodness there was little traffic and I was able to get out…learned that lesson.
I do wish there were more Travel centers with the RV pumps. Ours is a gas, so we can’t use the truck lanes. We found that Flying J had more of them than others.
I just love that Fleetwood placed the gas filler cap at the rear cap end of my 2016 Bounder so when pulling the toad, I have to block the second pump for drivers behind me, and sometimes block exit routes while refueling. I hate it!
Most any roadside ( very close to the main road and not set back in ) fuel stop with pumps that are perpendicular to the road are not RV friendly. Look for the pumps parallel to the road and of course the more room to get in and out lessens the amount of complaining I might do because of the price .
I can use a truck stop diesel pump but have to go slow because the truck pumps do pump fast and my 26 gallon tank tends to foam up if I put it in too fast. I prefer to not use the truck lanes but at the end of the day…if you need fuel, you need fuel.
I am 36′ plus 26′ box behind. There are many locations that I am able to access with which are not parallel to road. It is important to know your rig and the turning radius required. I feel that if the tanker truck can get it there too unload, then I should be able to get a load. Not all stations parallel or perpendicular to road are suitable. Good judgement on the drive by is my first rule. I can always backup.
I agree! I worked as a heavy truck mechanic for 40 years, learned to drive the “Super B” rigs around the shop lot and drive or back them in and out of the shop. 14 foot wide door seems pretty narrow when you are 100 feet away and have to get 2 trailers and the tractor backed out, then turned around! But you get used to it. Maybe that’s why I haven’t dinged up either our old 34 footer or the 38 1/2 we have now. I pull my Ford Ranger for a toad, so not a lot of backing up. Most of my pals that have bought motorhomes in the 30-40 foot range have dinged them on something! One even so many times his insurance company refused to insure him last year!
With a 37 foot diesel pusher and a full size SUV being towed, it is a challenge in most fueling stations. The key is to be careful and patient when approaching the pumps.
Due to my towing hitch making it impossible to back up more than a foot or two you have to make that wide turn and be sure you have the clearance to get out.
I do like the Pilot/Flying J truck stops as they have a great phone app telling you ahead of time the amentities they offer and their fuel prices. Plus Pilot allows overnight parking. Their fuel is higher, but being able to have a safe and secure place to stay is worth it.