North American Fuel Shortage Reports

[yesplease]

Next prediction: gas siphoning from parked cars, as per the 1970s. If you don't have a locking gas cap, now's as good a time as any to get one.

I had to get one for my truck. F'ing dirt bike rider/s.

[I_Like_Plants]

pay-before-pump means people have to go into the station store a lot of the time, and look at all those tempting stale bags of peanuts and 2-liter bottles of sugar water, a certain percentage can't resist. There's a stratum that's actually below credit-card ownership, and such people tend to consider stale peanuts and a gallon of pop a good balanced breakfast, even at midnight. So, the California model of credit card purchase at the pump for the more affluent (who will then go use their credit card at Starbucks anyway) and walk into the store for the Cletus types, works out well.

[midnight-gamer]

I really should have seen this comming. I had heating fuel taken out of my storage tank a month or two ago. Woke up cold, on a cold winter morning to find foot prints in the snow and a empty tank.

[FairMaiden]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this...but...changing to a prepaid system that has credit card/debit card payments at the pump takes investment. I know many small gas stations have a slim profit margin. So how do they pay for all the pump stations?

[frankthetank]

Around here, Kwik Trip pretty much dominates. They drive or try to drive everyone else out of business. They've got all these marketing gimmicks to try to get people to grocery shop and eat lunch/supper @ their store...not sure if it works! I'm guessing most of the money is coming from gasoline/cigs/beer/lotto tickets/candy? A guy i worked with, his parents had a gas station in a more rural area, said the money is NOT good...hardly make anything.

[smallpoxgirl]

Just because I care:
Poll: What is the best pistol caliber for self defense?

[Roy]

I bought a locking gas cap for my old pickup in August 05. I think I had read a post by MQ suggesting that. When I went to buy it, the Autozone guys looked at me like I had two heads when I asked.

They happened to have a two pack that looked like refugee from 1979. That was it in the entire store, in a questionable neighborhood. The clerk said,
that's a good idea". I mentioned that back in the late 70's people did steal gas. Little did I know what was coming a few weeks later.

Two weeks later Katrina hit, and gas was a rare commodity in Baton Rouge for at least another two weeks, as all the local stores were stripped clean by evacuees fleeing N.O. Think locusts.

"I'm itching for someone to siphon the diesel out of my car's tank and put it into their Cavalier or Taurus or something."

I once knew a guy when I lived in SoCal in the early 80's who would siphon gas late at night (the bastard).

One day he shows up at my house asking what's wrong with his car. I ask about the fuel he put in it , and sure enough, it was diesel from a work truck. Dumbass. Served him right.

SPG, that little poll got me all choked up. Your compassion and empathy are admirable. Thanks. I voted 9mm.

[jdmartin]

WI along with one other state do NOT require auto insurance...you can't be ticketed for not having it.

I think that one other state is us - Tennessee. It's only illegal to not have insurance if you get into an accident; otherwise, you don't need insurance to get/keep a car registered or drive it on the road.

[jdmartin]

The gas station here in my town - if you can call it a town - that's closest to me, in 2005 when the prices went sky-high, started charging 4% for using a debit/credit card. That was the last time I bought gas there. These days I pay at the pump, so unfortunately I'm not going to be inside buying all those high markup, crappy products. If anything, I think pre-pay will end up driving a lot of stations out of business, at least from the convenience end. People who have debit/credit cards will go to a station that has this feature at the pump rather than go inside twice. People who don't have these cards may actually look for places that let you pay after you pump. I personally won't buy gas at any place that makes me go inside twice, even if it's just to get the receipt because they don't do proper maintenance on their machines!

[frankthetank]

JD- I bet we see more insuranceless drivers in the future. Once gas climbs they'll forgo insurance and use it to fuel up instead. When i was younger, i was spending a lot more on insurance monthly, then i was on gas. I know people with loans on cars that will have insurance to start with, but will stop paying it and wait for the bank to catch on (usually there is a good passage of time).

In MN if you are stopped, you better have proof or else you're getting a fat ticket. I think CO is also very strict.

[vision-master]

What's next? Mandatory Medical Insurance? No can pay, no can drive!

[jdmartin]

JD- I bet we see more insuranceless drivers in the future. Once gas climbs they'll forgo insurance and use it to fuel up instead. When i was younger, i was spending a lot more on insurance monthly, then i was on gas. I know people with loans on cars that will have insurance to start with, but will stop paying it and wait for the bank to catch on (usually there is a good passage of time).

In MN if you are stopped, you better have proof or else you're getting a fat ticket. I think CO is also very strict.

There's no doubt that probably 40% or more of the population here in my home state is running around without insurance. That's why I (like most insured people) carry a good amount of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. In a way I resent having to carry insurance in case some deadbeat hits me, but on the other hand I know that there's a lot of people out here that are barely making ends meet, and insurance is the push over the cliff.

It will be interesting to see what "necessities" go if prices keep climbing...

[Gazzatrone]

And people ask why I'm a doomer...

If oil goes up to, say, $80 per bbl this year...and higher next year...matters should get interesting.

The only question is, which to pack? 9mm or .40?

9mm I'd say. Wait until you see the whites of their eyes.

And people hope running out wil pass off peacefully. Hmmm

[pup55]

Dear US and Canadian PO.com viewers:

We have had some reports come in today on fuel shortages starting to show up in the US. Since we have a global network of observers literally at our fingertips, please use this thread to report any shortages of fuel in your area. We did this with great success awhile back for the Europeans.

First person observations of conditions in your area are the best. Any news stories in your local area would also be good (follow guidelines for reporting news from outside sources). Please Help keep the PO.com community informed about this important topic.
Thanks
pup55

[AirlinePilot]

We have had some reports come in today on fuel shortages starting to show up in the US.

pup,

Mind elaborating on this please?

[birchm]

Gasoline prices are shooting through the roof right now here. up 25 cents in a week.

[ohcomeon]

Gasoline prices are shooting through the roof right now here. up 25 cents in a week.

Our local prices went up 20 cents since yesterday.

[TreebeardsUncle]

link Denver running on empty: Low inventory likely to push gas past $3 a gallon
Shell is up to $3.3x for regular here now in the Arden Arcade area of Sacramento.

On a related note: link Ford exec says April sales ‘terrible’ for industry. ‘Hard time explaining’ why they’re so bad; GM starts incentive program

Looks like things are just getting started. Within 10 years, outer suburbs in general should be significantly less wealthy than they are now.
g

[steam_cannon]

MA gas prices have been spiking up, only 2.95 for high test, but up since last week... And as usual this evening the crowds at the pump were just a line of people. Gas price isn't keeping people away... gaschart

A cool script for generating price charts for your state and time range: link

[ColossalContrarian]

Filled up at a Shell station just north of Denver yesterday and every diesel pump had a yellow out of service bag over the pump. Three of the premium pumps were also “out of service”

In another post I mentioned that I hadn't seen any shortages. Well, now I see them.