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Oil all time high...

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Well with oil hitting a all time high, over $107.00 a barrel today. This may give the Veggie oil guys some room to talk. You might see more guys switching over to the bio/used oil programs more now being the fact that I have seen Diesel on the way home for anywhere between $3.98 and $4.30 a gallon.

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I live on top of the "stuff".... most of my customers make a living dragging it out of the ground.... Currently $4.35ish CAD per US gallon for gasoline....

 

I have become jaded to pump island events... I am no longer surprise by what I see....

 

The price of gold is high, diamonds are spendy.... neither will heat my home or send my truck down the road....

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I wish.... when you buy land in Canada (I'm sure the US is the same), all you get is the "surface rights".

 

I have a one gallon metal gas can I bought back when Christ was a cowboy.... New, this container wouldn't hold more than 30 cents worth of gas... Last time I filled it, the tab was right around 4 bucks.... and that doesn't include the 2 cycle oil I put in the can....

 

I went to Edmonton last Sunday.... I'm about 2.5 hours or so from that city... gas is $1.099 per liter.... An hour and a half to the southeast is Westlock.... $1.049 per liter. That last hour into Edmonton will get the price back up o $1.089 per liter...

 

It has nothing to do with reality... and everything to do with what the market will bear....

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Quote:
I have a one gallon metal gas can I bought back when Christ was a cowboy....

Wait a second, two points here...

Your in Canuckia you don't have GALLON cans,Liter-Litre make up your minds on how to spell it.
And we all know that Christ was never a cowboy....
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Many moons ago... when Great Spirit ride horse... Khana-jun had "gallon". Khana-jun "gallon" bigger and better than whimpy paleface gallon (like Khana-jun beer better than whimpy paleface "love in a canoe" beer)...

 

This brave warrior remember gasoline... gasoline with lead... make-um heap horsepower for that day.... This gasoline was less than 35 coppers for one Khana-jun gallon.

 

Many moons ago, many Braves speak badly of high gas prices. All things change.... but all things stay the same....

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I'm of a split mind about this one guys. I know it hurts people and us as it reduced discretionary income, but incentives are the key to changing behavior. Last time this happened, the auto manufacturers started making smaller more efficient vehicle because people demanded them. People started to consider alternative fuels and transportation, started to drive in a saner manner, and moved closer to their place of employment. We were on the cusp of a real shift in our consumption pattern in relation to transportation fuel. Then the bottom fell out of the oil market and the goo was $10 a barrel. People moved away from the city, and bought Excursions and Expeditions to get a gallon of milk from the store, and consumption went through the roof again. If we are able to sustain these prices we may be able to create a shift in people’s demand curve for more appropriate vehicles. I do think however that the people who NEED these trucks we all service should be able to obtain fuel at a reasonable price so as to sustain economic growth.

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Interesting take on this Jayson and I think you might be dead on about it. Rising energy costs are going to take the advancement of more efficient, cleaner engines already being developed for emissions reasons and push it even harder. In fact, I would even say this is already the case as the manufacturers have been flaunting their coming technology and the use of hybrids and alternative fuels like ethanol and other bio-fuels. The new Diesel Fiesta is a prime example. Unfortunately we Americans are stupid and generally don't change our thinking until it affects our wallets hard and perhaps this is exactly what we need. If we were smart, we would take the "political/national interest" approach and look toward becoming energy independent and solve many more problems than just saving a buck. Such new industries like alternative fuels for example could bring thousands of new jobs to Americans right here at home. Bio-fuels? Farming might make a big comeback. Oil is the driving force behind almost everything... except maybe Bill and Hillary Clinton. They run on bullshit and hot air.

 

Here in NJ we have been enjoying the lowest average cost per gallon of gasoline in the country. The price of unleaded regular JUST crossed the $3 mark at my favorite filling station on 3/14. I filled up with 21 gallons at $2.97 the night before on my way home from work. It was at $3.03 the next morning on my way in to work. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif

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3.03 still isn't bad, around here in Windsor it varies from 1.08 - 1.26 a litre (4.32- 5.04 US Gal) I recently turned down a very good offer from another store just because the amount of driving and the cost of fuel out weighed the extra pay they were offering.

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As jay has pointed out... we usually fail miserably at learning from history...

 

Something that was meandering through my addled old brain as I drove back from Edmonton on Monday.... I'm driving an 02 SuperCrew 4X4.... bigger than my 93 SuperCab (interiorwise), cushier, quieter could have ever hoped to be... much better fuel mileage - even while towing.... In our area, the modular engines have proven to have a much better expected service life than the old technology cam in block engines (as long as we don't abuse them too badly in the process). I couldn't help but think that powertrain technology has come a long, long way.

 

Not to be contrary to Jays thoughts... but we are seeing owners polarized in their vehicle choices... sometimes for the wrong reasons.... Ever seen a Focus with a trailer hitch on it?

 

For some, pump island shock is just another fact of life.... yours truly included... No matter what I buy, the last question on my mind is what it get's for fuel mileage (guilty parties, raise your hands).

 

Gazing in to my crystal ball, I see a schism looming on the horizon.... The large SUV market is dying... but there will always be something like the SD Crew Cab... designed more as a work truck, but purchased by those like me. There will always be a market for a light pick up... But, I think fugly little critters like the Flex will be the corporate mainstay in the future....

 

Another thought.... The Chevy 350 started out life as a 265ish inch motor back in the mid-50s. One of the first thin wall casting motors, it enjoyed a life span of over 40 years in different bore/stroke combinations.... Today, we see the 6.0... both a building block and a stepping stone at the same time... Part of it was an "interim" motor and part of it formed the basics for yet another "interim" motor (the 6.4)...

 

The future, gentlemen, is going to be most interesting....

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The future, gentlemen, is going to be most interesting....

Indeed. I think diesel power will still be around for some time to come but it would be wise for those of us who may remain in this business for the foreseeable future to expand their knowledge and expertise into the alternatives. Is still don't see why there hasn't been something like a diesel-electric power plant designed for things like heavy trucks and busses. Run a super efficient small diesel engine running a generator to power electric drivers at the axles.

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There is already several of diesel hybrid busses running around the country. Eaton has a hybrid trans out for like class 5 through 8 stuff. Some of them have an intertrashinal motor

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/07/ic_corporation_.html

I just did a paper on PACCAR they getting into hybrids

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006/11/peterbilt_to_in.html

I don't think we will see mass adoption at the retail level until we have much higher gas prices. The cost to benefit just is not there for retail rigs at 3 to 5 dollars a gallon with current battery technology.

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