Presently, the national average for gasoline is $3.28 per gallon. Diesel is even higher, reaching in some places such as here in Florida, more than $4.00 per gallon. Is it possible to get more gallons for your money's worth? Yes, it is ... you just have to understand how petroleum products "work" and utilize little tricks to make it come out to your advantage.

Eventually, I believe gasoline will reach $5.00 per gallon and diesel will see a price range between $6.00 and $6.25 per gallon. In order to receive more gallons for your buck, you need to be aware of atmospheric conditions. In the petroleum industry, the temperature and specific gravity plays an important factor. If you buy a gallon of gasoline in the afternoon when it is hot outside, you are not really getting a gallon. This is due to simple physics ... vaporization.

All service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground where the temperature is cooler. The colder it is below ground, the more dense the gasoline. When the temperature gets warmer, the gasoline expands.

In order to receive more product for your dollar, follow four simple rules:

1. Buy your gas in the early morning hours or when the outside temperature is cooler. If you purchase the product in the heat of the day, some of that gas is turning to vapor and being sent up and back into the underground storage tanks, thus causing you to lose on the "actual gallons" purchased.

2. When you are filling up at the station, most everybody will squeeze the nozzle trigger to the "fast" mode. BAD IDEA! Pumping on the fast rate causes other liquid going to your gas tank to vaporize. Therefore, when you go in to pay for your 20 gallons of fuel, you are not actually driving away with 20 gallons. Always pump the gas on the slowest mode of the nozzle. This will drastically reduce vaporization, and you will be getting more gallons put in your tank.

3. Also, fill your tank when it is half empty. The more gas you have in your tank, the less air is occupying empty space. Petroleum products evaporates at an incredible pace. By having your tank half full, there is less space and time for evaporation and more gallons are making it into your tank.

4. And Finally, NEVER purchase gasoline or diesel while a "gas" truck is making a delivery at the store. As the product is being delivered, it is being stirred up at a very violent rate. Most trucks drop the product at a rate of 350 gallons per minute. That is 5.83 gallons per second. All this "stirring up" is causing the dirt that normally settles on the bottom of the tank, to float around all over the place. By purchasing gas while a truck is making the delivery, you can easily suck up this "dirt" right into your gas tank.

As a second thought, you can avoid putting more money into the hands of terrorists' states by purchasing your product from those stations that do not import their oil from these terrorist-backed countries.

Companies that import oil from such countries are:

* Shell ... 205,742,000 barrels
* Chevron/Texaco ... 144,332,000 barrels
* Exxon/Mobil ... 130,082,000 barrels
* Marathon/Speedway ... 117,740,000 barrels
* Amoco ... 62,231,000 barrels
* CITGO

Companies that DO NOT import oil from terrorists states:

* Sunoco
* Conoco
* Sinclair
* BP/Phillips
* Hess
* ARC0

By understanding the conditions that effect petroleum products, you can drastically change the amount of loss that is going into your gas tank. Simple, but effective "tricks of the trade" that will give you more gallons for your hard earned money.

Aubrey "Allen" Smith is the author of the first and original Truth About Trucking and How to Guarantee a "Perfect" Move. He is an expert in the field of transportation, and his eBooks have helped thousands discover the truth behind the trucking industry and how to experience a more stress-free relocation process.

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