How do you guys split up fuel costs

TauPhi111

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Sep 10, 2017
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Ohio
Question for you guys who drive a long way to hunt out west: When multiple people are taking one person's vehicle out west, how do you split up fuel costs. Do you split it up equally in some fashion, or does the guys who's putting a couple thousand miles of wear and tear on his truck and tires not pay for fuel or a small fraction of the fuel while the other guys pick up the rest of the tab?

For me specifically, it'll be Ohio to northwest Colorado. I'll likely be driving my truck and I'll have 3 other guys with me (2 if my buddy in the Navy gets deployed). Last year, it was only me and another guy, and my truck was pretty much brand new so I didn't even think about the wear, so we split fuel evenly. But now it seems I'm going to be making a trip out west probably every year, and it seems fair that the guy who drives should be cut some slack in the fuel bill. What do you all do? What's customary?
 
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TauPhi111

TauPhi111

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Take one of theirs. That way you can pay for more fuel, to be fair.....And save that pesky wear and tear. I'm a cowboy poet, and didn't even know it.....

Unfortunately we are likely going to be required to take my vehicle
 

gumbl3

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Nov 27, 2016
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In my opinion I'm going with or without riders so I find someone filling every other tank as fair

If I'm riding, I'll fill every other tank and if we take someone's vehicle then I'll buy a meal. Depending on the length of trip, few hours day trip gets fast food grease burger, multi day trip will be a good sit down dinner.

These things seem to work their way out in the end and not worth nickel and diming over.. If you get charged to ride in my car then should I get charged to sleep in your tent? see what I mean
 

Jsunkler

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Apr 10, 2018
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Eastern Shore
Rotate who fills the truck up each time. Maybe ask each of them to pick up one more fill up to compensate the use of your vehicle.

Another question is: Is all the gear yours or is everyone pitching in for camp? If you have the vehicle and your personal gear, and the guys bring the camp, I would call it even.

Honestly its a question to have well before the hunt to make sure you have a great trip versus counting pennies.

My buddy and I drove out to Colorado in his truck this past year, we split the fuel costs evenly but I paid for the tolls and gave him a bottle of his favorite scotch for volunteering his truck
 

BluMtn

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I use to do a lot of buddy traveling across the US in the old days. What we did was take an envelope and my buddy and I would each put $200 in it and put it in the glove box. When we gassed we would pay for it out of the gas fund. That way it did not matter how much fuel we put in, it was always equal.
 
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I’ve rotated tankfuls on the trip and when I’ve been with 4 of us on a road trip from Nashville to Washington Oregon and Idaho for a month and a half we had to get oil changes etc and we used an envelope as a bank and everyone put in 300 in the front of the trip. We had to reup once and all got a few bucks back at the end.

Everyone puts the same amount into the bank at the beginning based on cost estimate for the trip. Once your done anything left over gets given back out equally. And everyone is happy that they didn’t get screwed and didn’t have to constantly be wondering whose turn it is to buys tank. When you got 2 guys rotating is easy. More than 2 and someone will skip a tank or two. Damn sandbaggers.


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Scottyboy

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Minnesota
I’ve rotated tankfuls on the trip and when I’ve been with 4 of us on a road trip from Nashville to Washington Oregon and Idaho for a month and a half we had to get oil changes etc and we used an envelope as a bank and everyone put in 300 in the front of the trip. We had to reup once and all got a few bucks back at the end.

Everyone puts the same amount into the bank at the beginning based on cost estimate for the trip. Once your done anything left over gets given back out equally. And everyone is happy that they didn’t get screwed and didn’t have to constantly be wondering whose turn it is to buys tank. When you got 2 guys rotating is easy. More than 2 and someone will skip a tank or two. Damn sandbaggers.


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i/we do something similar. having everyone pitch in X amount of dollars up front also eliminates any griping about "last time the tank wasnt completely empty and he only paid $50, now its my turn and i have to pay $80"

we found having a common pool to pull from works best. also, all the non-owners of the vehicles pitch in for a oil change when we get back.
 
Joined
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Springtown TX
Only long hunting trip for me was when riding with a friend and one other dude from SW PA to Western SD. We just took turns paying for fill ups, than at the end me and the other guy pitched in some for "vehicle wear". Oil, tires, etc., all take a beating too so it seemed fair to us anyway lol.
 

Tod osier

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Sep 11, 2015
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Fairfield County, CT Sublette County, WY
Question for you guys who drive a long way to hunt out west: When multiple people are taking one person's vehicle out west, how do you split up fuel costs. Do you split it up equally in some fashion, or does the guys who's putting a couple thousand miles of wear and tear on his truck and tires not pay for fuel or a small fraction of the fuel while the other guys pick up the rest of the tab?

For me specifically, it'll be Ohio to northwest Colorado. I'll likely be driving my truck and I'll have 3 other guys with me (2 if my buddy in the Navy gets deployed). Last year, it was only me and another guy, and my truck was pretty much brand new so I didn't even think about the wear, so we split fuel evenly. But now it seems I'm going to be making a trip out west probably every year, and it seems fair that the guy who drives should be cut some slack in the fuel bill. What do you all do? What's customary?

My expectation, not considering other circumstances, is that the vehicle owner does not pay for gas and I've always worked that way when I was riding with someone. The owner is already paying for maintenance and wear and tear. For easy generic math, say a 50K truck has a lifetime of 200K miles - that is 25 cents a mile and a $1000 in a 4K mile trip.

I have driven my truck more than rode with others and depending on the situation have been happy to either split gas or have the riders cover it. If having an upfront conversation about it, I'd always propose that the riders covered gas were I riding or driving.
 

Oregon

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I use to do a lot of buddy traveling across the US in the old days. What we did was take an envelope and my buddy and I would each put $200 in it and put it in the glove box. When we gassed we would pay for it out of the gas fund. That way it did not matter how much fuel we put in, it was always equal.

How I’ve done it. Start out with a guesstimate of fuel and equal goes into envelope. I’m not worried about the wear and tear of my truck. My personality is I’m going with or without riders in my truck, and in my very short list of friends, I’m the guy who usually plans the hunt and figures logistics. I would only share a vehicle/hunt with real close friends anyways and they never disappoint about picking up the tab for a dinner or 2 along the way.
 
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We also do the envelope with cash in it for fill ups. At the end of the trip theres usually enough for an oil change and splitting up anything else left over.
 

LostArra

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May 9, 2013
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Oklahoma
My buddy insists on taking his truck and we split fuel. I try to buy an extra tank during the trip and I give him cash when we get home to get the truck detailed because it's usually a mess.
 

Scott/IL

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Jan 1, 2014
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We try to take turns on whose vehicle we take when we go. With gas, we’ve done it 2 ways. One person pays for it and keeps receipts at the end and split it up after. Or the easier way IMO is we just alternate filling the truck up as needed.


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H2PVon

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Jan 3, 2018
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Western PA
Well, I took my 17 yo son this year. That sandbagger didn't pay a penny for gas, tolls, or maintenance ;)

Usually we just take turns filling up and buy whoevers truck it is dinner. I'm not worried about the wear and tear on mine, it's probably going west every year from now on and that's part of the deal.
There was the guy that wanted to keep gas receipts and divide down to the penny. If you got to do that this trip is beyond your means.

(I should mention that I only go with very good friends and they wouldn't be very good friends if this was an issue. The issue is usually everyone trying to pay too much.)
 

weaver

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Feb 25, 2012
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With 3 or more guys, vehicle owner doesn't pay for fuel. With 2 guys, owner pays every 3rd fill-up.

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rayporter

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Jul 3, 2014
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arkansas or ohio
we done the cash in a sack thing a lot, especially with new riders.

sam and I just saved receipts and at the end totaled them up and made it even.

edit
we drove from ohio for years and never had a consideration for who drove. we drove what was the best rig to take.

when I moved to arkensaw he would brig the mules to my place and then we took my rig the rest of the way.
once he pulled in with a new truck having engine trouble and we intended to take his truck. it was left at the dealers and we took mine.

usually we both would get our rig road ready just in case it was needed even if we did not plan on using it.
 
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archp625

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Jan 17, 2018
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St. Joseph, Missouri
With the price of gas now I would have everyone throw in $50-$75 dollars in cash at the beginning. Keep it in a bankers bag. Pay for gas out of that. Then at the end if there is any money left over, which will be minimal if you did your calculations right give to the owner of the vehicle. Its usually less than $20.

That is how we did it in college.
 
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