At Greg’s Petroleum Service, we continue to take proactive steps where possible to ensure our employees are safe and to ensure the continuity of business operations including no disruption in supply and deliveries of our products or quality of service and support to our customers.

As many of you know, Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a California statewide “Shelter-in-Place.” This will affect many companies and people across our state, however, Greg’s Petroleum Service is exempt from the “Shelter-in-Place” order because we are considered an “Essential Business.”

We have implemented several precautionary measures for both employees and visitors to reduce the risk of exposure to our workforce and the community.

Our office is in process of transitioning to service all customers primarily from remote, home offices with no in-person meetings. We will still be running business as usual, but we will be doing it from home with limited staff on-site. Please be prepared for more phone, email and video communication until further notice during these uncertain times. If you have any questions, please give us a call. If no one answers, follow the prompts and you will be directed to the person you need.

While we work on transitioning, we are practicing social distancing, consistent sanitization and minimal in-person contact in order to protect our staff, our customers and our families.

Please rest assured, we do not expect any disruption to our services. We remain committed to providing exceptional reliability and are taking several actions to help continue meeting your supply expectations.

Product Deliveries

• Delivery services will continue to operate as normal.
• Please contact your Sales representative or call our Warehouse to place orders.

Customer Pick-up Protocol

• We will be limiting in-office visits, please call ahead for pick-up orders.
• Dispatcher will issue pick-up time.
• Order will be staged and ready for pick-up.
• Customers should call us to notify when they arrive for the pick-up.
• Greg’s Petroleum Service employee will load the order.
• Customer will sign.
• Greg’s Petroleum Service employee to follow standard sanitary procedures after each transaction is complete.

CFN Cards

• For the time being, all CFN cards will be mailed directly to the customer.

We are part of an essential industry, and outside of health and safety, we take the servicing and support of our customers as our top priority. As always, please reach out to me directly or one of our team members if you have any questions or concerns.

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, and there is increasing concern and questions, Greg’s Petroleum Service will continue to keep communication high where necessary to avoid any concern or questions related to our business as there is enough to worry about already.

Stay safe and please let us know anything we can do to assist during this challenging time.

Sincerely,

Ron Mariani
President
Greg's Petroleum Service

2020 has been a year to remember. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been devastating and will be felt for years to come. As a southern California fuel supplier, we know how hard our local community has been hit. We grieve with you and hope that things will turn around in 2021.

The events of 2020 have dramatically impacted oil and fuel prices. We’ve never seen a year like this. The pandemic and other events throughout the year have caused fuel prices to sink to record lows. Will low prices continue? It’s hard to say. Analysts are still processing the roller coaster ride that prices took this past year. Here’s a breakdown of the price journey:

January 2020: The year started positively. According to GasBuddy’s 2020 Fuel Price Outlook, gas prices were projected to rise by as much as 75 cents a gallon, with 75% of the country’s largest metro areas seeing average prices of $3/gal. The nation’s gasoline bill was projected to rise to $373 billion, and the average household was projected to spend nearly $1935 a year on gasoline. Things were looking up after a couple of years of lower demand and production. Analysts were confident that 2020 was going to be a little better for the fuel and gas industry. Boy, were they wrong.

February: The first effects of the COVID-19 pandemic started to appear. News reports of the disruption to life in China, travel lockdowns, and cases began appearing worldwide. It began as a trickle, and the market held steady for a bit. But it wasn’t meant to be. By February 10th, gasoline’s average price had fallen from $3.5/gal gallon to $2.42/gal, part of a four-week national average decline trend. The market was shaky, and no one was sure how things would change.

March: It seemed like the sky was falling. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Many states went into full lockdown. Schools shut down, workplaces were empty, and businesses closed. The streets were empty as everyone stayed home. Fuel prices dropped significantly. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said, “Gas prices have spent virtually all of March marching lower, with the drop continuing as the coronavirus destroys oil demand globally, leading to the lowest oil prices we’ve seen in 18 years, paving the way for still an additional 35-75 cent per gallon drop at most stations in the weeks ahead. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a collapse in prices, even including the Great Recession. What we’re witnessing is easily going to go down as the great collapse in oil demand, and for motorists hurrying to fill up today, they’re wasting their money as prices will continue to drop in the days ahead. Gas stations are passing along the drop several weeks behind, and there’s plenty more room for prices to drop, putting 99 cents per gallon prices as a strong possibility for perhaps many more stations than we previously anticipated. This is truly an unprecedented turn of events.”

April 2020: Unfortunately, things continued to get worse. Amid the pandemic, a brutal oil price war began between Saudi Arabia and Russia. Saudi Arabia initiated the price war in retaliation to Russia’s refusal to slow down oil production to keep oil moderately priced. This oil price war did a number on fuel prices, and they continued to drop to record lows throughout the spring, a time when they would typically be rising. On April 20th, oil prices went into the negatives for
the first time, and gas prices fell to a historic low of $1.74/gallon on April 28th.

Summer 2020: The summer of COVID-19 was much of the same. Life began to open up slowly, but everyone was still cautious, and case numbers began to climb. Travel was still mainly shut down, and several industries were devastated. Millions were losing work, and businesses were closing due to the economic fallout of the lockdown. The summer travel season opened with the lowest Memorial Day gas prices since 2003. Instead of flocking to airports and flying to international destinations, people took road trips for their summer travel. Businesses and communities slowly opened up, fuel demand grew, and prices rebounded by 22% in May.

As the summer and the pandemic wore on, another blow hit the oil industry, hurricane season. 2020 was the most active hurricane season on record. In a rare bit of luck for the US refinery industry, no major hurricanes affected refineries in the gulf, but prices still stayed low, hovering around $2/gal.

September – October 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic continued across the country, as lockdowns were initiated, lifted, and debated. The countdown to the presidential election grew closer every day. Each candidate presented different views of the future of gas prices. The debate over how the election and how each candidate would affect gas prices raged on. Here’s a great video from Gas Buddy analyst Patrick De Haan that dived into each candidate’s energy policies.

For our home state of California, some significant changes occurred. On Sept 23, 2020, Governor Newsom announced that in California, all new cars and passenger trucks sold must be zero-emissions vehicles by 2035. You can view more information about how this ban may affect you on our blog. The landmark announcement has serious implications for the fuel industry’s future, and it will be interesting to see how it affects things in the coming years.

November 2020: Despite the ongoing devastation of the second wave of COVID-19 and the uncertainty following the election, prices started to rebound in November. Following the news of a successful vaccine, prices began rising. The national average of gasoline rose to $2.12/gal due to an 18% increase in oil price.

December 2020: As we closed out the year, prices remained lower than in the past. They dip and climb but are slowly inching higher. GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan has said that “a weakening US dollar and vaccine optimism continue to push oil prices higher.” There is hope that prices will continue to climb for the fuel industry, but consumers can get on lower than average prices for some time to come.

If the past year has taught oil and fuel analysts anything, you can’t quite predict what will happen in the market. Last year at this time, analysts were optimistic. This year, we’re all holding our breath to wait and see how things may change. As President-Elect Biden takes office in January, things may continue to change as his administration pursues their energy agenda. The ongoing distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine may return our lives to some semblance of normalcy, but it is likely the economic fallout of the pandemic will last for years to come.

Please remember that we are here for all your fuel and lubricant needs, whatever this next year brings. We’ve all struggled this past year. We renew our commitment to provide the best fuel and lubricant supplies to our customers and the local community. Let’s hope that this next year will be a little brighter than the last, and we can begin to rebuild after such a devastating year.

In 1961 Harold “Greg’ Gregory started working at a local gas station called Ray’s Pratts in Delano, California. There he serviced the automobiles of the day. Eventually, he joined up with Standard Oil Distributorship as a partner in 1961 and bought it in 1963. By 1984 Greg’s Petroleum Service was established as a California Fuels and Lubricant distributor. Our history has a lot to do with our business. We’ve grown up in the region and have seen every change that has affected the local community.

We’ve watched the modern gasoline engine’s evolution and adjusted our business model to partner with suppliers like Chevron to provide superior bulk fuels, wholesale lubricants, and gasoline supply to our customers.

Over the years, the types of product we offer have changed, as engine and fuel technology has evolved. What are some of these changes?

Direct injection technology: Combustion engines operate by sucking a mixture of fuel and air into the engine where it is ignited and produces power. This reaction was achieved by mixing the fuel and air in the intake manifold before injecting it into the engine, where the pistons compressed it and then ignited by a spark. However, this method could be inefficient, which is why older cars got such terrible mileage.

Only 12-30% of the potential chemical energy could be converted into power, while the rest was lost to friction and heat loss. Direct injection technology bypasses this problem by injecting the fuel straight into the engine cylinders, increasing efficiency by 12%. This technology is managed by the vehicle computer and allows more control over fuel metering and where the fuel enters the cylinder. The fuel is more evenly broken up into smaller droplets, increasing combustion and increasing fuel efficiency and power.

So what’s the drawback? Many newer vehicles have direct injection technology, but there are some issues. The high heat burns the fuel faster, leading to increased black carbon emissions and engine damage. Luckily, some products can help. We recommend Chevron’s Techron® Complete Fuel System Cleaner. When used every 3,000 miles, it helps break up carbon deposits to increase fuel efficiency and protect your engine. It was named the 2019 Best Fuel Additive in the Autoweek Reader’s Choice Awards.

High-speed transmissions: In recent years, high-speed transmissions have become very popular. The eight-speed automatic transmission was introduced on the 2011 Chrysler 300. Since then, it has been widely adopted by several automakers and consumers. The eight-speed transmission can help improve fuel efficiency by 11% and decreases transmission wear. Transmission repairs are one of the highest mechanical expenses, so it’s a welcome change. Modern fuel transmission technology offers smoother shifting and increased power capacity. To service your transmission, we recommend Valvoline™’s line of transmission fluid products. They have a wide range of superior fluids for your transmission needs.

Increased power in a smaller engine: Old muscle cars may look cool, but smaller, lighter engines are consistently more powerful. Smarter engine technology has improved the power of the gasoline engine while cutting back on size. Modern technology like higher compression ratios, variable valve timing, and computerization make the smaller, lighter engines of today more powerful. This increased sophistication requires more intensive mechanical service and superior fluid and lubricant use. We offer a wide range of products from Chevron’s Valvoline® and Havoline® lines for various engine needs. Let us know your vehicle’s specifications, and we can find the right lubricant for your needs.

Increased reliability: Modern gasoline engines have become more sophisticated. Consumers used to do most engine repairs themselves if they were mechanically inclined. In newer vehicles, many mechanical parts have been replaced with electrical components operated by computer control. Engines are more reliable and can go longer between service intervals. New synthetic oils and engine fluids have been developed to keep these sophisticated engines running longer. We offer a wide variety of Chevron lubricants and other products designed to keep your vehicle in good condition between service appointments.

Better fuel: One of the most critical changes for modern engines is the fuel we put into the vehicle. Today’s gasoline is more highly refined with higher octane ratings and increased additives for fuel-efficiency. Chevron has been a leader in developing Techron. This additive helps to maximize engine power, increase fuel efficiency, and reduce carbon deposit build-up while decreasing fuel emissions. Additives such as Techron have helped improve modern car engines’ efficiency so vehicles can last longer and go further than ever before.

Vehicle technology will always be changing to meet consumer needs. We drive further and farther than our parents ever did. Our vehicles are now designed for increased fuel efficiency and power, as are the fluids we use to keep our cars running. Greg’s Petroleum Service has seen all of the changes that have come and gone. We’ve come a long way since that little gas station in the sixties, and we are prepared for whatever new changes may come in the future.

We proudly offer bulk fuel delivery, wholesale lubricants, wholesale diesel, and card lock fuel systems for all our fuel and lubricant oil customers. Just as the modern engine has changed over the years to become more efficient, we’ve grown and developed to offer a wide range of products and services for our local community. We will continue to grow and develop to serve companies in Bakersfield, CA, and our local community. If you require fuel or lubricant supplies, get in touch with us to access premium gasoline and Chevron lubricants.

The COVID-19 pandemic is still raging. Here in California, cases are rising dramatically as we battle the second wave. Public health officials recently announced that every county in Southern California is in the purple tier, the most restrictive before a full-scale lockdown. Under these restrictions, many businesses have to adapt to even tighter rules to curb the spread of COVID-19. Nearly 94% of Californians, or 37 million people, live in the counties now facing these restrictive guidelines, and another lockdown may be looming.

Gov. Gavin Newson recently said that “this is simply the fastest increase California has seen since the beginning of this pandemic.” No one wants to head back to another lockdown like we faced this past spring, but it’s increasingly looking like some lockdown may be imminent. For many businesses, this may be very troubling as the economic effects of the previous lockdown and ongoing pandemic guidelines have caused great distress. As a wholesale fuel company and whole diesel fuel supplier, we stand with our local community to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the pandemic’s economic effects. One of the unfortunate side effects of a shutdown or reduced business is the degradation of lubricant supplies. Many of our customers have had to either completely shut down their businesses during lockdowns or reduce their workload. A shutdown or slowing down of work can adversely affect your wholesale lubricant supplies, especially if you do not practice proper storage. Lubricants that sit unused or in storage for an extended time are more prone to degradation. Here are a few factors that may affect your lubricant supplies.

• Oxidation: Oxygen can be deadly for your lubricants, as it is an element that bonds atoms together. If your lubricants are exposed to extra oxygen, a process called oxidation can occur. This process can cause the lubricants to separate and breakdown, which will affect their performance on your machinery. Ensure that all the fittings for your lubrication containers are airtight and that all your bearing seals are in good condition. A defective seal can cause a leak, which can destroy a whole container of lubricant.
• Heat: Extreme temperature swings can cause lubricants to break down. Make sure that your storage area is at a consistent temperature. Follow the manufacturer guidelines for proper temperature storage.
• Water: If your lubricants are exposed to water, they may begin to break down. Make sure that your storage area is dry and free from leaks or condensation. Visually inspect your supplies for any signs of leakage or damaged storage containers.

Once you’ve inspected your storage area for possible contamination, it’s time to implement a proper storage system. This process can include installing proper storage racks, rotating your supplies regularly to ensure freshness, and maintaining a detailed log of when your supplies were last used. Regularly sampling and testing your lubricant supplies to ensure quality can also help. We offer oil analysis services to help you stay on top of any potential contamination issues and potential equipment breakdowns. Many people have reduced the amount of driving they do or are parking their vehicles long term to save money on gas and insurance costs during lockdowns. If your business is considering this, make sure to follow these tips to prepare your vehicles for long term storage.

• Make sure the gas tank is full. Even if your vehicle is parked long term, you should make sure the tank is full. A full tank will help prevent fuel condensation and stop the build-up of hazardous gasoline fumes. You may even want to consider the use of a fuel stabilizer to prevent the gasoline from degrading.
• Check your battery. Your car battery is the most susceptible to dying when your vehicle is parked long term. Try to at least drive or start the vehicle once a week to keep the battery fresh. Otherwise, you may find that your battery is dead when you do start your vehicle up after it has been sitting for a long time. You may also try plugging your car in if you are able.
• Keep your car properly lubricated. Before you park long term, make sure that your car’s maintenance is up to date and you’ve recently had an oil change. Try and start or drive your car at least once a week so that the fluids in your vehicle circulate and keep everything lubricated. Make sure to check all the fluid levels in your vehicle regularly.
• Check your tire pressure. Make sure that your tires are properly filled. Driving the vehicle once a week can also help prevent flat spots that will develop over time as the tires lose pressure from staying in one position.
• Park in a safe and secure space. Where you park is almost as important as preparing your vehicle for long term parking. Take care to park your vehicle in an area free of debris and away from potential hazards, like under a tree. Regularly inspect your vehicle to make sure it’s free of fallen leaves, bird poop, and other debris, and check for signs of rodents who may sneak into your car engine. You don’t want your vehicle to become the home or storage facility of an industrious squirrel or mouse. In 2018, Kellen Moore parked her vehicle and found 50 pounds of pinecones under the hood when she tried to drive it again. You don’t want the same thing to happen to you.

No one wants another shutdown. We hope that we will avoid such extreme measures and that case numbers will begin to decline. But if we must have the reality of even a partial lockdown, it’s best to be prepared. Take care of your lubricant supplies and your vehicles if you will not be using them for a while so you can avoid costly maintenance when it’s time to open back up again. If you require oil analysis, fresh lubricant supplies, or have other fuel needs, please reach out to us. We have been a supplier of wholesale fuels in Bakersfield, CA, for decades now and a supplier of California fuels and lubricants. Our local community and customers are important to us, and we are here to support them as we all get through this pandemic together.

We're pretty lucky here in central California. Winter for us is a day when you might feel the need for a light sweater, once a year. But most of the country is not so lucky. Winter is coming, and the predictions are that this year, our neighbors to the north are in for a cooler, wetter winter. According to NOAA’s US winter forecast , the southern half of the country will experience warm and dry conditions this winter, while up north wetter than average conditions are expected across the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Northern Plains.

While we may be warm and toasty down here in California, any travel north may be a little hazardous this winter. Many of our customers operate fleets and do business out of state, so it’s a good time to start preparing for winter driving conditions, especially if you drive a heavy-duty truck or semi. As a California Fuel and Lubricant supplier, we’ve assembled some great winter driving preparation tips for your rig and some of our recommended products to use.

Five areas to inspect or replace on your rig before winter driving:

• Check your battery. Cold weather can drain a battery quickly. Do a thorough inspection or replace a battery that is close to the end of its shelf life.
• Check your fuel filter and water separator. Fuel filters will wear out faster in winter driving conditions due to the increased contaminants from snow, ice, salt, rock chips, or ice melt. Change out or inspect your filters more frequently during heavy winter driving use. Make sure to check your water daily to ensure that it’s not too full or beginning to ice over during severe cold.
• Check your air dryer: Your air dryer helps to prevent water from entering the brake lines. The increased precipitation that you will experience during winter driving can harm your brakes and engine.
• Check your tire pressure. Cold weather can cause tires to deflate and wear down faster. You want to ensure that you have good tread for optimum traction on icy roads.
• Check your engine block heater. First, make sure you have a block heater. Cold starts in the winter without one can be very difficult, and you may have to boost your engine to get it started, especially on diesel vehicles. Make sure to plug in your block heater to a power outlet when you are stopped for long periods of time.

A special note on coolant systems:
It may seem strange to worry about your coolant system during winter travel, but this part of the engine is very susceptible to cold weather. A coolant system directs liquid coolant throughout the engine block. The fluid heats up as it travels through the engine and is then cooled from the air that enters through the front grill. A thermostat is part of the system and is used to ensure the coolant stays above a certain temperature. If the coolant falls below the preset temperature, it will not circulate as well, and the engine will either overheat or freeze. Coolant fluids must be able to withstand temperatures below freezing and above 250 degrees without boiling. That’s a huge order for any fluid.

To keep your coolant fluid flowing properly, you may need to use anti-freeze. Chevron lubricants have a wide variety of products that are great to use. We recommend Delo® XLC Antifreeze/Coolant from Chevron. This product is designed to provide extended protection for both heavy-duty and lightweight trucks and equipment. It helps protect against pitting, corrosion, erosion, maintaining heat transfer, and protecting against winter freeze. It can also be used with conventional antifreeze if you need extra protection for your engine in severe winter weather.

Thoroughly inspect all areas of the coolant system, including tubing, gears, and filters. Once water or other contaminants enter this system, especially in cold weather, it can be very hard on your engine and cause a breakdown.

Make sure to use winterized diesel.
Diesel fuel is particularly prone to issues in cold weather. In cold weather, the paraffin wax in diesel can solidify and bind together. This is called gelling, and it can make it difficult for the fuel to ignite when cold. You can tell if your fuel has started to gel when it reaches the cloud point. This term describes a white haze or cloud that appears when the paraffin wax begins to solidify. Once this begins to happen, the wax will collect on the fuel filter and plug the engine. This is known as the Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP) , and this measurement is used to show the lowest possible point the fuel can still pass through the filter and ignite. Once the fuel is below this point, it may be more difficult to start the engine until it warms up.

To avoid this problem, winterized diesel was created. This diesel fluid is a mixture of grade 1 and grade 2 diesel. Grade one diesel contains kerosene and no paraffin wax. Different geological areas blend these two diesel fuels to create winterized diesel fuel for their climate. This diesel fuel contains less paraffin wax and will operate better in cold weather temperatures. You can use winter diesel once the temperature drops below 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Even though we don’t have a ton of need for winterized diesel in southern California, we still offer it for our customers to order. Trust us as a wholesale diesel fuel supplier to have the right winter diesel you need to hit the winter roads this year. We carry a wide variety of diesel fuels, including Chevron Diesel Fuel, for all of your fuel needs.

Winter travel can always be a little treacherous, especially if you are not used to it. A little preparation can go a long way to helping you stay safe on the roads. When you are driving, follow these tips to stay safe:

• Pack emergency supplies in case of a breakdown.
• Give yourself extra room on the highway and avoid traveling as part of a pack of vehicles.
• Make sure to have a fully charged cell phone or radio to call for help if needed.
• Make sure to leave a detailed travel plan with your dispatch or employer.
• Carry winter gear.
• Drive to the conditions of the road and leave yourself extra stopping room.
• If the weather is too poor for driving, stay off the roads.

We want our customers to stay safe no matter where they have to travel this winter. Follow our tips and suggestions to keep your rig in good working condition, no matter how cold it may get on your travels.