How Much Oil Does A Semi Truck Hold?

A semi-truck has a diesel engine that comes with 450 to 560 horsepower. Since it’s a big and powerful diesel engine, it needs more fuel to get started & run for a long time. You can’t compare the oil capacity of a 560 HP engine with your 200-250 HP car.

So, how much oil does a semi-truck hold? A semi-truck or an 18-wheeler holds up to 15 gallons of fuel. Though the average amount of fuel depends on engine type & capacity, you can expect to fill up your 18-wheelers with a minimum of 10 to 11 gallons of oil.

A semi-truck engine is based on diesel and has a bigger tank than any other vehicle. Therefore, you must frequently change the engine oil to ensure the best engine performance. Let’s see other related factors of Semi-Truck Engine oil.

How Long Does A Semi-Truck Engine Oil Last?

The Semi-Truck engine lasts for 25000 miles mostly, though it depends on several factors. Engine type, engine oil quality, and driving times & miles are the three factors that decide the engine oil changing time.

Typically, a semi-truck drives for 100k miles every year. In that case, you need to change the engine fuel every 4 months or 25000 miles. That way, you should change the diesel four times a year.

On the other hand, semi-truck engine oil has several versions; we’ll discuss this in the following section.

A semi-truck engine is a diesel engine that needs more fuel than a gasoline engine. Therefore, 36 to 40 quarts are the average fuel you must put in your 18-wheelers.

This engine fuel will be good for as long as 25000 miles. 

Engine Oil Types for Semi Truck

Mainly, a semi-truck engine has different oil options. Whereas people mostly used three different oils:

• 5w40
• 10w40
• 15w40

The first one is for the cold or winter season to kick start your engine in extreme weather. The viscosity level of 5w40 is very low, and it won’t get sticky under snowfall. Therefore, it can help you run the engine smoothly (kick start the engine at once).

The 10w40 & 15w40 are the two most popular engine oils for semi-truck. These two are best suited for high viscosity since they can help you run under high heat or in summer. Between these two, the 15w40 is much thicker than the first one. It can support and be in your engine for about 25000 miles.

Whatever engine oil you use, you must put 15 gallons of it. Otherwise, the engine oil might finish before 25000 miles & create some complexities.

Best Engine Oil for Semi-Truck

Synthetic engine oil is the best for semi-truck or 18-wheelers. This oil has excellent additives and synthetic blend materials to support your powerful engine. It comes with a natural or fully synthetic fluid blend to protect the powerful engine from wear, tear, and corrosion.

On the other hand, synthetic engine oil ensures optimum performance in every way possible. From increasing the mileage to ensuring the best protection, you should always use the synthetic-based engine oil for an 18-wheels semi-truck.

Additionally, synthetic engine oil should come with either 5w40 or 15w40 to ensure the best engine performance. These two have everything your 18-wheels semi-truck needs to perform better than anything else.

Semi-Truck Gasoline/Tank Capacity

A semi-truck has two tanks to keep enough fuel for a long drive. And every tank has a 120-150 gasoline capacity. That means a semi-truck tank capacity is around 240 to 300 gasoline. If you have empty tanks, you should first clean both tanks. Then, fill them with 240 to 300 gasoline.

Be sure to fill the tanks appropriately since they may leak oil without any prior signal. Also, the overfilling might create issues in safe driving. For these two reasons, you should keep your tank slightly empty and never overfill it. Therefore, it’s better to check the fuel level before you fill it with fuel.

Fuel Changing Cost for Semi-Truck

On average, the changing cost for a semi-truck is between $250-$300. It depends on the fuel quality, brand value, and amount of fuel you want to buy. Sometimes, you may need to spend around $200, though it can go up to $400.

Let’s say you don’t have any fuel in your tank and go to a fuel station. In that case, you need to pay $350 minimum to fill up the entire tank. Or $400 for premium quality fuel.

The cost might increase for fuel tank cleaning & other services. The engine needs to be repaired, or the fuel injector or filter may get damaged. These issues should be sorted out accordingly before you change the fuel. In that case, the cost may become $400 to $500 bucks.

Is It Worth Changing Semi-Truck Fuel Every Four Months?

Yes, it’s worth changing semi-truck fuel every four months or after you drive it for 25000 miles. Typically, a semi-truck can be driven for 100k miles a year. Therefore, you should have covered 25000 miles every four months, which indicates a fuel-changing time.

What’s The Holding Capacity of 18-Wheelers?

An 18-wheeler comes up with 2 tanks; every tank can hold 120 to 150 gallons of oil. That means the holding capacity of 18-wheelers is 240 to 300 gallons of fuel. At the same time, the engine fuel capacity is 15 gallons.

Closing Words

How much oil does a semi-truck hold? It holds up to 15 gallons of engine oil, whereas the two tanks can hold up to 300 gallons of fuel. Tank capacity, engine type, fuel viscosity, and mileage are crucial in ensuring the fuel-holding capacity of an 18-wheeler semi-truck.

You must have a budget of $200-$400 to fill up the entire tank. And you should always go for either 15w40 or the 5w40. The later one is for the winter season, and the first one is for summer and regular time. Never mismatch these fuels and use one instead of another.