dyed and clear diesel from same nozzle?

[Soundguy]

I was just at a sunoco filling up my diesel truck with fuel, and ran the credit card, flipped the handle onthe diesel nozzle up, and was setitng there waiting for it to start fueling.. nothing after about 30 seconds. then I noticed it wanted me to make a fuel selection.. sure enough.. 2 buttons were lit up.. it had both an option for on road diesel, and off road diesel...

Do they actually have 2 tanks.. or is the dye being added right at the pump? Reason i ask is there is only 1 nozzle... if the guy before you gets dyed fuel for his tractor setting on his trailer and pulls away, and i pull up and get clear road fuel.. looks like there will be fuel mix.. that hose probably holds a gallon if not 2, as this is has wide lanes, and the hoses are long and on double hangers for larger trucks.. perhaps boats and tractors.. etc.

At the co. where I work, IRS comes by REGULARLY to 'stick' all our on road trucks.. they say -ANY- visible evidence of a die on the tube they pull when held to a white back drop is enough for a 2500$ violation...

what's the deal here? Other truck stops inthe area offer off road.. but it is on a pump by itself.

soundguy

[JESSE1]

I don't know of any stations around here that sell off-road alongside taxed diesel. It would be too easy for someone to put the wrong diesel in there truck. The fuel distributor I use for my farm diesel sells both but they come from separate pumps.

[number two]

Wow,never heard of that one! I'd have to believe there are two tanks. The red dye used to tint the fuel is extremely concentrated. At a terminal one time,one of the guys there showed me a small spilled spot of the dye on the concrete about the size of a quarter. It was six years old at the time,and I could rub some snow over it with my boot and it was still coloring the snow! It is entirely possible that they're selling ULSD for off-road as it's a very common practice-why inventory an additional product? Perhaps there are different dyes. I've always seen the dye added when the fuel is loaded from the terminal tank to the truck. That's the point where the tax amount is determined. Your local distributor will have tanks for clear and dyed. **** interesting!

[dixie306]

For what this is worth, I'll pay the difference in the two and get the fuel without the dye, I know people who say they run it with no problems, I'm not one of them. I bought it a couple of times, the tractor ran but a huge lack of power and fouled up fuel filters.

[Skyco]

Never heard of that one! Next thing ya know they'll have all 3 grades of gasoline, kerosene, on-road and off-road all coming out of one nozzle!

[Diamondpilot]

I have the same setup at my local Marathon Station SoundGuy. I needed fuel just yesterday and loaded the tank in the back of the truck and went down and got 125 gallons of "Off Road" for $4.29 out the door. The "On Road" out of the same pump was $4.79.


I am sure it comes from the same tank. On our fuel farm at the airport I fly out of they put a 5 gallon bucket with a siphon hose going into it to inject Prist. Prist is a anti-gelling anti-bacteria additive. Anyway with the flip of a switch it can turn it on and off. I am sure it is doing the same thing with the dye.

To go one further Heating Oil is not often used in my area but you can order it and pay less tax. From what I have heard from my local delivery guy is if you order Heating Oil he delivers Off Road #2 Diesel.



Chris

[dgl24087]

I suppose if it shot the dye into the tank on the initial burst, then turned the dye off and pumped only fuel, then it wouldn't leave any dyed fuel in the nozzle. That way it wouldn't taint the on-road fuel. Personally, I've never seen a set up like that.

[Soundguy]

It shocked me.. caus ethe buttons are right next to each other.. one is green.. one is red.. and had the same price spread that diamond pilot mentioned.

Really makes me wonder how they are doing that without contaminating clear diesel in on road fueling if the guy in front of you gets off road. As i said.. that hose has to hold a couple gallons.. plus whatver the pump and draw line is primed with...???

soundguy

[Skyco]

It is now your TBN duty to go buy several gallons of off-road. Then buy 1 gallon of on-road and see what you get.
We await your report I read where 1 gallon of dyed can visibly contaminate thousands of gallons of non-dyed

I seriously doubt the dyeing is being done at the station, in fact, I think I read somewhere that by law it has to be done prior to distribution to avoid tax cheating...gotta go look that up.

[pwl]

FYI, I am currently visiting friends in Finland. Road diesel here is 1.55 euros per liter. Do the math with the current exchange rate and these poor people are paying 9 dollars and 12 cents a gallon. Many of their cars are diesel. Gas is a little more expensive. Thanks for letting me interrupt.