Really, really dumb question about difference between off road and on road diesel fuel.

[USMC43]

The label issue has me thinking..... so our yellow portable jugs would have to be labeled?????

Good grief.

Yes they do. But they already are unless your using the wrong or a non authorized container. Red is for gasoline and yellow for diesel. It will say it on the can as well, typically molded in with plastic ones.

 

[Rockbadchild]

A tank sample seems like the only way. Even if the exhaust search did work it’s not proof of a crime being committed. It’s not illegal to put red fuel in your pickup and drive it on your farm then drain the tank and replace with highway fuel when you go back on the road.

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yeah I have heard mix information in regards of that, I heard that it can be trace many fill up after red dye was used but also heard personally from someone that he had red red dye in his tank and he filled up with clear diesel and then pass a inspection... which is it? I don't know.. maybe they simply checked the color and didn't test the diesel itself. Google say it can be detected months after using the kit and the whole system should be drain... fear mongering ?? perhaps... different testing kit different accuracy ?? perhaps...

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10. How Long Does Red Diesel Stay In Your Tank?​

That can vary. If you’re wondering, sometimes the fastest way to check is to dip a tube in your tank and pull out a sample and see what color it is; there are also manual dipstick kits and black lights. But the gas doesn’t just stay in your tank – it goes through your fuel system. So if you’re concerned, take it to your mechanic so they can flush the system.

Frequently Asked Dyed Diesel Questions #2 - Fuel Distributors Inc.

At Ricochet Fuel, we get dozens of questions about dyed diesel, and we’ve written several posts about this off-road fuel.

www.ricochetfuel.com

 

[ning]

Yes they do. But they already are unless your using the wrong or a non authorized container. Red is for gasoline and yellow for diesel. It will say it on the can as well, typically molded in with plastic ones.

The question was actually, do we need to have "OFF ROAD" on the jug too
Just in case I'm stopped between the red-dye diesel stop and home, 9 miles on the road, and get stopped by a ... yeah I don't think the sheriff is going to care

 

[USMC43]

The question was actually, do we need to have "OFF ROAD" on the jug too
Just in case I'm stopped between the red-dye diesel stop and home, 9 miles on the road, and get stopped by a ... yeah I don't think the sheriff is going to care

Not on the jug itself. As long as the containers are 8 gallons and smaller there is no issues. The laws change for labeling and construction specs from 9 gallons to 119 gallons.

After 120 gallons you are basically in CDL hazmat territory and there is placarding and a lot of other regs needed.
The CDL portion in some states is not needed for farm use(placarding still is required) "IF" its from farm to field in a direct route with the fuel trailers.

The CDL exemption does not apply to bed mounted tanks over 119 gallons if you are driving to town and such.

I should preface this whole discussion that it really DEPENDS on the state for non commercial vehicles.

I don't live to far from the illinois state line in Indiana. Post 2008 the Illinois SP were ticketing people for really stupid stuff. Evidently they were required to "pay" for their salaries by ticket revenue.

I have neighbors that farm on both sides of the line that were ticketed for having torch tanks on their service truck and one that was ticketed for having a 5 gallon gas tank in his DRW one ton pickup. They claimed since it had no topper on the bed it was a commercial vehicle and needed to follow CDL hazmat regs. They were also ticketing farm semi grain trucks for not having a CDL at the elevators. They claimed that the elevator could sell the grain out of state so it was interstate commerence. Lot of guys reinstalled CB's in the trucks and you could hear them calling out the presence of the troopers at the elevators so people avoided delivering at that point.

I have never experienced any of the shenanigans from the current ISP. 30 years ago there were some retarded DOT officers but they are pretty level headed and fair, or at least all of them that I have delt with.

 

[flyerdan]

It seems that the smart thing would be to have a labeled off road tank in the bed, and have it plumbed into a fuel select valve so the main tank remains pure.

 

[USMC43]

It seems that the smart thing would be to have a labeled off road tank in the bed, and have it plumbed into a fuel select valve so the main tank remains pure.

Tried before and they check for that.

 

[4570Man]

I mix whatever fuel was more convenient in my equipment. The last fill up into my mini x was road diesel. I have no idea what the fill up before that was. But the water separator definitely shows red.

 

[DarkBlack]

I’m still waiting for someone to explain if these piecemeal regulations allow one to simply put “off-road diesel “ on your diesel tanks?
From what I can gather, depending where you live, you can get in trouble for having off-road diesel fuel in a tank labeled just “diesel “, or “on road diesel”, but it seems you can’t get in trouble for putting clear, taxed on-road diesel in a portable non-stationary tank, or vehicle.

So just label all your diesel tanks as “off-road “ and you’re good either way…with off-road, or clear diesel in it?

We already know to enforcement, labels actually mean nothing. They’re going to physically stick your diesel, irregardless of what the label or you say…

 

[Peter 315]

I have a transfer tank for my pickup no markings on it and put off-road/ on-road and never had a problem with the DOT. At work we run on-road fuel in all the machines its just easier to run one fuel type..

 

[DarkBlack]

I have a transfer tank for my pickup no markings on it and put off-road/ on-road and never had a problem with the DOT. At work we run on-road fuel in all the machines its just easier to run one fuel type..

At my work we also bought clear diesel for our large stationary diesel generators, but we filed with the state yearly to get a reimbursement for the price difference in price were eligible for as they were off/road classified

 

[Peter 315]

At my work we also bought clear diesel for our large stationary diesel generators, but we filed with the state yearly to get a reimbursement for the price difference in price were eligible for as they were off/road classified

Ya my boss wont file he doesn't want to deal with the BS paper work he's old school... Lol

 

[DarkBlack]

Ya my boss wont file he doesn't want to deal with the BS paper work he's old school... Lol

I see you’re from the same small state.

 

[Peter 315]

I see you’re from the same small state.

Yes we are I'm in Southern NH or Northern MA... LOL

 

[Mtsoxfan]

The gas stations don't care what color the container is, they just want to make sure your filling cans at the off road pump, not your truck.
So few police in our area, even if one pulled you over for whatever reason, in your car/truck, they have better things to do than go over fuel tanks...

 

[Peter 315]

The gas stations don't care what color the container is, they just want to make sure your filling cans at the off road pump, not your truck.
So few police in our area, even if one pulled you over for whatever reason, in your car/truck, they have better things to do than go over fuel tanks...

They don't care if you put off road fuel in your truck.. I saw a guy filling milk jugs with gas one day....

 

[dodge man]

I figured, but I’m still trying to wrap my head around the sense of it. It’s just a mobile portable diesel storage tank for his own use. Assuming it was already labeled “diesel “. He’s perfectly legal to fill it with taxed, on-road diesel, and transfer and use on-road diesel in his off-road equipment, if he wishes, so the point of whatever regulation he broke is beyond my little brain.

Example … if the off road diesel at the station he filled it at, was out of off road, so he paid more for taxed on-road, because he needed diesel, perfectly legal…and if he now has his off-road sticker on it, would he get another ticket for having filled it with on-road?

The guy cited in my original post had off road diesel in a transfer tank in the back of his pickup, without a label saying it was off road diesel. He is a contractor and had several on road trucks and equipment they dipped but the only thing they found wrong was the missing label.

 

[Hay Dude]

Man, what a beat-to-death topic.
Worry about things that might actually be worthy of worry.
No cop is gonna dip a pickup unless you’re known all over town for bragging about running red as OTR fuel.

 

[SwingOak]

I used to buy off highway diesel for the farm, but found that Costco prices are usually within 10-15 cents and sometimes even lower than the cost of off highway fuel. So, I just fill my transfer tank at Costco and then I can use it in whatever machine I want and not have to worry about getting checked, not that I do anyway. Unless your hauling commercially, I don't think anyone really cares that much.

 

[f2000ez]

We used off road diesel on our farm and started having injector pump problems from the dye. Switched to on road diesel and no more injector pump problems. Just file the paperwork work and get a refund for the tax paid

PS. The VA state police would stop by the farm twice a year and dip all our vehicles tanks to make sure there wasn't any off road in them. We had to explain that a lot of the pickup trucks were gasoline , but they still dipped the tanks. Stupidity at its finest

 

[DarkBlack]

We used off road diesel on our farm and started having injector pump problems from the dye. Switched to on road diesel and no more injector pump problems. Just file the paperwork work and get a refund for the tax paid

PS. The VA state police would stop by the farm twice a year and dip all our vehicles tanks to make sure there wasn't any off road in them. We had to explain that a lot of the pickup trucks were gasoline , but they still dipped the tanks. Stupidity at its finest

Stories like that just confirm my reason for questioning, the logic and reasoning for the story of the cop ticketing the guy who didn’t have “off road “ on his portable diesel tank.
They’re going to ignore your label anyway, and physically check it.

I read somewhere, the IRS is somehow ultimately in charge of red diesel regulations. If a local cop is sticking your tanks. I’d say he’s going way “above and beyond “ his duties